English Self-coaching

This blog is designed to help empower you towards feeling more confident and to have more pleasure speaking English even if, inevitably, you make mistakes as even native speakers do.

Are you having the following self-talk about the way you speak English?

- If I don’t speak English fluently, like some people in my company, I will be respected less as a professional. People will think I’m not intelligent.
- People will get bored if I hesitate and take my time to express my thoughts.
- My accent is horrible and native speakers will laugh at it.
- I don’t have all the words I need so I don’t dare speak out in a group or in a meeting.

Sound familiar?

So here are a few questions to ask yourself and reflect on, next time you feel inadequate and are being too hard on yourself when you think about your English.

- What qualities do you have that inspire respect? Do they disappear when you speak English any more than they do when you change your clothes? How can you embody the qualities of courage, sincerity, humility, honesty and simplicity when you are speaking English?

- Have you ever met an intelligent person who said very little? How did you know they were intelligent?

- Have you ever been bored in the presence of someone who talks a lot? Have you ever been captivated by someone who speaks slowly but from the heart? How can silence be a powerful tool? (More about this in a later blog!)

- How important are mistakes? How can they be an opportunity for developing a relationship with another human being, rather than being a barrier? What dynamics of cooperation come into play when you are searching for an expression or need to ask others for help in finding a word?

- What is the risk if I don’t speak out and connect with others in English?
What is the risk if I do? What is the worst thing that could happen?
How can I learn from this challenge?

- When was the last time that you forgot you were speaking in English, if only for a few seconds? What was more important at that moment? What allowed you to get out of your own way?

As you can see, coaching is not about giving you answers!! Just asking yourself questions can be enough to shift those limiting beliefs. So reflect on the above questions and then decide on a first step towards reassuring your inner critical voice that may be stopping you from daring to speak up in English.

If you would like to explore more around your English speaking identity and practice getting out of your own way, I would love to get to know you. In the meantime, follow my blog and try out some of my exercises, exam tips and speaking videos (watch this space!)