I have started every lesson by first, scrolling down to the conversational phrases and the vocabulary lists. I review the terms and record my pronunciation. I memorize the meaning, its sound and practice until I can mimic the speakers' pace and rhythm. I push for 15 minute intervals, then take a break. Grab a water and keep my throat moist. I continue until I can understand and effectively speak the terms.
I am finding my tongue is becoming adept at rolling Rs, sounding out Vs, and mimicking the same sounds I am hearing. The recorded blurbs validate it. My focus is learning the meanings of words and phrases, and how they sound when spoken. It is so important to be able to recite the same sounds properly with rhythm and pace. Ignore the leadership points list. If you review diligently, the points will accumulate.
At this point, I scroll up to the conversation and I understand and follow along, listening to the speech, the accent, rhythm...it is a breakthrough. I can substitute vocabulary to form other useful sentences. I am learning with confidence, not skeptical. Mauricio and Amy are talking and I can follow the conversation.
DO NOT SIMPLY RECITE WHAT YOU HEAR. Look at the terms. Think Spanish. Do not translate what you see into English first. That is why you spend so much effort BEFORE listening to the conversation. You should be able to listen and hear/understand the phrases and new terms. These are the building blocks to fluency.
I also found that watching cooking shows broadcasted in Spanish is an excellent learning tool. The rhythm and rate of speech is ideal, the pronunciation is perfect, and the verb tenses are in the present and past tenses. Easily understood. The shows provide popular traditional foods. Latin customs and culture are often discussed. Give one a try.
I would encourage everyone to use their developing Spanish language skills as much as possible. Mistakes are expected. Hasta luego mis amigos.