Few sequels manage to top the original. Terminator 2, Aliens, Spider-Man 2, and now the completely sold out Chatterbox 2 joins the ranks as Small World’s biggest language exchange event ever, with over 60 attendees from more than 20 different countries!
When we first hosted Chatterbox back in 2022, we set out to create a language exchange that was different to the countless others that are available in Nagoya. We did this by putting a strong focus on the learning potential, by sorting attendees into groups of similar language levels and creating activities that really pushed them to learn and use new vocabulary and grammar points. This worked, but concentrating on language learning inevitably led to certain limitations. Sure, some people go to language exchanges to learn something new, but there are also a lot of people who go to them to practice what they’ve learned in class in a more natural setting.
Noticing that something wasn’t quite right with the original Chatterbox, we went back to the drawing board and redesigned the event with three things in mind:
1. New Connections
2. Shared Interests
3. More Freedom
Language exchanges are an excellent place to meet new people. Parties can be loud, other events have activities that can be a distraction, so we structured Chatterbox so that you could meet as many people as possible and have actual conversations with them. Rewarding you for speaking to new people, and shuffling participants regularly so that they had a chance to talk about different things.
Rather than limiting you by creating ‘themes’ for the event and telling you what you should be talking about, we now allow you to talk about what you’re interested in. From registration data, we can see the most popular hobbies and interests, and we can create spaces that are focused on each of those topics. By joining certain tables, you know that you’ll have at least something in common with everyone.
We no longer organise you into groups of similar language ability. What if you don’t click with your teammates? Instead, we give you the freedom to choose who to talk to and when you talk to them. The start of the event gives you the opportunity to say something to everyone, and at the end we let you use what you’ve learned about everyone to form groups of people that you want to talk to, allowing you to build the connections that you think are going somewhere.
Overall, the Chatterbox experience has levelled up, and we’re sure that this is going to be one of the best events for you to meet new people in Nagoya. As we get used to this new format, things are only going to get better.
The next Chatterbox will be on Sunday, March 24, 16:00-19:30 at LIB Space Sakae. If you’re coming, please don’t forget to register as we’ll only be granting access to those who have if we fill up (again!).
See you next month!
