Business English confidence – 5 Tips to help you be yourself and speak up in English
How do you see your business English capability?
When working in a foreign language, there are a lot of things that can hold you back from sharing your input as often and as easily as you would in your own language.
Learning grammar and more and more vocabulary will only get you so far when you have to use English every day in the workplace. And that should be an important consideration when looking for a business English course.
Learn to be more confident in English!
Here are 5 tips to help you identify and work on other aspects that will help you to build your business English confidence.
1) Stop comparing yourself to others
We all tend to do this at different times, but when it comes to our own progress or professional performance in English, comparing ourselves to others only uses up energy that could be put to much greater use elsewhere.
If you notice another non-native English speaker doing something well in English, instead of thinking “Look at how good they are. I am so poor in comparison”, think “What can I learn from them?”.
2) Prepare for situations that are predictable
If you know that you are going to be in a situation where you will be nervous especially because you have to communicate in English, then take a few minutes beforehand to prepare.
This is particularly effective if some of the language used in the situation can be easily predicted e.g. going into a meeting, preparing for an interview, or even if you are going to the doctor!
Prepare what you know you would like to or will need to say, then check to make sure you know how to say it. Then try to imagine some of the words you can expect to hear from the other person in the situation and make sure you know this relevant vocabulary in English.
3) Embrace your accent
Many non-native English speakers spend a lot of energy worrying about not sounding like a native English speaker, while those listening to you are more likely to be concerned about the clarity of your accent over whether or not it sounds ‘native’.
The most important thing in any communicative situation is that you can understand others and others can understand you. If your accent is not interfering with comprehension, then we would recommend embracing it!
You can then use the energy that you have spent worrying about your accent to improve other areas of your communication in English that really contribute to clear communication.
4) Reframe how you see mistakes
One of the most common issues that holds people back from being themselves and speaking up in English is the fear of making grammatical errors.
If you have learned English before in an environment where your performance and progress were mostly measured in grammar and vocabulary tests, then you are programmed to place your worth as a communicator on these criteria alone.
However, in the real world, expressing yourself clearly and understanding others is what really matters!
Mistakes are something you can notice and learn from, but please don’t let them hold you back from sharing your thoughts and ideas, because that is really where your worth lies!
5) Work on your mindset to improve your business English confidence
Creating a positive mindset towards your current skills in English as well as a growth mindset to allow you to continue to learn and improve is essential to allow you to speak up in English and achieve your professional goals.
If you consistently say to yourself that your English is not good enough and that you can’t improve, then you will make it very difficult for the opposite to become reality!
What one thing can you learn today?
At AllTalk Training we have designed and deliver specially-designed English courses to help you build your business English confidence. We help you learn English and improve in a way that has meaningful results. Take a look at our full list of dedicated English courses here. Alternatively, you can contact us directly.