Why a language exchange?

1. What is a language exchange?
A language exchange is two or more people who speak different languages practicing each other's language. For example, an English speaker who is learning French will do a language exchange with a French speaker who is learning English. There are many ways to practice in a language exchange.

2. Why a language exchange?
You need the right kind of practice - and lots of it. In these respects, a language exchange is more effective than the other popular ways to practice: the language class and complete cultural immersion.
In a class, there is very little time to practice speaking, because a lot of time is spent on instruction and the class may have too many students to give everyone enough meaningful practice. Also, there is no native speaker except the teacher (if you're lucky). That means you are not used to listening to native speakers and may not be able to understand them. You're probably not learning the informal expressions and slang that native speakers use all the time. You don't learn anything about how the people "are" in that culture, how they interact, their sense of humor, their values, etc.
On the other hand, a complete immersion can be ineffective because people don't know how to help you learn - they may speak too fast or use slang you don't understand. Also they may not be patient and just switch to your native language if they speak it, not giving you a chance to practice. Immersion can also be scary. The people in the place of your immersion may speak with a very different accent than the one you learned from your teacher. Also, if people don't speak your language, you can get stuck and not be able to communicate at all!
In a language exchange, however, you practice more than you would in a class, talking with native speakers of the language you're learning, in a relaxed and supportive environment where there is patience and time to understand. A language exchange is also a wonderful way to learn the real spoken language of the culture, with all its "incorrect" grammar, informal expressions and slang. Therefore, a language exchange is the best training to bridge the gap between classroom learning and communicating in the real world!