What if you could take the pressure off and build real speaking ability at the same time?

What if you learned by hearing other learners like you, their real sentences, their mistakes, and how they get fixed?

And what if you then practiced speaking yourself, with real-time corrections, until the right words just came?

Because confidence in speaking is built in two ways:

First:
by reducing the pressure and becoming more comfortable with real conversations.

And second:
by gradually building the ability to actually say what you want to say.

What if you could go from speaking like this …

to speaking like this …

Real confidence isn't measured by passing an exam. It's measured by moments like these:

If you're anything like most German learners, there's probably one thing that's holding you back.

As my student Freya put it:

Or maybe, as Lyn put it, it's the stress that comes with speaking German around native speakers:

So at first glance, it looks like the fear of speaking is the problem.

But what if the fear of speaking isn't the problem itself?

What if it's simply the visible symptom of something deeper?

So let's look beneath the surface and try to understand the mechanics behind it.

Because once we understand what creates this fear in the first place, we can develop the right strategy to overcome it.

The two hidden dynamics behind speaking anxiety

When you are in a conversation in German, there are usually two things happening at the same time.

And both of them make speaking feel uncomfortable.

The first is psychological.

The second is skill-related.

And the difficult part is that they reinforce each other.
​

1. The psychological side, feeling judged

In that moment when it’s your turn to speak, something shifts.

• You become aware of yourself.
• You become aware of how you sound.
• You become aware that you might make a mistake.

And even if the other person says nothing, you still feel it.

• Maybe you imagine what they are thinking.
• Maybe you feel like every mistake is visible.
• Maybe you feel like your German is being evaluated.

And instead of just speaking, you start observing yourself while speaking.

• You listen to your own sentences.
• You check your grammar while talking.
• You try to control how you sound.

And that creates pressure.

And that pressure slows everything down.

2. The skill side, not feeling confident in what you say

At the same time, there is another layer.

You are not fully confident in your ability to express what you want to say.

You have an idea.

You know exactly what you would say in your native language.

But when you try to say it in German, something is missing.

• Maybe the right word doesn’t come.
• Maybe the sentence structure feels unclear.
• Maybe you start the sentence… and then stop halfway.

And this creates a very specific feeling.

A kind of friction.

Because your intention is clear, but your ability to express it is not fully there yet.

And this is where confidence is often misunderstood.

Confidence is not just a mindset.

It is also a reflection of skill.

If you trust that you can say what you want to say, you feel relaxed.

If you’re not sure you can say it, you hesitate.

Think about your native language for a moment.

When someone asks you something, you don’t think about how to say it.

• You don’t search for words.
• You don’t build the sentence consciously.
• The words simply come.

And there is a certain ease in that.

Almost a relief.

Now compare that to speaking German.

You have the idea.

• But now you are searching.
• You are building.
• You are checking.

And that gap between intention and expression is exactly what creates tension.
​

How psychology and skill are interconnected

And this is where both sides come together.

Because the less confident you feel in your skills, the more you hesitate.

And the more you hesitate, the more you feel exposed.

And the more exposed you feel, the stronger the psychological pressure becomes.

So it’s not just one problem.

It’s both happening at the same time.

• The psychological pressure.
• And the skill gap.

How to build confidence in speaking

If you look at it this way, you would need to work on both sides.

Not just one.
​

1. The psychological side

On the psychological side, the goal is simple.

• To reduce the pressure.
• To feel less judged.
• To stop expecting perfection from yourself.
• To see that making mistakes is normal.

And one of the most effective ways this happens is surprisingly simple.

By learning from other people who are going through the exact same challenges.

When you see other learners hesitate…

when you see them search for words…

when you see them make mistakes…

something shifts.

You realize you’re not the only one.

And that alone already takes away a lot of pressure.
​

2. The skill side

On the skill side, the goal is different.

Here, it’s about building the ability to actually say what you want to say.

• Not in theory.
• Not through abstract grammar rules.
• But through real speaking.

Real sentences.

