Do you feel blocked when you speak English? Are you worried about making a mistake?
Often, if you start thinking about all the possible things that go wrong, you don’t say anything. After all, nobody wants to make a mistake.
But there are two things that will help you feel more confident when you speak. When you remember these, speaking in English will be much easier.
Native Speakers Aren’t Teachers
Fact. Native speakers don’t learn English grammar at school. In fact, you probably know more about English grammar than most native speakers!
So don’t worry that native speakers will correct your grammar.
But where native speakers might help you is with vocabulary choice or pronunciation. In fact, you can even ask for a better word choice or how to say a word correctly.
Native speakers don’t usually correct English grammar.
People Have A Need To Communicate
Have you ever spoken English to someone whose first language isn’t English? Have you ever watched two people communicate in a third language (such as English)? When you see this, you’ll notice a very interesting thing.
People have a desire to understand.
When we talk to another person, we want to give that person our full attention. We want to understand and to reply. We listen intently, maybe make vocabulary suggestions or even finish sentences for the other person.
Assume that people WANT to understand you.
When you assume that the other person wants to understand you, that takes a lot of the pressure off what you are saying. So relax, use every way you can to communicate your message – and focus on what the other person is saying too.
Remember: most people are patient and helpful.
3 Phrases To Make You More Confident
Here are some things you can say to give yourself time, or to ask for suggestions.
“Oh, it’s on the tip of my tongue.” (When you know the word, but you just can’t remember it.)
“What’s the word again for when…” (To ask for a vocabulary suggestion)
“How do you say that word again – the word that means…” (To ask for pronunciation help)
How To Speak English Confidently & Fluently
Hi! I’m Clare, the founder of this site.
When you know the right phrases, you can speak English more confidently and fluently.
In my program Real English Conversations I share the most common phrases for speaking in everyday situations.
Click the link below to open the door to English fluency!