Do you know what you don’t know?

Well, about stuff you don’t know, you’re probably sure. But what about things you know something about?

We all have knowledge gaps. Lacking knowledge and skill in particular areas, we first make mistakes. And then, because of these same knowledge gaps, we can be prevented from catching our errors.?

The Dunning-Kruger cognitive bias tells us that “… poor performers lack the very expertise needed to recognize how badly they're doing.”?

In other words, you don’t know if you don’t know.

Oh, boy.

Learners can rate their skills as better and more advanced than they really are. I had one transfer tell me that the accent of people from his country wasn’t as bad as the accent of people from another country.?

?? sorry. ?

At our first meeting, he had a well-rehearsed introduction about himself and his work, but in the next meetings, when it came to speaking spontaneously, his level dropped in both grammar and delivery. After I assessed his skills and told him what he needed to work on, he dropped his lessons. He was too busy, he said…

Language levels

We need to move through different levels to reach fluency. Working proficiency in a language means being able to get the job done. Working proficiency does not equal advanced proficiency or fluency. They’re different levels. We can’t just qualify ourselves as at advanced level because we understand and are understood well enough to do a job.?

Learners can rate their skills as better and more advanced than they really are. Reaching a certain level of communication - of understanding and being understood, they think that’s all they need to do. Well, in all fairness, it may be. We all have our goals. If simple communication is yours, once you’re conversational you maybe won’t want to study more. Lots of working proficient learners come to this conclusion. They think -My English is good, then they stop studying.?

I’m not talking about them though. I’m talking about people who have serious goals. They want to go further.

???? They’re not done yet. Along this path to being the best they can be, they know they don’t know what they don’t know.

They look for a discerning, capable ear to help them discover what it is and what to do next. Those unrecognized pockets' of incompetence and unidentified weaknesses’ days are counted.

What about you? Do you know what you don’t know? Are you ready to up your English level??

??? I’m Tina, voice and business communications trainer for global professionals. I work with people who know their value and help them learn how to better communicate that to their peers and leadership.

???DM me to talk about where you are with English and where you want to be.