Accelerate Your English Learning by Getting the First 90 Days Right

This is enrolment for the MEFA Self Study course. 

It's identical to the original course, but is lower priced, does NOT include my personal feedback, and it can be accessed right away (i.e. you don't have to wait for a specific start date).

Everything else is the same. 

Hey,

If you've reached an "okay" stage in English, but still feel stuck and unable to speak well... despite years of study... then don't worry.

If you want, I can get you started on the path to transforming your English speaking in as little as 90 days.

Here's the story:

Over several years, I worked one-on-one with coaching clients who all paid me between 3 and €5,000 for the opportunity. At the same time, I was working on my PhD research – studying the best way to help people like you to speak more fluently and naturally, with a minimum of stress. I helped my clients to take their "okay..." English and turn it into something amazing.

I helped them overcome their problems with speaking. And to use their English in their real work and everyday life without having to resort to yet more boring grammar study... memorising yet more random words... or going to pointless conversation classes that "feel good" but really, do nothing useful (and sometimes even make things worse).

And I did all of this while perfecting my methods.

Then at the end of 2018 I decided to take everything I know about mastering spoken English... and turn it into a complete step-by-step group-coaching system called the Master English FAST Accelerator Implementation Course.

What I found is this:

The best results come from a short, very intensive period of training designed to fix specific problems fast… followed by a longer, but consistent period of learning over time.

Here's an analogy to make this simple:

Have you ever seen a rocket take off ?

NASA engineers report it takes a massive explosion of energy—3.5 million kilograms of thrust, in fact—to fight gravity, and get up off the ground, and into space.

But once there?

The space shuttle just glides along easily, with no resistance.

This is what the Master English FAST Accelerator course does for your English Speaking

What matters for the rocket is that first push off the ground.

That’s the same for you with your English speaking.

Get the first 90 days right, and from there constantly improving and making each and every conversation you have in English better than the last can become easy.

But if you try to skip this?

You’ll be working from the wrong foundation, and you’ll struggle.

This is what the process looks like:

The MEFA course is all about the first 90 days.

Starting with that explosive blast of energy to get your English up, and going forward.

Again, from there, it's a simple case of consistently implementing what you've learned over time to keep getting better and better and better.

But before you think of joining...

First, this course is expensive and not at all a "magic pill" approach to improving in English. You won't learn sexy, "secret techniques" to getting fluent in English with no effort. They don't exist. And in fact, you'll likely have to "unlearn" a lot of the bullshit you've been told, as well.

Second, there's no money-back guarantee. I do this to ensure only the most serious, dedicated students join.

Third, participation is mandatory. Don't be a dumbass, join, and not do the work.

There is research showing the average completion rate for online courses is something like 5 to 15%. The completion rate for MEFA at the end of 2020 was 96%, and since then, it's up to 99%.

Here's what this means:

Do not be a fool and join this course on impulse without seriously thinking about it first.

In fact, if you have any doubt whatsoever, then this is not for you.

To help you decide if this course is for you...

Here's how it works

In the MEFA course you'll create a daily English learning plan that is structured, consistent, easy to do, customised to you personally, and, most importantly: based on methods that work.

You’ll create a strong English habit so that you get everything right now… then put your improvement on autopilot.

Like any valuable skill worth learning, it takes hard work, dedication and the process is intense.

But my goal in MEFA is to:

  • Give you as big a boost in English-speaking proficiency, as possible over the 90-days (you probably can't be finished in that time, but many key problems can be fixed, which will make a huge difference).
  • Get you totally clear about everything you need to do to keep improving with English in your real-life consistently and forever (remember: you can't be finished in 90 days; ultimately it's going to take consistent implementation).

How much of a "boost" you can get in that short time depends on many factors. But I believe anyone who listens to advice, turns up and does the work can see significant gains in their speaking proficiency before the end of the course.

In the case of some past members, we've been able to make small fixes that have had a massive impact on their performance in far less than 90 days: recent graduate, Jojo, for example, had stopped worrying about her English and said she felt "confident and focused" when speaking after just 30 days.

You may not get the same result that fast; but this gives you an indication of what's possible.

MEFA is highly interactive.

After you enrol, you'll register on the website, and you'll have acces for four months. Details of each week's Group Coaching call will be sent to you by email. These calls are where you ask questions if you're stuck, and they are also where we customise everything you learn to you personally.

A Note on Scheduling

Most of MEFA is designed to be completed in your own time, though most people will need on average around an hour a day to do the work well.

The main weekly sessions are pre-recorded, and it's best you do these one a week.