Real patterns.

Think about how a child learns.

A child doesn’t start with grammar explanations.

A child tries to say something.

And then hears the correct version.

Again and again.

And over time, those patterns become natural.

Now imagine you could do the same.

Not by memorizing rules.

But by becoming familiar with the kinds of sentences learners actually try to say.

• By recognizing the patterns behind common mistakes.
• By seeing how those sentences are corrected.
• And by slowly, step by step, building the ability to express what you mean.

Because the more you can actually say what you want to say…

the more confident you naturally feel.

What if you had a learning system designed to work on BOTH sides of speaking confidence?

What if you had a learning environment where you could gradually reduce the pressure of speaking German…

while at the same time building the actual ability to express yourself more naturally and confidently?

What if, instead of constantly feeling overwhelmed by native speakers far above your level…

you could first become familiar with real conversations adapted to your level?

What if you could listen to other learners…

hear the kinds of sentences learners actually try to say…

recognize common mistakes…

and gradually internalize more natural speaking patterns?

And what if you could then actively practice speaking yourself…

step by step…

through live speaking practice with support, and real-time corrections?

Not random conversation practice.

Not pressure-filled conversations where you constantly feel judged or overwhelmed.

But speaking practice designed to help you gradually become more comfortable expressing yourself in German.

Because confidence in speaking is built in two ways:

Introducing “Double Your Confidence in Speaking”  

Build Speaking Confidence.

Build Speaking Ability.

A Two-Part Speaking System designed to help you speak more fluently, confidently, and accurately in real-life situations.

The Two Engines Behind 'Double Your Confidence in Speaking'

Engine 1: Build Speaking Confidence

Learn from real learner conversations, recognize common mistakes, and gradually become more comfortable with spoken German.

Engine 2: Build Speaking Ability

Turn those patterns into confident speech through guided speaking practice and real-time feedback.

Here's exactly how the Two-Part Speaking System will work:

Let's start with Engine 2: Build Speaking Ability

At Herr Professor, we believe strongly in guided speaking practice at the beginner and intermediate stages.

Not just "practicing speaking" with a language partner, but structured, guided, contextual speaking practice.

Here’s the issue with “practicing speaking”: when you speak too early or without structure, it often turns into practicing incorrect speaking.

You repeat the same mistakes over and over, and those mistakes become habits.

Over time, it’s like developing your own incorrect version of German that can leave you stuck for years in the intermediate plateau, because those bad habits are very difficult to break once they’re ingrained.

Instead, at Herr Professor, we focus on practicing correct speaking.

That’s exactly what we do in our Live Fluency Test Calls.

I give you a clear prompt: “How would you say this in German?”

You get a few seconds to respond, then I provide the correct version, like in our Verb-Juggling lessons.

This way, you’re practicing speaking with structure, support, context and repetition, so the correct patterns are more likely to stick.

It’s like learning a sport: first, you train with a coach to master the moves, and only then do you start sparring.

Not the other way around.

Speaking works the same way.

Our weekly Live Fluency Test Calls

These are structured live speaking sessions where we practice real-life situations step by step through guided prompts, gradual progression, and real-time corrections.

Here’s how it works:

I give a prompt in English:

“How would you say this in German…”

One student answers, I guide and correct if needed, and then we move on to the next student.

We go through the prompts in rounds to keep the session dynamic and focused.

Each week, we focus on specific real-life situations that matter to you.

Take my student Teresa for example:

The sessions are shaped around the kinds of challenges and topics students want to practice.

Not textbook dialogues.

Not abstract grammar exercises.

But real situations like:

• Talking to your neighbors
• Talking to colleagues at work about layoffs, AI, etc.
• Parent-teacher meetings
• Talking on the phone (e.g. with a native speaker or service agent)
• Everyday situations

Let me show you an example from a Live Fluency Test Call where we practiced speaking at the supermarket:

How'd you say: "What would you recommend?"

How'd you say: "Could you cut it in half?"

How'd you say: "When will you have liver sausage in stock again?"

