Michel Thomas is one of the best-known language teachers of all time.

His language courses are supremely popular, and his teaching method has a “magic” to it that seems to make language learning easy for many people.

But, he was a highly secretive person.

In fact, for many years, he refused to talk to anyone about his method, and only taught behind closed doors.

So, how was it, that he was finally convinced to make his courses available to the world, and create his first published material?

This is surely one of the most fascinating language stories ever told… and I'm delighted to be able to discuss this on the podcast and in these interview notes.

You see, it all began in the late 1990s, when Sue Hart (pictured above) was Commissioning Editor at Teach Yourself Languages.

One day, out of the blue, she received a phone call from Michel Thomas himself.

In this exclusive interview, Sue reveals exactly what happened, and how she was able to convince Michel to do the unthinkable…

(Click the play button to listen to the interview. The main points are summarised below.)

How Sue Became Aware Of Michel Thomas

As the new commissioning editor at Teach Yourself Languages in the late 1990s, Sue discovered a memo from a colleague attached to a tape in a filing cabinet.

It read: “You might be interested in this!”

She had never heard of Michel Thomas before

Attached to the memo was the BBC Horizon programme: The Language Master

Sue was bowled over by the documentary and decided to explore the possibility of creating a course

https://youtu.be/f2sUUkGKWns

About Michel Thomas’ Language Teaching Methods

Michel was worried that his method would be copied

He taught students face-to-face at his language institute in Los Angeles

He developed language courses on tapes, but they had to be studied on the premises, and they would be locked away at the end of each day

Michel would teach the core lessons, but he did bring in teachers to help students with vocabulary practice etc.

Each time he taught a course, it was different. He was a master at responding to the students.

How Sue Persuaded Michel Thomas To Create Commercial Language Courses

Sue wrote a short letter to Michel Thomas in his New York office, including a Teach Yourself catalogue

A week later, she received a personal phone call from Michel. They agreed to meet next time he came to London

Negotiations took two years, from initial discussion to signing the contract

Michel never put anything in writing – there was no written record of any discussions throughout the entire negotiation.

He didn’t write or respond to letters. Everything had to happen face-to-face.

He would travel to the UK two or three times per year (always first class, always staying in the best hotels!), and they would meet often to discuss the project, always very informally, as nothing was in writing.

Why Michel Decided To Finally Release His Method To The World

He was beginning to accept his mortality – he was in his mid-80s at the time of the negotiations with Teach Yourself

They knew there was huge potential for the new language courses, but weren’t quite prepared for the level of success

Sue believes the main reason for the success of the courses is the fact the methodology works

The methodology itself is also very attractive to people: No pens No homework No memorising



Creating The Courses

They had no idea whatsoever how the recordings would work, as nothing had been revealed by Michel!

Students had to be recruited for the recordings A man and a woman A British and American voice

An advert was placed in the Daily Telegraph asking for volunteers. They were inundated with responses!

The recording of the first course took place over two days – 8 hours each day. Michel taught straight through, without the need for a break.

He had no notes during his teaching.

About Michel Thomas

He enjoyed his celebrity status and enjoyed name-dropping the famous people he had worked with

Sue never spoke with Michel about how he learnt his languages. He claimed to speak 10 languages, and Sue remembers hearing him speak at least 7.

He said language learning is one of the most alien processes the brain can undertake, and that’s why he chose to work with language.

Quotes About Michel Thomas

“What you understand, you know. What you know, you don’t forget.” – Michel Thomas

“My biggest regret is that we didn’t film the teaching.” – Sue Hart

“Your learning is my responsibility.” – Michel Thomas

[Tweet ““Language learning is one of the most alien processes the brain can undertake.” – Michel Thomas”]

“Language learning is one of the most alien processes the brain can undertake.” – Michel Thomas

To view Michel Thomas' language courses on Amazon, click here.

Did you enjoy the story? If you have any comments, or questions for Sue, please leave them below!