A new way to dramatically improve your spoken Chinese
Introducing RTM Conversation Pro
Hello!
We have some exciting news to share with you.
RealTime Mandarin is launching a new premium membership tier called RTM Conversation Pro, aimed specifically at helping you dramatically improve your Chinese speaking skills.
One of the biggest challenges as a learner of Mandarin is speaking: it’s tough enough to get to that illusive feeling of being “fluent”, and even harder to stay there. Let alone being able to converse with native speakers.
It’s a continuous battle to not forget the idioms and other phrases you’ve learned, apply and integrate them into your daily conversations, all while navigating the language in real time.
That’s because it is really hard to:
Dedicate time to study
Force yourself to speak
Progress beyond what you’ve learned
Get over the fear of saying things wrong
Find the opportunity to converse in Chinese
Talk about topics you’re not familiar with (filled with new vocab)
That’s why we created RTM Conversation Pro!
How RTM Conversation Pro can help you
RTM Conversation Pro will help motivate you, inspire you, and gently push you, to overcome these challenges through weekly live group calls in Mandarin.
Discussions are based on the RTM multi-media content published weekly, allowing you to put what you’ve learned through our fantastic resources into action.
With just a little effort from you to prepare and participate regularly, you will quickly improve your Mandarin speaking skills by:
Having a continuous study rhythm, and discipline to prepare for sessions.
Learning the weekly RTM article and podcast much more intentionally and deeply because you know you have to talk to people about it.
Practicing what you read and learn by speaking, and listening to other people's points of view, while fine-tuning your study to help your Chinese improve.
Giving you accountability, and a little bit of pressure, to keep learning, and maintaining regular study every week.
Trying out new words and getting feedback on how the terms are used by native speakers, from native speakers.
Interacting and connecting with people from different countries who you would otherwise never meet, and having an actual conversation with them, in Chinese!
Through live weekly discussions guided by a native speaker, you will gain more confidence in speaking, and feel your Mandarin improve, step-by-step, week by week.
It is a fantastic opportunity to dramatically improve your Mandarin speaking skills, deepen your China knowledge, and make connections with like-minded learners from around the world.
What members of RTM Conversation Pro are saying
I can tell you all this because I’ve seen (and heard) it work over the last month of the RTM Conversation Pro pilot.
But don’t just take my word for it.
Here’s what RTM Conversation Pro members are saying about their experience so far:
“I am impressed by your enthusiasm and dedication for the newsletter and now the Conversation Pro. I feel you are pulling out all the stops, which has given me a renewed momentum and inspiration.”
“I enjoyed the sessions very much. Even if I don't understand some of what others were saying, this only motivates me to try harder to improve. I have no idea when the time had passed. The classes are very engaging, the questions + breakout rooms approach makes it very dynamic. Love it!!!”
“I look forward each week to reading newsletter, listening to podcasts, and speaking with fellow RTM Pro friends. RTM Pro provides a full immersive experience. Highly recommended.”
“The conversation group is inspirational, and it’s made me do a lot more targeted reading. Andrew and his team are very committed to provide a structured and high quality discussion, and their enthusiasm has given me a new weekly purpose.”
“For me, dedicating time for preparation and actively participating in the conversation has consolidated my use and understanding of the weekly themes and new vocabulary.”
“This program is ideal for learners who strive to improve their knowledge of current affairs and ‘living’ language in China and build a consistent reading habit.”
“I was concerned at first that I wouldn't have time to prepare enough to make it worthwhile, but I find myself prioritizing listening to the article and studying the vocabulary”
“I passed HSK-6 many years ago, and with that vocabulary plus the vocabulary I commonly use for work, and was stuck there. Real Time Mandarin's methods including listening, focused, current vocabulary, and speaking have helped me break through. I think Real Time Mandarin has really found the next frontier in learning Chinese.”
“As an intermediate Chinese learner, Chinese Pro motivates me to consistently read engaging articles. When I first signed up, I doubted my ability to converse fluently in a group. However, through the kind and patient moderators, pleasant discussions, and thought-provoking questions, time flies by.”