The only parts which have a specific time are the weekly group coaching sessions and the monthly parties.

I schedule the coaching calls based on my own schedule that week, so the time changes a lot – however they're most commonly at around 11am Ireland time for an hour on Wednesdays or Fridays when I'm in Ireland... or if I'm traveling (and I often am) 11am of whatever time zone I am in. This said, even if you can't make it in person, all calls are recorded and you can also ask questions via the email discussion group.

There are also monthly parties just for fun, and these are normally (but not always) the last Sunday of the month.

Here’s What YOu'll do

WEEK 1

Rewiring Your English

  • Week 1 is focused on the most important change you need to make if you want to eventually speak fluent, natural English without fear or hesitation – but I should warn you, this session might seem a little strange. Indeed, it's not even about "English". BUT getting this right is essential for making everything easier later.
  • You'll implement a series of 4 'quick proficiency booster' routine changes to get you going as fast as possible with speaking great English.
  • This week you're also going to use English in real situations every single day (you can do this even if you live in your own country or don't work in English – Patrizia, one of my top students, lives in the mountains of Italy and has almost no chances to speak English in her day-to-day life.... but doing things the way I teach, she improved her English massively anyway by, yes, doing real things in English).
week 2

Recondition Your Behaviour

  • This week you begin the process of reconditioning your behaviour – it’ll take more than the week to do this, but the work we do here provides the framework for transforming the way you use your English.
  • Over the years I've identified 10 "Mental Baggage" behaviours that successful English learners don't do (if you in any way doubt your ability to master English, use it well in the real world, are afraid of making mistakes, compare yourself to other people or feel bad and constantly hate your English speaking... eliminating these "Mental Baggages" will be possibly be the big breakthrough you need for your English speaking. 
week 3

Implement Daily Learning

  • This week you'll start creating your structured focused, intensive learning plan, which you'll easily do every single day (this goes beyond simply 'studying' English).
  • I'll show you how to reduce your English study time down to a short, focused period of time (the truth is, if you spend much more than an hour on English study each day, you're probably wasting a lot of time for no reason).
  • You'll learn the main exercises my best clients use to to improve during their focused learning time (and you'll also learn which ones you personally should, and should not, be using).
  • Finally, you'll also go deeper into using English every single day (which we started in Week 1) to ensure the fastest possible progress (warning: this is not as simple as it sounds; the way most English learners "use" English is completely wrong, and it makes their fluency and naturalness in English worse, not better... to put it another way, many of the problems you have in English are self-created because you're training yourself to speak in the wrong way).
week 4

How Language Works

  • In week 4 you'll discover the truth of how languages work, and why learning "more" is very rarely the correct thing to do.
  • You'll focus your English learning on exactly the right English for you personally so you learn without wasting time and filling your head with useless crap you'll never use.
  • You will also start the first of two main types of learning that will help you to be fully prepared with all the English you need in your real situations (this type of learning is best for specific tasks that we know we'll do in advance – we'll take a totally different approach to mastering small talk, casual conversation and chit-chat in Week 6 with the second learning type).
week 5

Data Driven Learning

  • This week we'll deep-dive into what recent scientific research shows us about how native speakers really speak (you included, in your first language – hint: it's not with grammar rules and words).
  • Tools of the trade: I'll introduce you to two powerful tools (both freely available) that you'll use to gain deep insights into exactly how native speakers use their English. Doing things this way, you never have to guess how something is used again. 
  • The homework for this week is one of the hardest in the course, but many, many past members have said practising and using these tools totally changed the way they think about and approach learning English.
  • You'll also discover why you might sound like a textbook when you speak, and how to fix that problem (again, using the tools I'll teach you to guide all of your learning and speaking).
week 6

Retrodictive Learning

  • Casual conversation and chit-chat are challenging because it's impossible to predict what you'll talk about in advance: which is where the "Retrodictive Learning" exercise comes in.
week 7

Fluency Building

  • Week 7 is all about fluency building – you’ll understand the 5 elements of fluency (most people think fluency is one thing… but it’s not. Fluency is actually 5 multiple processes that need to be trained in different ways – this is why typical methods fail to fully improve your fluency).
  • The "Pressure Principle" (when you know how to "flip" them into awesome learning experiences, you'll never see scary English situations where you might get embarrassed or feel stupid as a something avoid again).
  • How to use knowledge from FLOW science to super-charge the tasks you have to do anyway in English into highly effective fluency-building exercises.
week 8

Eliminate "Mental Gymnastics" 