How'd you say: "Which meat is best for grilling?"

How'd you say: "How long can I keep this in the fridge?"

And the best part:

All live sessions are recorded (audio only).

So even if you can’t attend live, you’ll still have full access to the recordings.

This allows you to:

• see how the sessions work before joining live
• review key phrases and structures at your own pace
• repeat the exercises and build confidence

Engine 1: Build Speaking Confidence

One of the most powerful ways to build speaking confidence is by learning from other learners who are going through the exact same challenges as you.

Throughout the program, you'll listen to a series of podcasts featuring real conversations with beginner, intermediate and advanced learners.

You'll hear the kinds of sentences learners actually try to say, the mistakes they make, the corrections they receive, and the speaking patterns behind them.

As you listen, something important happens.

You begin to realize that you're not the only one who struggles.

You start recognizing mistakes before you make them yourself.

And little by little, speaking German begins to feel much less intimidating.

Here's exactly how we'll do this in 5 steps.

Step 1: Warm-up with basics

In Step 1 you’ll “warm-up” by listening to our “Speak Confidently Beginner” podcast and this way train your basics because, as Kobe Bryant put it: "Never get bored with the basics"

Think about it, even pro athletes train the basics on a daily basis because they account for 80% of their performance. 

Same with German, if you don’t get the basics right, how will you earn the right to get to an advanced level?! 

Once you get the basics right you can work everything else from that.

Step 2: Identify your hidden mistakes

In Step 2 you’ll listen to our “Speak Confidently Intermediate” podcast so you uncover common hidden mistakes that you're probably making.

Think about it, what are the most common mistakes you still make when speaking?

And be honest with yourself.

Still simple structures from A1 like accusative and dative endings, pronouns, two-way prepositions and past tense or A2 structures like sub-clauses, relative clauses, passive voice, phrasal verbs and subjunctive?

Most intermediate students don't need to learn more or new structures, they have to become fluent and confident with what they’ve already learned.

Step 3: Get inspired by what's possible

In Step 3 you’ll listen to our “Speak Confidently Advanced” podcast so you get inspired by advanced students and learn new details of the language.

It’s always good to see examples you can aspire to so you have a clear vision of what your German can sound like in the future.

Step 4: Close the gap with deep correction

Over the course of Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3 you’ll listen to conversations where students will try to express their thoughts and ideas and, of course, also stumble upon difficulties and make mistakes.

We’ll correct those mistakes in the conversations and keep track of all those challenging sentences by writing them down in a document.

Those sentences oftentimes contain key elements that act like an immovable barrier on your way to fluency and accuracy.

They hinder you from making progress and keep you stuck at a certain level, which leads to that feeling of being in a plateau.

We’ll take those challenging sentences and review them in detail so you get a feel for how to express them correctly.

So in Step 4 you’ll listen to our "Weekly Round-Up" podcast of that lesson and the previous Steps so you get a feel of how things are expressed correctly and in which real contexts they are used.

Step 5: Practice correct speaking

And to finish up your cycle, you’ll do some guided speaking practice with our “Fluency Test” podcast.

It’s a podcast very similar to the Verb-Juggling episodes you might be familiar with from my daily emails but this time you’ll be going through real sentences and comparing yourself to other students so you can test yourself and check your progress.

(Listen to the audio and check if you can outperform the students.)

The one habit that makes these podcasts actually work.

While listening to all these podcasts, you’ll become part of the conversations and always try to listen interactively, asking yourself 3 key questions:

• Can I spot the mistake of the student?
• Am I able to correct the student before the teacher does?
• Am I saying it right?

Let's take a quick test.

See if you can spot the mistake in this example and correct the student:

If you spotted the mistake and tried to correct the student, check now if your take was right:

Then try also to take action by speaking out loud:

Whenever we correct a student and you hear us saying the correct sentence or writing it down word by word

Whenever we ask in the Fluency Test: "How'd you say..."

So across the five steps, you're doing three things: hearing real talk, closing your gaps, and testing yourself out loud. 

