A.J. Hoge is the founder and director of Effortless English LLC, and co-founder of Learn Real English and Business English Conversations. He has been described as “the world’s #1 English teacher” and is famous as the host of The Effortless English Show, with over 41,000,000 downloads worldwide. He has a master’s degree in TESOL and has been teaching English since 1996. A.J. teaches seminars around the world on the topics of English, public speaking, effective training methods, career development, and online marketing.
THE EFFORTLESS ENGLISH CODE AND MISSION
The Effortless English™ community is held together by our purpose, code, mission and values. Obviously, our main purpose is to help you speak English powerfully and correctly. We share, however, a deeper code, mission and values.
It is the code, mission and values that have created our positive and enthusiastic community, with members from every continent of all ages, genders, and types of people. The code of Effortless English™ is our simple, three part code of conduct. All members of our community, upon joining, agree to follow the code.
The Code of the Effortless English Center™ is:
1. We Do The Best We Can
2. We Do The Right Thing
3. We Show Each Other We Care
We do the best we can means that we try hard to improve but we know that perfection is impossible. We don’t worry about perfection. We don’t get upset about mistakes. Our focus is always on improvement, not “the one right answer.”
We do the right thing means we do not lie, gossip, or insult other members. We treat each other as good friends and family members. We follow “the Golden Rule” by being kind and polite within our community.
We show each other we care means we go beyond just avoiding negative behavior. Rather, we actively encourage and support other members. When another member is feeling bad, we encourage them. When another member succeeds, we cheer them, congratulate them, and compliment them sincerely. We are always looking for ways to help each other.
In addition to mastering spoken English, our community shares a deeper mission. Our mission is:
To explore new opportunities for growth,
To bring confidence, vitality and happiness to people all over the world,
To boldly go where we have never gone before.
To explore new opportunities for growth means we are always looking for new ways to learn and improve. We are dedicated to lifelong learning. As we improve, we share our success with other people. We help others to feel stronger, more energetic and happier. We do this within the Effortless English Center™. We do this within our families. We do this anywhere we can. Finally, we strive to live boldly with open minds. We are eager to try new things, consider new ideas, and travel to new places. We have an adventurous attitude toward life.
The mission is connected to our community values. We have seven values:
1. Devotion to the Mission
As members of the Effortless English™ community we all share the mission. The mission is something we do together, as a team, as an international family.
2. Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is vital for success in any area of life. Enthusiasm generates peak emotion and fuels our learning engine. We consciously choose to develop our enthusiasm for learning and life.
3. Constant and Never-Ending Improvement
As our mission suggests, we are dedicated to constant and never-ending improvement. We know that big success is the result of small but consistent improvements. We know that learning makes life more interesting and enjoyable and we continue learning as long as we are alive.
4. Contribution
Personal success is important and so is sharing that success. As we improve, we focus on helping others do the same. We are delighted by the success of others in our community. We do our best to help others in whatever way we can.
5. Self-Reliance
Members of the Effortless English Center™ are independent learners. We do not wait for teachers, schools or experts to tell us what to do. We don’t wait for others to solve our problems. We take responsibility for our own lives and our own problems. We are proactive learners.
6. Persistence
Success is impossible without persistence. When something is important to us, we do not quit. Despite hardships, despite challenges, despite temporary failures, we keep going. We continue to move forward until we achieve our goals.
7. Positive Leadership
Every member of the Effortless English Center™ is a leader because each of us can encourage and inspire others. In our community, we lead by example. We don’t tell others what to do. Rather, we strive to be good role models. We work hard to show the way. As leaders, we want to make others stronger, more successful, and more confident.
It is my belief that all schools should operate with such a code, mission and values. Many of the problems in education would be solved if teachers, administrators, and students were guided by the above principles.
One of the great problems in schools is that teachers have failed to recognize they must do more than lecture to and discipline their students. Truly great teachers are more than just lecturers, they are leaders and coaches who inspire their students to greatness.
Think of your favorite sports coach – someone who helped his or her team achieve greatness. These people do not simply teach the skills of the game. Great coaches lead and inspire. They are experts in practical psychology. They know how to energize and motivate their players. They make their teams stronger, more confident, and more successful.
This is why I typically call myself an English “coach” rather than a teacher. The word “coach” reminds me to be more. It reminds me to focus on energizing, leading and inspiring my team members. As a coach, I must do more than simply teach English, I must help you be lieve in yourself. I must convince you that you can succeed with English, that, in fact, you will succeed.
I hope this book has done exactly that. I hope you feel more confident. I hope you are convinced that you can and you will finally succeed with English speaking. The past does not equal the future. Whatever struggles you have had with English are gone. Let them go. Today is a new day and you now have a completely new system.
Today is your day. You are now on your way to Effortless English™ speaking.
Enjoy the journey!
