Context is everything

Spontaneous vs. structured.

Context is everything. What we want to say is related to where and why we are saying it. This plays an important role in terms of the vocabulary we use and the way we speak. Are we trying to close a deal and attract investors or are we just shooting the breeze with friends? This is where we derive meaning based on specific variables that relate to our ambition and how it interacts with someone else’s.

Our lives oscillate between the deliberate and the automatic. Not just biological functions but how we spend our time. It takes deliberate effort to change the patterns that have become automatic.

For example, we go to the gym and lift weights. This is a structured way of becoming stronger. We know the exercises, we count the reps, the weight gets lighter and then we make it heavier. We set the parameters for how we will measure the results of our effort.

The mistake most make is relegating the expression of strength to the gym. This leads to a dysfunction between the structured training and the spontaneous performance. When a gymnast practices the moves in repetitive isolation, it does not just make them stronger, it prepares them for the performance.

The structured practice is meant for the spontaneous movements. The way we speak is unique to the context, but it improves across all domains when it is structured. Speech is also unique in the sense that it is ubiquitous in our lives. We are always talking. So we are always performing, but we are rarely practicing. This is a part of the understanding that needs to shift if you want to make improvements with your accent. It requires deliberate practice as we discussed last week. Remember, you can’t learn the song by reading the lyrics, you have to sing them.

We often differentiate between practice and performance, which is essentially what the spontaneous and structured dichotomy is. But the goal is not to just turn the switch on when we need to perform, it is to carry over the benefits of training into the real world in real time.

Mentors help bridge that gap with instantaneous feedback. A mentor can compound learning by increasing self-awareness. The ability to assess one’s own skills is what will make the mentor obsolete, which is the goal of any great teacher.

Coaching works because it provides the correct structure so that you can be spontaneous with the results.

Practice how you play

It all comes down to context. The old axiom of practice how you play. If you simply go through the motions during practice it will weaken your performance. But the difference between practice and play is the margin of error. If you are going to mess up, you want it to be during practice and not during the performance. This seems obvious, but the space for this develop requires understanding the context with which you are working.

There is a considerable about of effort and deliberate practice that is required to change something that is automatic. It is as matter of determination. There are no short cuts because you can’t hack something to alter your automatic framework. It takes consistent, structured practice with the context you want to perform in.

When it comes to accent modification, we consider the context of structure and spontaneous. If you are practicing your pitch to investors, a presentation for class, or any scripted context, you will see it as the performance for which it is. It is a context that you would not be acting or speaking in that way otherwise. This helps to set the parameters for what you want to accomplish. This gives you structure which helps you manage your tone and the words you will flow with.

But the foundation is a basic understanding that you cannot spontaneously improve if you don’t practice within the right structure. Structured speech is limited based on the context but the benefits expand to any context.

Context and intonation

When we discuss intonation and syllable stress, you will see that there is a pattern to how we stress certain words in American English. But the context will also determine the stress. For example, we generally stress the first syllable in nouns and the second in the verb form of the same word. Here’s an example:

He had to insert his ideas into the insert.

This is a major topic and one we will go much deeper into. But the point I am making here is that there are rules and when we understand the context, it enables us to connect the intonation with the message we are trying to convey. It is about creating flow and fluency so that there is no distraction between our message and its expression.

So to sum up what we went over today:

Context determines the tone, vocabulary, and ambition of what you are saying.

Context is based on location, listeners, topics and goals.

Context is used to describe the rules and intonation as well as the shared meaning and ambition of the speaker.