To prepare for readings to present my novel, I contacted Karin. From the very first phone call, I was sure that she was the right person: she immediately knew what I needed. In our two appointments, we then worked on body awareness, breathing, tension and relaxation, movement in space and posture, confidence in front of an audience and dealing with nervousness, language and pronunciation, as well as staying relaxed during the presentation. She has an endless repertoire of playful exercises for all kinds of problems, which she used individually to specifically promote my potential. She helped me to reduce my fears, prepare systematically and purposefully for my readings and also learn a lot of new things about myself. Karin has a very empathetic and sympathetic manner, she is extremely committed and professional, yet sensitive and empathetic, and has a wealth of experience. I felt that I was in very good hands with her and also had a lot of fun.
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Translation
German colleagues and friends hardly correct me, even though I make many speech errors. They are too polite. Politeness is sometimes dangerous. At the beginning I was disappointed because I could not improve.
I felt speechless very often at that time. Because after 3.5 years in Germany, my pronunciation was still bad. My children often laughed at me: I said monkey instead of apple. I pronounced city and state the same, etc. 🙊
I wanted to improve my pronunciation. That's why I sought professional support. Karin Seven immediately gained my trust when I met her at an event.
For many months from 2021 to 2022, including during the lockdown, I visited Karin in Moabit.
Karin is a power woman with an enchanting voice. As an experienced actress and communication coach, she has a high demand for a clear voice.
She challenged me very strongly.
"You have to speak up!"
"No, that's not a good sentence ending!"
"The O needs to be longer."
"You say G, but it's an R here."
But I love her way of training. Karin is patient and personable. She taught me three important lessons:
1️⃣ Voice is not just a product of the mouth, it is a sound of the body.
We did a lot of movement exercises so I could have a clear voice. Sometimes I thought, "It's not a workout. Because I came to the training tired after work and then left full of energy.
2️⃣ The techniques are not enough if my mindset is wrong.
The voice reflects exactly what the body feels and what the head thinks. I was able to find new beliefs through training with Karin:
- Clear speaking is not something everyone can have from birth. Even professionals need to practice regularly.
- I am allowed to make mistakes.
- I am allowed to speak slowly
- I am allowed to take my time.
3️⃣ German is a beautiful language.
We practiced beautiful texts of books and poems 🎶and I got a relaxation for my soul. German is not a strenuous language, as people always say.
Today my children still correct me sometimes, but they don't laugh anymore.
Sometimes I even get praised. e.g.:
"Why do you speak English? You speak perfect German!"
That's what Martin said to me when he overheard a short conversation between a person and me at an event. Martin and I met at a startup we invested in together in a round.
I think my German skills are not quite perfect yet. But I'm already proud of the improvement.
When you're learning a language, sometimes you need a partner with whom you feel comfortable and with whom you're allowed to make mistakes. Karin is such a person.