Do you have a fear of speaking English?
If you do, you’re not alone. Many second language learners have this fear. We’re afraid that our minds will go blank, that we’ll make grammar mistakes, or that people will judge the way we speak.
But don’t let that fear stop you from speaking.
On Tuesday this week, I went live on the My English Matters Facebook Page to share 10 ways to overcome your fear of speaking English.
You can watch the replay of the live session here.
Or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.
Here are the 10 ways you can overcome your fear of speaking English:
- Know that your fear is normal!
- Know that it’s fine to make mistakes.
- Tell yourself that you’ll be okay — be your best coach!
- Have an intention before you speak.
- Visualise yourself speaking calmly and confidently.
- Take a deep breath, smile and speak slowly.
- Practise one-on-one and in small groups.
- Practise writing in English to help clarify your thoughts.
- Proactively look for situations that are outside of your comfort zone.
- Memorise phrases to use when your mind goes blank.
Here are some phrases you can use when your mind goes blank:
- Give me a second.
- How shall I put it?
- I’m glad you asked.
- I’ve never really thought about that, but …
- Let me think. Well, …
- That’s a good question.
- Where should I start?
We hope you found this helpful! Make sure to join our next Facebook Live! We go live every Tuesday at 10 a.m. on our Facebook Page.
