How to Overcome Your Fear of Speaking English

How to Overcome Your Fear of Speaking English

English might not be your first language, but that doesn't mean you should be terrified of using it at work or for a big presentation. In fact, mastering English can open up a whole world of opportunities for you. Today, I’ll walk you through how to overcome the fear of speaking English once and for all.

The Fear and Its Impact

Fear can hold you back from achieving your goals. It can deter you from taking the crucial actions that can change your life and make your dreams a reality. I personally recall moving to Korea a few years ago, barely speaking any Korean, and being terrified, but having certain strategies in place allowed me to handle the situation and even laugh at it. 

The key is not to get rid of fear, but to use it as fuel.

The Path to Overcoming Fear

The process begins with understanding your specific objective. Then you can start implementing effective strategies to overcome your fear of speaking English.

1. Practice and Create Successful Situations:
   This is done in various ways, but the best way I've found is to create safe space environments where you can simulate the conversations or presentations you will have. This helps you apply the tools and strategies that you already know. Remember, this assumes that your pronunciation and vocabulary are good enough to handle things in general.
2. Focus on Your Objective:
   Build your vocabulary by focusing on the words and phrases that pertain to your objective. I recall needing to buy slippers, soap, and a towel in Korea and preparing myself by knowing exactly how to ask for them. This is similar to what one of our clients, Ismail, did when selling a specific type of service. By understanding what his product was, the questions he might face, and how to handle objections, he handled each new conversation with more and more success. In the process of closing more deals, more easily, his confidence grew significantly.
3. Use Tools to Improve Vocabulary and Pronunciation:
   Utilize resources like Youglish and Word Up to enhance your vocabulary and pronunciation. Watching presentations and interviews on the specific topic you're working on can also be beneficial. If you understand the vocabulary needed for your situation, you will be able to understand much more of what people are saying.

Implementing these strategies is just the beginning. There are numerous other strategies and practical tools that you can use to feel more confident when speaking English. For example, we've condensed many of these strategies into an ebook called Fluent and Fearless, available for free here.

The Importance of Taking Action

While this may seem daunting, remember that by reading this post and taking steps to improve, you're already on the road to making significant progress. You're one of the few who are actively working towards achieving their goals instead of merely dreaming about them.

Whether it's downloading the free guide, implementing these strategies, or speaking to an expert from our team to build a specific action plan, the crucial thing is to take action. You're preparing yourself for that next presentation, interview, or conference, and you're bound to feel more confident with each successful step. 

Good luck on your journey to mastering English. I look forward to hearing about your successes. Enjoy!