  • In Week 8 you will remove your first language from your English speaking so that you (1) speak on autopilot without thinking or translating and (2) speak naturally, without what linguists call ‘negative transfer’ form your first language.
  • You'll also learn the "activation principle", and how to stop your brain from doing what it naturally does... but which slows down your English and kills your fluency, slowly, over time.
week 9

Learn From Every Mistake

  • In Week 9 I you'll learn the 4 key elements to speaking "accurate" English, as well as how to stop making mistakes in English.
  • I should warn you: the Week 9 session is very deep, and it's going to require you to understand some very deep and philosophical ideas – but when you get this, you'll be able to methodically reduce and eliminate your mistakes (especially the ones that you don't even realise you make) over time. It will take time, but it can be done.
  • There is a time to use grammar rules, but it's very different to what you were taught at school – we'll discuss that in this session.
week 10,11,12

Going Beyond Speaking English "Well"

  • The core of everything I do to help you learn to speak better English is finished at the end of Week 9 – the final three weeks of MEFA can be considered the "Advanced" stage of the course.
  • In week 10, 11 and 12 you go deeper into your goals, and connect them to your English learning so that you’re not just learning randomly… but actually using what you learn in the real world and improving as you go.
  • You'll learn to truly understand what people mean (even if it's not what they actually say), the 9 elements of Advanced English, and the framework created by one of the most influential linguists of our time, Paul Grice, for understanding the subtleties and "deeper intentions" of English conversation.
  • In the final week, we'll go deep into the final element of "Advanced English", to transform yourself into the kind of English speaker that people love to talk to.

Requirements

To be eligible to join MEFA you need to meet the following requirements:
  • You understand around 80% of general, everyday English, even if you can't speak it well yourself (if you can understand the English in my YouTube videos at about 80% or more, you'll be absolutely fine).
  • You need English in your life or have a clear future need. It is best if you are living, working or studying all or some of the time in English, or teaching English as a non-native English teacher. You can still do the course if you're preparing for living, working or studying in English, but you must be willing to do things in English (right from Week 1 I'll have you build English into your daily routine – and yes, everyone can do this even if they don't live in an English speaking country).
  • You need to be thick skinned (meaning you can take harsh feedback and criticism). I am blunt, say exactly what I think and have very little tact. I will do everything I can to ensure you get great results in English, but I will give you brutally honest in the weekly Group Coaching Calls... whether you like it or not.
  • You must be willing to forget about how you think you should learn English and follow the programme. My methods work, but they are unconventional. You need an open mind. This won't work if you assume you know better, and refuse to do what I tell you.
  • The weekly Group Coaching calls are optional, but highly recommended. Each one is recorded and goes in a bank of past questions for future MEFA members to learn from. For many people, this is one of the biggest benefits of the course – there are hundreds of questions answered related to almost every aspect of learning and using English well. But if you are not comfortable with your questions being included in the archives, either you don't join the calls or you don't join the course.
If you don't meet all of the requirements, MEFA is not right for you.

More Awesome Stuff to Get You Started Today

I've included some bonus self-study training, in addition to the actual course. I've included these because they compliment everything we do.

You don't have to do these. But I recommend it.

They are:

BONUS 1

The Taipei Training

A 2 Hour English Mastery Crash Course to Get You Started Improving Your English By the End of Today.

If you want my advice?

The moment you enrol in MEFA, open your ‘Bonuses’ email, click the link to this 2 hour video and study it right away.

The Taipei Training contains a fraction of the information and techniques you’ll learn in the MEFA course itself. But this is the fastest, easiest way to get started.

Here's the story:

In December 2019 I was invited to Taipei to do a special event for my BFF Mayi Lin and her business partner Kennith (who run the English school “Leeds Mayi”). We wanted something that could be done in just two hours… but which would have MAXIMUM impact on her students’ speaking ability.

The Taipei Training is what I created.

It's a two-hour crash-course in everything you need to know to start improving in English as quickly as possible.

BONUS 2

The Power of WHY Training

The "Big WHY" that allows you to start this adventure moving in the right direction

Why do some people improve in English so fast?

What is their secret?

And where does their motivation come from?

I'll tell you this:

It's not because they're "talented" or "more intelligent" than you. What they do isn’t magic, and it’s not special, either. In more than 15 years of coaching English learners I've noticed something: most people fail to improve their speaking simply because they're doing the wrong things.

Their learning is random, messy and unstructured.

They heard they should listen a lot… so they listen a lot. Someone told them they should do “shadowing”, so they do shadowing. Another person said they must read the newspaper every day, memorise more vocabulary or study more grammar… so that’s what they do.

Yet, they still don’t improve.