“You've been learning Chinese for a while, you've achieved a fairly decent proficiency level - now what? You're probably sick of Dawei's adventures and want to go beyond a textbook and talk about real life. These sessions are just what you need! We discuss topics that are hot in China TODAY (not the 1990s), the sessions are engaging and fun, and we learn additional vocab / use cases beyond what we read in the newsletter.”
“Life is way too busy and my Chinese language skills deteriorate as a result. The clear, topical weekly lessons make learning feasible and fun. The Zoom meet ups then provide a space to discuss the weekly topic in a lively, supportive atmosphere.”
“Joining RTM Conversation Pro has increased my consistency and motivation in learning and speaking Mandarin. Initially, I was uncertain about paying for another language learning resource that I might end up not using. However, the weekly calls and their structure provide just enough accountability for me to engage with the newsletter in a way that fits into my lifestyle as a working mom.”
“It's fun to learn with others in a relaxed setting while getting feedback on usage of new terms from native speakers. This program would suit intermediate to advanced learners who would like to practice speaking skills and to stay motivated to continuing learning Mandarin.”
How Conversation Pro works
Weekly RTM Conversation Pro meetings are “Mandarin only”, hosted on Zoom.
Meetings are not recorded, and they are not “lessons”.
They are conversations in Chinese guided by a native speaker, creating a space to speak freely, try out the language you have learned, and ask questions about the words and phrases.
It’s also an opportunity to learn more about the wider topic, as well as additional language to talk about it, build confidence speaking, and engage with the newsletter content on a deeper level.
Format
The format of each session is the same:
Cadence: weekly, every Saturday
Duration: 1 hour
Language: Mandarin-only
Level: there is a mix of people who describe themselves as “intermediate”, “advanced”, and everything in between
Content: discussions focus on the topic of podcast of the previous week (so you have one week to learn it). For example, this week’s discussion will be about how the 618 shopping festival had it’s toughest year yet.
Approach: the guided discussion is based around three questions which you receive in advance. You prepare based on those questions. Each question is discussed in a breakout room during the session.
Format:
Kick-off (5 mins): Short intros and chat in the main room at the start
Breakouts (50 mins):
Split into break-out rooms to discuss three pre-sent questions
Hosted by a native speaker, each breakout room is open for 12-15 minutes, to discuss each of the three questions
Participants have time to express their views, ask questions, and engage in conversations with the native speaker and other participants
After the allotted time of the breakout, all participants return to the main room, and have a quick debrief on what was said in each room
After two minutes the group is split into breakout rooms again to discuss the next of the three questions (participants are selected randomly so you get to meet everyone)
Close (5 mins): At the end of each meeting we have a quick free chat, a reminder of details of the next session, and close around the one hour mark.
Rules: calls are not recorded, and are based on “Chatham House rules”, they are a safe space where you can discuss what you want about the topic!
Communications
Pre- and post-communications for each Conversation Pro session follow the same routine.
Pre-communications
At the start of every month you will get dates and times for the next five sessions to put them in your diary, including the Zoom link for that month.
On the Wednesday before each Saturday session you get a reminder email with the three discussion questions, the Zoom link (again), and links to the content we’ll be discussing.
15 minutes before each Saturday session you’ll get a short reminder email with the Zoom link, questions, and content links.
Here’s an excerpt of this week’s pre-session email (sent last night):
Post-communications
After each session, you get a follow-on email with the additional words and phrases we discussed in the session (normally between 10 and 20 extra words), and the link, content, details for the next session
Here’s an example of a post-session email word list from last week:
Lots of extra vocab and insight!
Timing
All RTM Pro sessions are held on Saturdays. This is to avoid clashes with busy working schedules.
We have members based in Pacific Time, Eastern Time, UK Time, Central European Time, China Standard Time, and all the way down in Australia and New Zealand. So it’s impossible to cover all timezones and be social for everyone at the same time.
So, to give all members an equal opportunity to join, we rotate sessions across three time slots, eight hours apart.
These are:
10am UK time: 11am CET, 5pm CST, 7pm AEST, 9pm NZST [2am PST, 4am CST, 5am EST]
6pm UK time: 10am PST, 12pm CST, 1pm EST, 7pm CET [1am CST, 3am AEST, 5am NZST]
2am UK time: 6pm PST, 8pm CST, 9pm EST, 9am CST, 11am AEST, 1pm NZST [2am UK time, 3am CET]
** Times in “[ ]” are assumed to be anti-social times in that timezone, but of course you are welcome to join!
So every month you should get at least three sessions which you can join at reasonably sociable times.
