Observed problem
Within Arbitrum DAO, there are contributors with strong technical backgrounds and solid ideas who do not actively participate in live calls or oral discussions—not due to lack of judgment, but because of two concrete frictions:
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Spoken English: while written English is often sufficient for forum participation, speaking in live calls can feel intimidating for non-native speakers, even at intermediate or advanced levels.
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DAO-specific terminology: acronyms, initiative names, and governance context (Firestarter, BLAZE, RAD, DIP, etc.) create an additional barrier. In many cases, the perceived difficulty is not only the language itself, but the specialized governance vocabulary.
As a result, capable contributors often join calls as listeners but avoid speaking up.
Proposal
Explore a weekly, open, and voluntary English Practice Call, oriented toward non-native contributors and focused on practicing spoken English applied to real governance discussions, in a low-pressure environment.
The goals are to:
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improve deeper understanding of the DAO and active proposals,
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reduce friction to participate in official governance calls,
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increase confidence in oral participation,
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strengthen connections across contributors and builders.
This is not an English class, but conversational practice around real Arbitrum DAO topics.
The call would be explicitly non-decisional and would not replace or interfere with any formal governance process.
Tentative format
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Weekly, open, and voluntary call (45 minutes).
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In some sessions, a fluent English-speaking guest (delegate, contributor, AAE, OpCo, or proposal author) who:
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briefly explains their work or the context of a proposal,
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answers questions in a more relaxed and conversational setting.
Coordination
I’m willing to coordinate and moderate an initial pilot ad honorem, with no commitment to continuity.
If there are no clear objections, the intention is to try a first pilot call, test real traction, and evaluate based on experience.
Feedback, criticism, and observations are very welcome.
1 Like
Thanks for the interest and for the absence of objections so far.
Given that, I’ll move forward with a first small pilot call to test real traction. This will remain a non-official, non-decisional space focused on spoken English practice around real Arbitrum DAO topics, as outlined above.
I’ll follow up shortly with scheduling details.
Update — First pilot call scheduled
The first English Practice Call for Non-Native Contributors is now scheduled:
Thursday, Feb 12th
15:00–15:45 UTC
(45 minutes)
This will be a small, non-official, non-decisional pilot call, focused purely on spoken English practice around real Arbitrum DAO topics.
The goal is to create a low-pressure space for non-native contributors who want to participate more actively in calls and discussions but feel language is a barrier.
Anyone interested is welcome to join — especially contributors, delegates, and builders for whom English is not a first language.
More details closer to the date.
3 Likes
Quick update — here is the link for the first pilot call:
Join via Google Meet:
Thursday, Feb 12th
15:00–15:45 UTC
This is a small, non-official, low-pressure space focused on practicing spoken English around real Arbitrum DAO topics.
If English is not your first language and you’d like to participate more actively in DAO calls, you’re very welcome to join.
Reminder — English Practice Call (pilot)
Quick reminder for anyone interested in joining the first English Practice Call for Non-Native Contributors.
Thursday, Feb 12th
15:00–15:45 UTC
You can join the call here: https://meet.google.com/nab-fwsd-bot
This is a small, non-official, non-decisional space focused on spoken English practice around real Arbitrum DAO topics, in a relaxed and low-pressure format.
If English is not your first language and you’d like to participate more actively in DAO calls, you’re very welcome to join.
Last Reminder — English Practice Call (pilot)
Quick reminder for anyone interested in joining the first English Practice Call for Non-Native Contributors.
Tomorrow — Thursday, Feb 12th
15:00–15:45 UTC
Join link: https://meet.google.com/nab-fwsd-bot
This is a small, non-official, non-decisional space focused on spoken English practice around real Arbitrum DAO topics, in a relaxed and low-pressure format.
Important note:
This call will not be recorded. No recordings, no transcripts — just a safe space to practice, make mistakes, and learn together.
If English is not your first language and you’d like to participate more actively in DAO calls, you’re very welcome to join.
Quick update, learnings & next steps
I ran the first pilot of the English Practice Call this week.
Participation was close to zero, which is a useful signal by itself. One clear takeaway is that this kind of space needs better timing and a small initial nucleus to reduce first-step friction.
Another learning is that the original framing may still feel intimidating for contributors with very basic or low-intermediate English — even if the intention was to create a low-pressure space. This is something I’d like to explicitly correct in the next iteration.
Before scheduling the next session, I’d like to do a quick pulse check to better align timing, format, and comfort level.
The poll below is anonymous and informational (not binding) — it’s simply meant to help shape the next iteration.
If you’ve organized similar community or educational spaces before, I’d really appreciate any advice on how to improve participation.
And if you’re interested but unsure, or feel your English might be too basic even for a practice call, feel free to DM me — happy to answer questions or clarify expectations.
Regardless of poll results, I plan to schedule a second pilot next week and continue iterating.
Thanks in advance — even a few honest signals are genuinely helpful.
What best describes your situation regarding the English Practice Call?
- I’d like to join, but the time/day didn’t work for me
- My English level feels too low, even for a practice call
- I wasn’t sure what to expect from the call
- I didn’t see the announcement in time
- I’d join if it were more informal / beginner-friendly
- Other (please comment or DM)