Speak English at Work and feel good about it! Yes, it’s possible, and yes, you can do it. Whether you hate English-speaking meetings, or panic about presentations, or even fear coffee breaks in English, you can make the experience a lot less stressful. How? Follow this 3-point checklist of actions, and start feeling better!
Action 1
The first thing you can do to eliminate stress is to…plan for the worst! This might sound a bit dramatic, but it simply means planning ahead to reduce your anxiety. Here’s how:
- Imagine the worst things that can happen when you speak English at work. Your ultimate panic scenarios.
- Make a plan in case it really happens.
For example, you might worry that you don’t understand a colleague or client. What if they use a word or phrase in English, and you have no idea what it means?!
But instead of getting anxious, you can plan your response right now. A great phrase to handle that situation is this:
I’m not familiar with that expression, can you please rephrase it?
Let’s take another example. It’s common to worry that you get “blocked” while talking in a meeting, presentation or conversation. In case you freeze, plan to resolve the situation with this handy phrase:
Let me start again.
…Now breathe, and express yourself again using different words.
The heavy language anxiety will decrease when you have a plan of action for your worst-case scenario. On that note, it’s a good idea to think of key English phrases that will help you in your daily tasks. Write these down, and keep them close to your workspace. That way, they will be ready to go when you need them to speak English at work.
“You’re essentially training yourself to connect speaking English with a positive experience”
Action 2
When you speak English at work, it’s important to remember the main goal: effective communication. So instead of trying to use the most complex English you know, a smarter action is to keep things simple. What does this look like in practice?
- Use simple sentence construction and vocabulary.
- Don’t rush. Fluent doesn’t mean fast. Speak at your natural pace.
- Only use sophisticated language if you are 100% confident about it.
These strategies help you to express your message clearly and efficiently as a professional. Remember these points, and you will perform your work tasks more successfully, put less pressure on your English, and less pressure on yourself.
Action 3
A great way to eliminate bad feelings about English is to change your relationship with the language. A way to do this is to set goals and reward yourself. The idea is that you speak English at work and associate it with good times!
Start small. For example, the goal can be “I’m going to say one thing in English in my meeting today”. The reward can be a posh coffee for doing it. Then next time, you say TWO things in your English meeting, and get a chocolate bar (or the treat of your choice!).
You’re essentially training yourself to connect speaking English with a positive experience. It might seem simple, but this approach can quickly change how you feel about English at work. As you start with small goals and rewards, you’ll naturally build up to bigger challenges. Over time, this boosts your confidence, motivating you to do even more when speaking English at work. It creates a positive cycle that keeps you moving forward.
Speak English at Work: The dangers of insecurity
Unfortunately, when we’re nervous about something, we tend to avoid that situation. In the case of using English, this can have negative consequences for your career, as you miss chances demonstrate your true professional abilities.
That’s where Talktips comes in, and helps you open doors! Check out individual training options on this website to improve your communication skills today, and confidently speak English at work.
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