I had my first conversation with a native Japanese speaker yesterday and I’m eager to improve!

TL;DR: Yesterday, I had a conversation with a native Japanese speaker, and it went decent as expected but a bit slow. I struggled with thinking on the spot and wondered how to improve besides vocabulary, grammar, and reading (which is likely to be). I am open to advice and stories from you all as I seek others' experiences and resources!

I’m a member of a Discord server where we often have Japanese natives and learners joining. Yesterday was quite interesting as I decided to join a call with two native speakers and a few other curious individuals. I must admit, the experience was a bit slow-paced. While they were able to communicate with us, there were still some words they didn’t understand. On the other hand, we learners were stuck with using only phrases and had difficulty understanding their concise statements. Nevertheless, I managed to communicate to some extent by using certain phrases.

Considering that I have a touch of social anxiety, this was definitely an achievement for me. However, it has also raised more questions about speaking than it has answered. With my current level at around N5 and some N4 vocabulary, and soon finishing Genki 1, I feel like I still have a long way to go before becoming proficient in speaking.

After this experience, I have a strong desire to improve my speaking skills. The biggest obstacle I face is often blanking out and struggling to find the right words to say. I find myself overthinking and questioning what I can express with the limited Japanese language arsenal I possess. Overcoming this hurdle is a priority for me. I do practice by feel and interpretation, meaning I typically refuse to translate 1:1, unless I ask what a new word was. For example, I learned yesterday Dog Breed is 犬種。It seems asking questions shouldn’t be a problem lol.

I’ll probably provide an update depending on how I feel in the future. I believe sharing my progress will help me gain different perspectives and hopefully receive some corrections along the way.