Excellent methods to overcome your fears, and start speaking English confidently.
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There's no need to fear speaking English any longer, let's take a leap of faith!
Why is my English better in my head?
We've all been there. You're in the cafe, or the restaurant, or in a shop, waiting in line, rehearsing in your head what you're going to say.
"Morning! Can I get a black coffee please?"
"Have you a table for two spare?"
"Hey, do you sell batteries here?"
You're ready. You've got this. You get to the front of the line, and then... nothing. The words are gone. The perfect fluency, the preparedness, the intonation and accent, all suddenly disappear. Suddenly, the confidence has utterly drained from you, and you're left stumbling and mumbling over your words.
Or maybe for you, it's getting your ideas across to friends or colleagues that is proving a challenge. You've got all your points lined up in your head ready for a presentation at work, maybe you're relaxing with friends after university lectures, maybe you're calling an English friend over the phone. Things are going well, you feel like you're speaking clearly, and then you're stumped by an unexpected question. As if by magic, all that expert knowledge disappears, and you just can't find the words you're searching for.
At best it knocks our confidence, but at worst it makes us feel as if we are completely incapable of sharing our ideas in our target language.
Overtime, we come to feel as if we can't speak English, we might doubt our own ability, and this in turn will lead us to fear speaking English even further.
The fear and frustration of not being able to make oneself understood is often the number one issue my students wish to overcome.
So what can be done?
How do we fight this fear, stop stumbling, and speak with confidence?
Why do we fear speaking English?
But first, where does this fear come from?
Ultimately, our fear stems from our self beliefs. We might be worried about embarrassing ourselves, or not being understood, but at the end of the day, making a few mistakes won't hurt us. Confident thought breeds confident action, and self-belief is a vital component in the process of making acts that take us outside our comfort zone, such as contributing our thoughts, ideas, and feelings in a second language. For the most part, distorted perceptions of our own ability is what leads us to withdrawing, and fearing trying altogether.
Most learners of English hold themselves to far higher standards than native English speakers expect of them, and may feel as if they need to speak perfect English to be taken seriously. More often than not, this simply isn't true. Whether they make it known or not, many English speakers will more likely be impressed by a confident, committed attempt at the language than non-natives believe.
Furthermore, many learners harm their own learning journey by comparing themselves to other non-natives. English is such a commonly studied language, it can be hard not to look to others who seem to have mastered the language, or speak it far better than we can, and despair. But the key word here is "seem". We simply don't know how confident others feel, or how much they may have struggled to reach the level of confidence and fluency they have attained.
Comparison rarely aids self-development. When we compare ourselves with others, we are in danger of becoming disheartened if we feel they are better, or overly prideful if we feel our skills are superior. When it comes to your learning journey, you should compare yourself to one person: yourself. Your personal growth is yours only, and each step in the right direction is always a huge success.
So, let's take a look at some practical ways to move forward on our learning journey, and master our confidence in English.
1) Take it slow
When you speak English, you might feel as if you need to maintain the pace at which you speak your native language. You might also feel that speed shows skill and confidence.
This simply isn't true.
Take it slow, make sure to breath, and you'll find the words coming naturally!
Many of the best public speakers speak in a slow, measured manner. Not only does this help to find the right words without rushing, but it also makes the speaker sound more confident and self-assured. When others perceive you as confident, this subconsciously feeds our own confidence, kickstarting a positive cycle of self-belief.
No one's expecting you to be speaking English this quickly!
2) Repeat, repeat, repeat
The human mind absorbs information much more readily when the information is repeated. This is one of the first things I learnt whilst training as a teacher. If a teacher wants something to stick in a student's mind, it needs to be repeated. If you want something to stick in your mind, it needs to be repeated!
What I recommend is finding something you can listen to in English, something you really enjoy. Maybe its a podcast, a movie, a TV show, it doesn't matter, as long as it's in English, and you enjoy listening to it.
Then, instead of just listening to it, pause it regularly, repeating the words you hear, trying to match the tone and accent.
Listening is a very passive form of learning, and engages our brain far less than speaking. By repeating what we hear, we are practising both skills, and boosting our confidence in a way we can enjoy.
3) Understand the importance of mistakes
Studies in to the importance of mistakes in learning are almost too numerous to count.
There has been countless research that suggests that mistakes greatly accelerate the learning process. Psychologist Steve Baskin argues that letting children fail is vital for their development, and the same goes for adults too.
Not only that, but by revisiting mistakes we have made, we are also practising repetition, which you already know is incredibly important!
As a new learner, it's important to remember that making a mistake whilst speaking English is not the end of the world. In fact, brushing off a mistake and continuing is helping your brain to forge the connections needed to reach fluency.
As soon as we can see mistakes as opportunities, not obstacles, we can harness them to help us learn!
4) Judge yourself kindly
Tip 4 links very closely to tip 3, and the ideas of self-belief we looked at in the introduction.
Confidence is a cycle, and you might be surprised to discover just how much positive self-belief can actually improve our skills. Perhaps you've heard the idiom "fake it till you make it"? In this context, it means that we have to act confident (fake it), until we actually become confident (make it).
There is considerable research behind the power of positive affirmations in measurably improving our own abilities.
Next time you make a mistake, don't tell yourself:
"I'm stupid! I can't speak English!"
Rather, simply remember:
"Mistakes help me learn. This is all part of my learning journey!"
Remind yourself how far you've come, celebrate each small success, and keep moving forward!
5) Keep talking
Perhaps this one seems obvious, but it can't be understated just how important constant practice is to boosting confidence.
This final tip combines the last three together. The more we practice, the more we repeat. If we never practice, we will never make mistakes, which are vital to our learning. And if we practice regularly, we will no doubt find more success, for which we can congratulate ourselves, and build our confidence.
But who to talk to?
Alone
Whenever I've been trying to learn a language, I've found it incredibly helpful to talk to myself when I'm alone around the house. Simply regularly practising the sounds and phrases we already know helps us to become more confident.
With a Friend
If you're fortunate enough to have a friend also learning English, or hoping to improve, practice together as often as possible. Perhaps arrange to have an English phone call, or organise a time to meet up and do something fun together, but with one rule: speak only in English! These fun practices will help you both improve in a relaxed atmosphere.
With a Tutor
Practising alone and with friends are excellent, cheap ways to improve your English, but it can be hard to know if we are making mistakes, or what areas we could attempt to improve next. Working with a personal tutor can be an excellent way to practice speaking in a welcoming environment, talking to an expert who can help you to identify mistakes and improve your skills.
Finding a tutor that works for you
A good tutor can be instrumental to your learning journey, but they can also be hard to find. If you'd like to practice your English with an expert, identifying areas of success and growth, working together to build a bespoke learning plan that works for you, book your first lesson with TutorLiam today!
TutorLiam is a fully qualified teacher from the United Kingdom.
With a first class degree in Psychology, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, and full TEFL certification, he's expertly equipped to address all your learning needs.
Tutor Liam has been teaching in schools since 2016, and now offers his expertise in online tuition.
No matter what your language goals are, book your first lesson now, and begin your journey toward fluency and English mastery!