Why?

The answer is simple:

They’ve skipped the first, very important step to improving in English. And as a result, they don’t know what they personally should be doing to get maximum improvement for minimum time and effort.

In this training, I want you to stop.

Pause.

Take a breath.

And go right back to the start.

This is the exercise all my one-on-one coaching clients do FIRST when they start with me, before I allow then to start anything else. And I want you to do it too.

Why?

because doing this will help you to:

  • Get maximum improvement for minimum time and effort by understanding what you personally need.
  • Understand why you lose motivation to improve in English (resulting in constant “start-stop” behaviour).
  • Diagnose your personal weak point in English so you know exactly what to fix first.
  • Turn every experience you have with English into a learning opportunity.

Now, be warned:

This isn’t a “magic pill”.

Everything I’m talking about here is part of the same process I use in my coaching programmes with my best clients. But it won’t necessarily be easy.

But then, the best things in life never are, are they?

BONUS 3

The 432 Exercise

The best exercise I know for building topic-specific fluency, fast. 

This is an exercise you use to build fluency in specific topics that you desperately need to get right, in as little as 9 minutes.

MEFA Trainee Rick said:

"Wow Julian, he 432 exercise - powerful stuff. English expressions and a richer vocabulary just bubble up after going through the cycle 3 or 4 times. And my English stays activated throughout the day."

And he's right.

It is IS powerful. And you'll be getting the 30-minute training to do before the course starts so you can get using it right away.

In the training we discuss:

  • The quick 'n' dirty version of fluency is, and how to build it in English... fast.
  • What the 432 exercise is, when you should use it, and of course when you shouldn't.
  • A step-by-step demonstration of the 432 exercise so you know exactly how to use it to start building topic-specific fluency right away.

I learned this exercise at an Academic Conference I attended in 2013, and when I heard about it I was very surprised. Research has shown this to be a very, very effective way of building fluency in topics fast ... but nobody outside of academic research has ever heard of it.

Again, this isn't a magic-pill.

Nothing I teach is.

It takes a little work, but it's work well worth doing.

This is also only a fraction of what you will learn about fluency building in the main course. Remember: this is designed to get you moving right away so that, ideally, you'll already have started improving before the course even starts.

BONUS 4

"The Lost Event"

Leverage the power of "LKC Thinking" to sound intelligent and sophisticated in English

This one is a lot of fun.

A while ago I went digging in my archives to see what else I could give you right away related to the MEFA method.

And I found the recording of an event I'd completely forgotten about.

It was the first live event I ever did. I didn't sell this or release it to the public, so unless you were at the event this is the only way you can get it.

Here's what it's about:

The seminar goes into detail about my philosophy for speaking high-level, high-quality English – and indeed, for going far beyond just English.

It's about developing yourself as a person, alongside your English... and by doing so speaking at a higher level, in line with your personality (and in a way that is interesting and engaging for other people).

BONUS 5

English Quick Start

The fundamental principles of learning English, or any other skill, quicker than anybody else

This is a 1-hour 20-minute training I did all the way back in 2014 where I teach you 4 principles for learning English (or, to be honest, anything) faster, and at a deeper level.

The content is great, if not a little old looking (my fashion and haircut are, to be frank, embarrassing...).

In fact, if you use English as a tool to learn other things this will be especially useful, because again, the four principles discussed here are relevant to anything – not just English learning. They're exactly what I do in my own study, both languages and any other topic I'm learning about, whether marketing, business and entrepreneurship, about the science of sleep, psychology or writing.

BONUS 6

Confidence Quick Start

Overcoming the three evolutionary fears of great English speaking

This is another 1.5 hour or so training I did in 2014 with embarrassing fashion and hair.

Yes, I really did have no sense of style all those years ago. 

In this one, I teach you the 3 most important aspects of confidence when it comes to speaking English as a second language, and how to fix them easily. These three "fears" exist because of the way human beings have evolved and they used to help keep us alive... but in the modern world, they're pretty much useless and hold you back.

This training will be especially useful if you're shy when you speak, or not confident about using English in front of people.

Join Us

The course fee for the self study edition of the course is €400.00 and you'll get four months access. 

Note: the price goes up regularly, and without warning. So it may not always be the same.

Enrol here:

Click here to enrol in MEFA Self Study

As soon as you enrol, you'll be sent to a page to start the registration process (don't worry - it's super quick and easy). 

With that, I'll see you on the other side.

Best,
Dr Julian Northbrook

P.S. Got a question about MEFA before you join? Just email me: julian@doingenglish.com.

I personally reply all sensible questions.