Day 11 - What is a script anyways? 

What are scripts and why are they important?

Hello, hello. Hey guys and welcome to another episode of the First Impressions Challenge!

So far, we have focused on many of the most common questions and answers in English, which is really important because you need a strong foundation of these fundamental questions to speak confidently in English. But today, we are going to do things a little bit differently and we are really going to start moving more quickly. So get ready, here we go. 

So today is our first day really talking about scripts. And just to clarify very quickly, when I say the word "script," this is the word that I'm using for "roteiro, roteiros." Right?

Ok, so I think a good place to start is with the question, “What is a script? What is this thing that we're talking about?"

In very simple terms, a script is simply a collection of prepared questions and answers. Super simple, right? You are simply practicing a lot of questions that people will probably ask you and then you are preparing answers to those questions. 

So I imagine you may be thinking, "Wait, Foster, that’s it? That seems way too easy, that seems way too simple." I understand, I totally get it, scripts seem kind of boring and not very important at first. But I promise, I promise they're not boring at all and they are tremendously important. 

Honestly, I think that scripts, learning how to create scripts and learning how to use them effectively - that’s one of the most important skills that you can cultivate to learn languages faster, to learn how to speak more confidently. At least that is my personal experience and this is also a trend, this is something that is very common that I see in many many of our students as well. 

So if you are still not convinced about the importance of scripts, let’s talk about why scripts are awesome for just a moment. 

So first, they will dramatically increase your confidence. Imagine giving a presentation that you have not prepared for and you don’t even know what the topic is about, you don't know what you're supposed to talk about. This is more or less what most people do when learning a new language. They study a lot of things, but they don’t prepare for the actual conversation. So, this is what scripts allow you to do. They allow you to be prepared to speak with real people, and naturally, that preparation really improves your clarity, your confidence and makes everything way better. 

Reason number two why scripts are awesome - they give you so much more mental space. So, I think this is a really really interesting and very important point, especially for me. You probably have not thought about it too much, but when you're speaking, speaking requires a lot of mental energy and effort. And especially speaking in a foreign language, that probably doubles the amount of energy and effort that you need. 

So when you are having a conversation in a foreign language, you need to be fast, you have to be flexible. You really don’t have time to think about different grammatical structures and vocabulary. It has to be more or less automatic. And having a script helps you achieve exactly that. 

And finally, last but not least, one more reason why scripts are amazing and you need to use them, they will help you make an awesome and really impressive first impression. And that’s what this challenge is all about, right? Making a strong first impression, so that’s what we are going to do. And just a side note here, I really understand the power and the impact of scripts from personal experience. 

So after practicing a lot of introductory scripts, it was so much easier for me to really get into deep conversations with native speakers, especially when I was learning Portuguese. So after saying things like, sei lá... “Meu nome é Foster, eu sou dos Estados Unidos. Eu tenho vinte e nove anos. Eu estou estudando relações internacionais.” I practice these phrases many many times. And then, when I said those phrases in conversations, almost everyone immediately thought that my Portuguese was much much better than it actually was in reality. So this can be a little intimidating because people start to speak fast, but it is extremely extremely useful. 

So try to imagine the opposite situation for just a moment. Imagine that you do not speak any English, and an American guy is in Brazil and he comes up to talk to you. If this person says something like, I don't know...  “Olá, tudo bem?” and you respond by saying, “Sim, tudo bem, cara! E você, beleza?” And he responds… ”Não entendo. Não falo bem português.” 

Think about that. Are you really going to want to continue that conversation? Are you going to put in the time and effort to really try to make a connection with that person, that is having a lot of difficulties expressions themselves in your native language? Probably not, because you know it's going to be very difficult to communicate with them and vice versa. 

But on the other hand, if you meet an American that has a good accent in Portuguese, he seems to speak very well, he is asking you interesting questions and responding with thoughtful answers, you are probably going to think, “Wow, this is so cool! An American that speaks Portuguese. What is he doing in Brazil? Maybe he could help me with my English too! I want to be friends with him!” 

And that’s the importance of practicing and really refining your script. The difference between, "I don’t want to talk to this person because they don’t understand me and I don’t understand them" and “Oh, wow, I really want to be friends with this person, I want to make a connection with them.” That is what a script can do. So, as you can see, a few small changes can have a really really big impact on your language experience.

So, there are many, many more reasons why learning, training, practicing, and perfecting your script is so so important and useful for your English, but I think you understand the point. 

So for today, just think about this idea of scripts and think about how it can be useful and important to you. Tomorrow, we will give you an easy to follow, step-by-step process about how to create some introductory scripts that will really start to help you speak more confidently in record time. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.