Who RTM Pro is for
This program is for you if you are one or more of the following:
✅ You've studied Chinese for at least 4 years
✅ You work with Chinese as part of your job or research
✅ You have HSK4 to HSK6 proficiency or a Chinese language degree
✅ You're describe yourself as an "intermediate" or "advanced" learner
✅ You've studied Chinese on-and-off for years, but haven’t improved for ages
✅ You want to improve your language but lack motivation, discipline, and routine
Members of RTM Pro are dedicated, motivated to learn, and have skin the game.
They are are serious about investing in improving their Mandarin, are willing to put themselves out of their comfort zone, make mistakes, and improve.
If you are of that mindset, you’ll fit right in!
How to join, and what it costs
The investment required to join RTM Conversation Pro is a total $550/year.
We are offering the introductory price of $500/year for people who join before the end of June.
This investment also includes your existing membership and all the member benefits which you get in the standard subscription.
You join by upgrading your current subscription to Conversation Pro.
Here’s what you need to know about the investment:
As a member of the RTM community, you upgrade your membership to the Pro tier. So you will pay the difference between your current subscription and the upgraded Pro price.
It is charged on a pro-rata basis. So for example, if you are on the $180/year RTM membership, and are six months into your subscription, then you will be charged half of the difference (50% of $370 = $185) for the rest of that year, and then the full Pro annual subscription will be charged when you come to renew in six months time. (you will keep your cheaper annual rate if you join before 30th June).
Becoming a member of RTM Pro is a one-year investment. For this investment you get the opportunity to attend one live meet-up every week to practice your Mandarin. That’s 50 sessions in one year.
Even if you were only able to attend half of those (25 meet-ups in one year), you will be paying the equivalent of less than $15 per session. Which is cheaper than the price of one cocktail in London or New York every other week, but much better for you, and, to be honest, much more fun too!
(Of course, if you can join every session, then your per-session cost comes down to $7).
Q&A
Still not sure? Have questions?
Here are answers to questions other members asked before they joined:
I’d like to try it but I don’t know if it’s for me. Can I get a refund if I don’t like it?
Yes, you can. The Pro format might not work for everyone, and it’s a significant investment. So after you upgrade, you get a one-month “trial period” where you can participate in the live sessions and try it out. Within that month if you decide it’s not for you, just let us know and we’ll refund your upgrade amount and you will go back onto the standard RTM+ tier.
Can I pay in instalments, or can I join for a few months?
Unfortunately, Substack only allows one-off annual payments for the premium tier. However, it’s charged on a pro-rata basis. So if you are upgrading half way through your annual subscription, you will only be charged half of the annual upgraded amount. In addition, to really see improvement in your spoken Mandarin you need to work on it consistently for at least one year. So, if you’re going to invest, you might as well do it properly!
I’m worried my Chinese isn’t good enough. Should I join?
Yes you should try it out! There’s a real mix of people who describe themselves as ‘advanced’ and ‘intermediate’. And there are lots of descriptions involving the word “but...” 🤩. My advice is to get stuck in and try it out. The purpose is to create opportunities to speak and engage with other participants, and enable a deeper engagement with the newsletter content. If it really doesn't work for you, you'll get a full refund. So there is no risk for you.
What if I can’t join the sessions?
Because we have participants in every timezone, we rotate times at 8-hour intervals over a three-week period. This ensures you will be able to join at least three Pro sessions per month (which are at sociable times!). Current members of RTM Pro say they aim to attend at least two sessions each month as life can get busy at times.
Do you have any more questions which we haven’t covered here?
Reply to this email, or DM me and I’ll be happy to respond.
Want to jump on a quick Zoom call to discuss if it’s right for you?
No problem!
I know this is a big investment and you need to know if it’s right for you.
So book a 15-minute chat with me here.
If you join RTM Pro before the weekend, you’ll be able to attend this week’s session, which is at 6pm UK time on Saturday 22nd June, when we’ll be discussing 618, Austin Li and much more.
See you there!
Andrew
R E C O M M E N D E D