Repeating this 5-step cycle consistently, lesson after lesson, you’ll go from speaking like this

To speaking like this:

How can you check if this is true?

Very simple, by measuring it regularly.

How to make sure you’re making REAL progress

Oftentimes it's hard to see or notice your progress on a day-to-day basis.

I always tell the story that when my parents come to visit us, the first thing they say when they see our children is:

"Wow, look at how tall they've gotten!"

Of course, they are surprised because they see their grandchildren every few months and the change is obvious.

But not so much for me, since I see my children every day.

So what's the best way for YOU to check YOUR progress?

Very simple, we'll check how you spoke a few months ago and compare it to how you're speaking right now.

So, every few months, I'll send you an email to check your progress in terms of becoming more fluent and more confident at speaking.

In the program I call this Growth Progress Review (GPR).

This way you'll be able to keep track of your progress.

We'll record a short audio, 1-2 minutes:

You'll find your personal "Growth Progress Review" podcasts with your recordings in your podcast app:

What is the cost of the program?  

It’s a monthly or annual subscription model.

The investment is only 97€/month for the monthly subscription (billed monthly) or 597€/year for the annual subscription (billed annually).

You’ll get access to:

• weekly Live Fluency Test Calls
• 20+ hours of interactive podcast lessons each month
• recordings of all live sessions inside the Herr Professor app
• new real-life speaking topics and situations every week

All designed to help you speak more fluently, confidently, and accurately in real-life situations.

The investment is the same as just a couple of sessions with a professional teacher.

And I promise you, in my program you’ll learn more than with any professional teacher.

Do I bet on this? YES!

Try one complete month, and if you're not seeing results or you don't like my program, send me an email and I’ll refund 100% of your money. 

No questions asked!
   

My program comes with no strings attached.

You have a 30-day money-back guarantee and you can cancel your subscription at any time.

Just email me and let me know.

JOIN NOW FOR JUST 97€/MONTH

Click here to Save 567€ a year with an annual subscription

If you have any questions or concerns about the course, email me at [email protected].

I'm happy to help.

Here’s what other Students say about my program:

You still have some concerns? Then let me address them.

Questions about the Live Calls

How do I register for the Live Calls?

After joining the program, you’ll receive access to both the Herr Professor app and the private course platform.

Inside the platform, you’ll find the registration links for all upcoming Live Fluency Test Calls.

In addition, every Sunday evening at 18:00, you’ll receive an email introducing the topic we’ll practice in the upcoming week’s calls, together with:

• the registration links
• preparation tips
• and a short questionnaire where you can suggest real-life situations or speaking challenges you’d like us to practice in future sessions.

How many Live Calls are there each week?

We currently offer multiple Beginner and Intermediate Live Fluency Test Calls each week.

As the program grows, we will continue adapting the number and scheduling of calls based on student demand and participation.

When do the Live Calls take place?

Most Live Calls currently take place at:

• 12:00 (midday)
• 20:00 (evening)

Berlin time.

On some days, sessions may start slightly earlier, for example at:

• 11:00
• 19:00

This allows many students living in German-speaking countries to either join during a lunch break or after work in the evening.

At the same time, having two different time slots also gives students from other parts of the world more flexibility depending on their time zone.

How long do the Live Calls last?

The Live Calls usually last around 60 minutes.

Typically:

• around 45–50 minutes are dedicated to guided speaking practice
• followed by 10–15 minutes for questions and answers at the end

This gives students the opportunity not only to practice speaking live, but also to ask additional questions about vocabulary, sentence structure, pronunciation, or real-life situations they struggle with.

How many Live Calls can I join each week?

You’re welcome to join as many live calls as you’d like.

However, it’s important to understand that each week focuses on one specific topic, and the prompts and exercises across the sessions are often very similar.

This is intentional.

Repetition and gradual familiarity are an important part of building speaking confidence and helping the correct speaking patterns become more natural over time.

