Running the PDCA cycle for English conversation at a live music venue
It was about two months ago, at the end of January, that I went to BLUE NOTE PLACE in Ebisu.
Even though it's nearby, it was actually my first time there.
It was a live performance by a pianist named Chinami Yamaguchi, whom I had actually only learned about a week before the show, but I heard she had perfectly replicated Keith Jarrett's masterpiece, 'The Köln Concert'!
Only standing room on the second floor was left, but I booked it immediately. (It was sold out on the day.) Even though it wasn't Keith Jarrett himself, I was deeply moved to be able to hear it live like this.
I love music, but since this note is a blog dedicated to English-related matters, I will intentionally refrain from writing my impressions of the live performance, and this time I would like to write about
utilizing live performances for English learning and running the PDCA cycle
about it.
The autograph session where I was more nervous about 'practicing English conversation' than the artist in front of me
I started learning English in earnest in my early twenties, around my first year as a company employee. It was also when I was hooked on going to jazz live performances.
At live music venues, they often sold CDs, and purchasing one frequently came with the perk of getting an autograph from the artist themselves after the show.
At the time,English learning was by far the top priority in my life.
Just buying one CD meant
being able to exchange a word or two in English with an overseas artist
which, for me in that era—with no online English conversation, no AI, and not even smartphones in existence—was an incredibly precious opportunity to practice English conversation.
I took every opportunity to use it as a place to practice English conversation.
Even before going to the live venue,
I would carefully prepare what kind of conversation I would have when getting the autograph
.
Furthermore, I would
practice that conversation repeatedly by muttering it to myself at home
Arriving at the venue.
After the show, while waiting in line to get my CD signed,
I would mentally cycle through the English conversation practice I had done at home
and I was doing this,
with my tension at its peak.
However, that tension,
was not so much the excitement of meeting an artist I admire,
but rather the nervousness of whether I would be able to speak English properly, haha.
When the phrases I practiced were understood, it gave me great confidence, and because I had practiced those phrases quite a bit, I was able to say them smoothly at other artists' autograph sessions. Not only that,
I also learned something new, realizing how the other person would respond to the English I spoke.
Daring to try different phrases
The phrases I used to communicate were not the same every time.
The first time,
I was only able to say
I enjoyed the concert.
but the next time,
I thought,
instead of concert,
performancelet's try using that.
show, let's try that,
next time, instead of saying 'it was fun',
I want to say 'I was moved', so
impressive, let's use that,
no, I was impressed with, maybe I'll try that instead,
and I was conscious of daring to use a different expression every time.
To the artist themselves,
it might have looked like I was stating my impressions fluently,
but I had practiced dozens of times at home,
and as mentioned above,
I even rehearsed (lol) while waiting in line,
so it was a phrase that finally came out.
Applying PDCA to English conversation
PDCA is a method often used in business settings, but as I did at live music venues, you can also apply it to English conversation to lead to improvement.
PLAN = Deciding what kind of phrases to use. In English learning, also include the P for PRACTICE!
DO
= Actually using the practiced phrases at the live venue
CHECK
= Thinking for yourself about how the phrase was said and how it felt
ACTION
= Trying to arrange it a little for next time, or trying to use a different new phrase
You repeat this cycle.
If you have a confirmed or potential opportunity to converse in English,
・Topics you expect to discuss
・Things likely to come up depending on the flow of conversation
・Things you might be asked
・Things you would like to ask
I recommend organizing these points to some extent and preparing to say them in English.
In this day and age, you can practice the P part of the PDCA cycle more realistically by simulating actual conversations using AI or online English conversation services.
It is also possible to actually perform the D by utilizing online tools or AI!
Back then, I never imagined such a time would come, and I find it quite enviable, but let's make the most of the tools available to improve our English conversation skills!
This time, I shared how running the PDCA cycle is effective for improving English conversation.
If you found this helpful, I would appreciate it if you could like and follow me ☺️