Ready to learn and speak German with more Consistency? - Come to the Fluent & Fearless Workshop (II)
📅 Saturday, November 1st, 2025
🕒 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
📍 TU Berlin, Fraunhoferstraße 33–36, Room FH 302
🆓 Free of charge
🗣️ Workshop language: English
❗ Part I and Part II of the workshop are completely independent from each other
Are you tired of trying to change unhelpful learning and communication habits by yourself?
Are you longing to create a community where to speak German and feel real connection?
Then, I would like to invite you to the Fluent & Fearless Workshop – Part II.
This time, we’ll dive into the Science of Change — and explore how it can help you create lasting growth in different areas of your life as a German learner and speaker.
You’ll discover how to:
Strengthen your motivation and consistency in learning
Overcome inner resistance
Reduce anxiety around speaking German
Build resilience when dealing with Germans (and other challenges in Berlin)
Create a social life that truly fits your needs
I believe that the courage to change isn’t something we have or find — it’s something we build. And it’s best built together.
That’s why this workshop will also serve as the starting point for a 12-week online program, which I’ll design based on your experiences and the insights we gather during the workshop.
My goal is to understand your needs more deeply and offer you long-term support that helps you create genuine, lasting transformation!
What people say about Part I of the Fluent & Fearless workshop:
“The experience was really fulfilling and changed how I see myself as a learner. It helped me approach German with more compassion and playfulness”
“The workshop was extremely helpful and professional. It was great to meet other people who face the same challenges. Everyone was just so friendly!”
About the Instructor
Ingo Schönleber has been a passionate teacher of German as a foreign language for over 20 years. After studying German literature and psychology in Berlin and Austin, Texas, he has taught in the USA, Spain, Argentina, France and Vietnam.
Since 2018, he has been based at the Goethe-Institut Berlin and works as a trainer for other teachers worldwide.
His workshop series “The Psychology of Learning German” is offered in collaboration with the Technical University Berlin.
Fluent & Fearless Workshop Part I on October 18, 2025
The Psychology of Learning German
In this workshops series, we explore key psychological aspects of learning and speaking German: motivation, self-confidence, perfectionism, belonging, and the role of positive and negative emotions – as well as what it really takes to find satisfaction and meaning in your journey to the German language.
Our goal is to offer insights and practical tools that make learning German not just possible, but truly enjoyable – an adventure, so to speak.
Ideally, you'll gain much more from this journey than just a new language. We see it as a powerful opportunity for personal growth – a chance to unlock your potential and even reinvent yourself.
The workshops not only provide relevant theory, but also offer engaging self-reflection exercises and plenty of opportunities to connect and exchange ideas with like-minded learners.
All content is grounded in current psychological and neuroscientific theories and models – including Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan), Consistency Theory (Grawe), the Internal Family Systems Model (Schwartz), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Positive Psychology, and general Communication Psychology (Friedemann Schulz von Thun).
We’ll also explore original material I’ve developed over the past few years while working as a teacher and teacher trainer at the Goethe-Institut Berlin – including the Deutschberg Framework.
“I really enjoy these workshops – they boost my motivation to learn German and give me plenty to reflect on. The atmosphere is so warm and welcoming, which makes it easy to connect with others and share insights on topics that are incredibly relevant – yet rarely even addressed in most language classes.”
Past Workshops
Saturday, October 18th, 2025 (9:00 AM – 2:00 PM): Fluent & Fearless: Speak German with Confidence (Part I)
Many language learners sabotage themselves with unhelpful perfectionism, nagging inner critics, and debilitating fears of speaking German. These mechanisms of self-worth protection will be at the heart of this workshop. How and why do we develop them? How do they work? And most importantly: what can we do about them?
Drawing on Sociometer Theory and the Internal Family Systems Model, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of your individual challenges related to self-worth, start a dialogue with your inner critics, and ultimately increase your confidence when it comes to speaking German!
June 14th, 2025
The Psychology of Learning German: The Five Basic Needs III – Self-Esteem (Part II)
June 7th, 2025
The Psychology of Learning German: The Five Basic Needs III – Self-Esteem (Part I)
March 29th, 2025
The Five Basic Needs I + II – Consistency is Key (Purpose & Autonomy)
March 15th, 2025
The Road to Satisfaction – Der Deutschberg (for students of levels A1 and A2)
October 12th, 2024
The Vicious Circles of Perfectionism
October 19th, 2024
The Road to Satisfaction – Der Deutschberg
The Deutschberg Framework has been developed to help German learners to stay on track from beginning to end and know exactly what is important and when. Es teilt den Lernprozess in verschiedene Phasen auf und sagt dir, which decisions and acceptances await you at crucial inflection points. The ultimate goal of the framework is for you to remain resilient and to maintain and develop the joy of learning and speaking German.
In the workshop, we want you to start a conversation with others - and with yourself - about what your individual goals and challenges are, and question some of your unconscious and perhaps not always helpful assumptions about language learning.
“The workshops have given me a clear, conceptual framework for learning German – something truly valuable for visualizing the process from beginning to end. Also, being encouraged to reflect on how I actually want to learn, and what else I might gain from learning German, was something I hadn’t really considered before.”
Workshop The Five Basic Needs I + II – Consistency is Key, March 29th, 2025 at TU Berlin