Some students prefer joining multiple live calls to repeat the exercises and reinforce the patterns through live participation.

Others prefer reviewing the recordings afterward inside the Herr Professor app and practicing again at their own pace.

Both approaches work well.

What will we practice during the live speaking sessions?

The live speaking sessions focus on real-life situations students actually struggle with in their everyday lives.

Not textbook dialogues.

Not abstract grammar exercises.

But practical situations like:

• talking to your neighbors
• speaking with colleagues at work
• parent-teacher meetings
• talking on the phone
• appointments and everyday situations in German

Each week, we focus on one specific real-life topic and gradually practice the kinds of sentences, speaking patterns, and situations students are likely to encounter in real life.

In addition, students regularly receive short questionnaires where they can share:

• situations they struggle with
• conversations they found difficult
• or specific speaking challenges they would like to practice

We then use this input to help shape upcoming live sessions week by week so the practice remains closely connected to students’ real-life needs and experiences.

What is the difference between the Beginner (A1/A2) and Intermediate calls (B1/B2)?

The overall structure and many of the real-life situations we practice are very similar across both levels.

The main difference is the level of support, pacing, and language complexity.

In the Beginner calls (A1/A2):

• the pace is generally slower
• prompts may be simplified more
• and students usually receive more guidance and support while building their answers.

In the Intermediate calls (B1/B2):

• students are generally able to respond more quickly and independently
• prompts may become slightly longer or more detailed
• and we can move more naturally through the exercises at a faster pace.

The goal in both levels is the same:
to gradually help you become more comfortable expressing yourself in real-life situations through guided speaking practice.

Which level should I join?

As a general recommendation:

• If you still struggle with basic sentence building or understanding slower spoken German, the Beginner calls are usually the best starting point.
• If you can already express yourself reasonably well in everyday situations and follow slower conversations, the Intermediate calls will likely feel more appropriate.

But don’t overthink it too much.

The best way is simply to try a few sessions and see what feels like the right fit for you.

And as you progress over time, you can always ask me for guidance about which sessions might currently help you most.

What if I can’t attend live?

No problem.

All Live Fluency Test Calls are recorded and uploaded to the Herr Professor app afterward.

This allows you to:

• review the sessions at your own pace
• repeat the exercises yourself
• revisit important phrases and corrections
• and continue practicing even if you miss a live session.

Many students even use the recordings to repeat the Fluency Tests multiple times to reinforce the speaking patterns more deeply.

Do I need to participate actively during the live calls?

The goal of the Live Fluency Test Calls is active speaking practice.

However, many students first prefer listening to some of the previous recordings inside the Herr Professor app before joining live themselves.

This allows them to become familiar with:

• the structure of the sessions
• the kinds of prompts we practice
• and the overall rhythm of the Fluency Tests.

Once students feel more comfortable with the format, they usually find it much easier to actively participate during the live calls themselves.

How does participation work during the Live Fluency Test Calls?

The Live Fluency Test Calls are structured group speaking sessions.

During the calls, I guide students step by step through prompts and real-life speaking situations.

One student answers at a time while the others continue actively practicing the same prompt themselves.

So even when another student is answering, you are still mentally and verbally participating throughout the session by thinking through and practicing your own answers in real time.

This is one of the reasons the group format works so well.

You not only practice yourself, but also learn from:

• other students’ answers
• common mistakes
• corrections
• and alternative ways of expressing the same idea.

Many students find this significantly less stressful and more motivating than traditional one-on-one conversation practice.

Questions about the interactive podcast lessons

How will we access the podcasts?

You'll access all podcasts through our Herr Professor podcast app:

In the program, you'll get step-by-step instructions on how to download our app and get started.

Do I need to listen every week to all podcasts of the 5-step process?

No. 

Always adapt the pace and volume to your personal situation.

First: the 5-step process represents a learning cycle, one lesson.

Some students might be able to go through the cycle in one week, some might need more and some might need less.

Adapt the time you need to complete a cycle and a lesson to your situation.

