Hello everyone! This is the very first session of English the Smart Way podcast. đ Podcasting has become extremely popular over the past few years so I thought to myself  Why not to start podcasting too?
Since this is our first session, I will spend some time introducing myself and the concept of this show. You can download the podcast mp3 and the full transcript in pdf below. Also, you will find the links I mention in the podcast in the separate section (see below).
Thanks for listening and feel free to leave me a comment in the comment section at the bottom of this page. đ
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Transcript
Hey hey, whatâs up, this is Ivan Ottinger from englishthesmartway.com.
Welcome to the very first session of English the Smart Way podcast. I am so excited and I canât believe I have started with podcasting.
As this is the first session, I am going to do a quick introduction of who I am, why I am doing this podcast and what you can expect from the future sessions.
Some of you probably know me already – I am an ordinary guy from a little European country called Slovakia. Btw, if you search Google Maps you will see how tiny my country is actually. đ
About 3 years ago I started writing a blog – I published there articles on very different topics – I wrote about web development, about personal development and basically my hobbies. After some time I realised that most of my articles were about English learning. You know, I have always liked English language so I decided to dedicate the whole blog to English learning only.
Over the time I started receiving many âthank youâ emails and very nice comments from you – my fans and subscribers. And this encouraged me to write even more. So I thought – How could I help you more so you can become better in English? Even though I am not an English teacher, I am not a native speaker and I am not perfect in English either.
That was a challenge. But also it was the beginning of writing my first ebook – English the Smart Way. In this book I shared my personal experience in becoming a fluent in English. I wrote the book from my own perspective – the perspective of a non-native English speaker. I put there together all I have learnt over the years of practicing English – every technique, tip and resource that has helped me in one or another way.
And then I thought to myself – letâs start a podcast, itâs gonna be fun. đ
Well, but there are two main real reasons why I have decided to start this podcast. The first one is a bit selfish – I would really like to improve my speaking skills – not just in English, but speaking in general. And you know doing podcast like this basically forces me to become a better speaker and learn from my own mistakes.
The second – and the most important reason I am doing this podcast is that I am here to help. I am here to help you speak fluent and confident English. I will do my best to deliver to you the most valuable content I can. And also, I want to connect with you and I believe that listening to podcast like this is much much more personal than reading a blog post.
So what can you expect from the future podcast sessions? I will be sharing with you the interviews. Interviews with successful fluent English speakers; interviews with experienced English teachers and interviews with basically everyone else whoâs thoughts or ideas can help us – English learners to become confident and fluent English speakers. đ Btw, if you know someone who is a good fit for this show, let me know. đ
Well, and to leave you with something to think about – Iâve got one tip or suggestion if you will:
Donât be afraid of making mistakes – Donât be afraid of making mistakes – not just when speaking English, but in your life in general. đ Look at me for example – I am probably making a ton of mistakes in this podcast only. But, you know – who cares? My goal here is to give you the content, the story, the value. And even I make mistakes, I can still deliver the message to you. đ
Everytime you feel anxious when you are about to speak in English, remember – making mistakes is natural and essential in order to become a fluent English speaker.
English is so important these days. It is a world language, itâs a language of science. English allows us to learn, to experience, connect with people around the world, make friends, do business, travel, live a better life and also the most important – contribute to this world so we can all together make it a better place to live.
Make mistakes, enjoy them and become a confident and fluent English speaker – everyone will benefit from it!
And thatâs all for today.
If you want to say hello, donât hesitate and go to my FB page at facebook.com/englishthesmartway or simply send me an email – I would love to hear from you. đ I read every message.
Thanks for listening in once again, I appreciate it. Always happy to serve you and I canât wait to serve you in the next episode of English the Smart Way podcast. If you havenât done so, donât forget to get my free ebook at englishthesmartway.com/ebook. Thanks again for joining me. Cheers, take care. Bye bye!