The Wave Method
The product of thousands of hours of private English instruction, the Wave Method is a unique pedagogical approach inspired by a few simple convictions about what makes advanced adult language learning both rigorous and efficient.
While our program is the more or less universal training sequence through which all of our clients pass, our method is the engine that drives the day-to-day work of the coaching, adapting it to the particular needs of each client.
Spontaneous exchange
At Wave, we consider spontaneous oral exchange to be the most accurate representation of one’s true level of foreign language mastery. This is why we organize our coaching around a dynamic, conversation-based approach.
By creating an environment where oral comprehension and expression are engaged simultaneously, and spontaneous speech moves rapidly across a range of topics, we help our clients learn to navigate the flow of any English exchange with confidence, whether it concerns work or the weather.
Leveraging the source language
There is a commonplace to the effect that foreign language speakers shouldn’t translate in their heads, but should somehow bypass their native tongues, spontaneously producing the target language.
The reality for multilingual people, however, is that unconscious acts of translation are constantly occurring, whether we like it or not. For our francophone clients, this gives rise to what is sometimes playfully referred to as “Franglish”: involuntary mistakes whose origin is a kind of conflict of interest between French and English.
At Wave, rather than demonize the tension between the source and target languages, we leverage it, turning each instance of “Franglish” into a powerful training moment. By thoroughly illuminating the origins of these recurring errors, we arrive more rapidly at their resolution and produce a better-anchored result.
Following the data
It’s only natural that language learners sometimes have the impression that the target language is opaque and abstract. All the more reason to choose a training approach that’s clear and structured.
At the end of each session with Wave, you’ll receive detailed notes, carefully taken by your coach during the session, identifying any mistakes in grammar, pronunciation or vocabulary. By creating a kind of “acoustic mirror,” this approach demystifies the work of English language mastery, resulting in a tailor-made grammar book that ensures you always know where you are in your language learning journey.
Just as importantly, this concrete record will allow us to monitor hundreds of data points, providing an objective measure of your progress.
Muscle memory
Language isn’t the exclusive province of the mind, but a network of micro-interactions between brain and body. For this reason, the Wave Method adopts an athletic model, treating each training session as a series of volleys between coach and client, the aim of which is to recondition the reflexes that give rise to “Franglish.”
By progressively adding resistance in the form of new grammar points, vocabulary and turns of phrase, we also challenge our clients to expand their range and become more versatile in their expression.
This whole-body orientation enables our clients to trust their linguistic reflexes so they can devote their full attention to the task at hand. It also frees them from a baseless, counterproductive way of thinking that pathologizes the natural challenges of language learning and casts them as moral failings.
Client testimonials
Wave a développé une méthode unique qui est extrêmement bien adaptée aux avocats francophones qui souhaitent peaufiner leur niveau d’anglais. Le coaching me permet de beaucoup progresser en anglais tout en détricotant un à un, tous les mauvais reflexes que la plupart des francophones ont quand ils s’expriment en anglais. Je recommande vivement Wave et je suis persuadée que sa méthode inédite et rigoureuse séduira de nombreux avocats français dans différents domaines de pratique.
Mon coach Wave n’est pas simplement une professeure d’anglais formidable qui me permet d’améliorer sensiblement mon niveau d’anglais mais également une personne qui connait très bien le monde des avocats, ses attentes, ses pratiques, ses contraintes et ses exigences. A ce titre, il est particulièrement plaisant de parler avec elle de sujets parfois techniques qu’elle comprend parfaitement.
La méthode de travail de Wave est idéale pour les avocats qui souhaitent avancer rapidement avec des cours moins scolaires, basés sur la conversation. Grâce à Wave, j’ai pu consolider mes bases, perfectionner mon vocabulaire et aussi identifier les erreurs les plus ancrées que je commettais systématiquement (sans le savoir) et qui sont souvent le plus difficile à effacer. Je suis maintenant beaucoup plus à l’aise dans le cadre de mes conversations avec mes clients internationaux.
Book your complimentary consultation
Each of our engagements begins with a complimentary, confidential consultation during which we’ll discuss your needs, provide an expert assessment of your current level in English and answer any questions you might have about our services. Schedule yours today.