Second: The 2 most important podcasts are the “Weekly Round-Up” podcast that is like a summary where we review all challenging sentences of the previous Step 1, 2 and 3 and the “Fluency Test” podcast where you can do some guided speaking practice.

So see the "Weekly Round-Up" and "Fluency Test" podcasts as your "minimum core 2-step plan”:

Then, depending on whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced, add those podcasts as you see fit and as described below.

I’m still a beginner, do I also need to listen to the intermediate or advanced podcasts?

Not necessarily, but you can try in  the beginning.

As long as you can understand 80% or more, it would make sense. But if, for example, the “Advanced” podcasts are incomprehensible, just skip them for now. 

The 5-step process is not written in stone. Adapt it to your needs and remember, you can always switch to the “minimum core 2-step plan” and just add to it the "Beginner" podcasts in the beginning.

I’m an intermediate, do I also need to listen to the beginner podcasts?

I would suggest, yes, at least try. 

As mentioned before, see it as a warm-up and check if you really can outperform the beginner students by spotting their mistakes and being able to correct them most of the time.

If that's the case, then yes, most likely you’ll find them too easy. In that case, just skip them and add the "intermediate" podcast and/or the "advanced" podcast to the “minimum core 2-step plan”.

I’m advanced, do I also need to listen to the beginner and intermediate podcasts?

Same as before.

At least, give it a try and check if you really can outperform the beginner or intermediate students by spotting their mistakes and being able to correct them most of the times.

If that's the case, then yes, most likely you’ll find them too easy. In that case just skip them and add the "advanced" podcast to the “minimum core 2-step plan”.

I’m quite advanced but still struggle to understand real German TV. 

In addition to the podcasts of the 5-step process you’ll also have access to our “Speak like a native” podcast series with native speakers for the most advanced of you.

The problem with real German content is that it’s still oftentimes too fast spoken and unclearly pronounced which makes it incomprehensible.

In the “Speak like a native” podcast series you’ll listen to native speakers who still speak clearly, not too fast and still go into some details of the language.

These podcasts represent your last step before you can listen to real German content.

Do we just listen passively to the podcasts?

Not at all. 

While listening to all these podcasts you’ll become part of the conversations and you'll always try to listen interactively and ask yourself 3 key questions while listening:

• Can I spot the mistake of the student?
• Am I able to correct the student before the teacher does?
• Am I saying it right?

Then you’ll also always take action by speaking out loud:

• Whenever we prompt a student to correct himself
• Whenever we correct a student and you hear us saying the correct sentence or writing it down word by word

How do I know if I’m at a beginner, intermediate or an advanced level?

Simple.

Check if you really can outperform the beginner, intermediate or advanced students when listening to the podcasts of Step 1, 2 and 3 by spotting their mistakes and being able to correct them.

Of course, not all the time, but most of the time.

And be brutally honest with yourself: Can you spot the mistake and correct it before the student gets corrected or do you just think you knew the answer after hearing the correction.

What if I miss a lesson?

No worries, every week a new lesson will be released, but you can refer to it whenever you're ready.

For every lesson a new 5-step plan will be released and you’ll keep access to all released lessons.

Every lesson represents a new opportunity to learn and grow.

In addition, you can review, and repeat the lessons any time whenever you feel like it.

How long will I have access to the podcasts?

You’ll have access to all released podcasts as long as you’re subscribed to the program.

How can we get support and accountability on a daily basis?

You'll get access to my private Student Community.  

You'll meet other students at all levels, like beginners, intermediate, and advanced learners, and be part of an engaging community, all on the same journey to help each other.

In this group, I'll answer any questions you have about this weird German language.

I even go one step further and will make sure to keep you motivated, inspired, and challenged every day so you are on the right track with your German. 

JOIN NOW FOR JUST 97€/MONTH

Click here to Save 567€ a year with an annual subscription

If you have any questions or concerns about the course, email me at [email protected].

I'm happy to help.

Take action NOW and double your confidence in speaking as these students have done: