Overcoming the fear of speaking English – strategies for confidence

Overcoming the fear of speaking English – strategies for confidence

Fear of speaking English is perhaps an understatement. For those not quite adept at the skill, one would call it a phobia. So before we go into how to conquer this trepidation, let’s first understand its root. For, as far as I have seen, this anxiety is more pronounced in Indians, as compared to people of other nationalities.

The truth of the matter is that in our country, speaking in English signals many things, such as the level of education. The better or higher your education, the better your English. Then, it is also associated with belonging to higher social strata, personality development and a more successful individual. In other countries, you can be not an English speaker, and still be thought of as well-educated, well-spoken and successful. For them, English is just another foreign language. Neither do they stress much over it, nor do they have English language institutes like inlingua New Delhi.

Now, since English skills in India are a direct reflection of our personality, education and social standing, those who grapple with it face rather extreme anxiety, self-doubt and social phobia.  It is precisely to overcome this predicament that people search for English language institutes. And when it comes to focusing on spoken English in addition to business writing, presentation skills, and interview skills, people have reported that inlingua New Delhi caters best to their requirements.

Once a person enrolls for English classes at inlingua New Delhi, they find themselves in the hands of the most experienced, friendly, empathetic and passionate teachers, who, with their unique, stimulating and activity based teaching methodology, have the students talking confidently in English in literally no time!

Now, a  common question frequently asked by students is, that in addition in learning English at this English language institute (inlingua New Delhi), what else they can do to develop confidence in English. Many successful, tried and tested strategies are shared and applied by their teachers in class, which help them to become more fluent and self-assured.

Today, in addition to the common practices followed for learning English, we wish to share with our readers, 6 unique strategies followed at Inlingua New Delhi, so that they can also benefit by them and up their confidence in English language.

1. Overcoming fear is the first and foremost thing, without which the rest of the journey would be an uphill struggle.  At inlingua New Delhi, students are guided towards maintaining a positive mindset, understanding that there’s no learning without mistakes. Some students are so paralyzed by the fear of judgment, they initially are unable to speak. In such situations, teachers at inlingua New Delhi (a top-rated English language institute) even apply mindfulness techniques such as deep breathing, in order to reduce their physical anxiety and make learning effortless and enjoyable.

• Progressive exposure to the language. This means that students are advised to start speaking in low-pressure environments, like talking to a supportive friend and increase the challenge incrementally. Once comfortable, you start talking to other friends, family members, colleagues, neighbors, and boss, till you find yourself easily taking part in debates and group discussions. This is a very useful and under-rated strategy, which other English language institutes other than inlingua New Delhi fail to emphasize.

• Language shadowing is another useful tool to enhance your confidence in speaking English. Students at inlingua New Delhi are encouraged to observe good or native speakers of English and try to imitate how they speak. This is especially useful when it comes to working on pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm. At no other English Language institute except inlingua New Delhi, will one find this kind of guidance, because this makes all the difference in speaking with MTI (mother tongue influence) and speaking intelligibly with the ideal neutral accent.

• Setting realistic goals is something that is over looked more often than not.  Most students set unrealistic expectations of themselves and thus get disappointed when they aren’t able to speak accurately and fluently English in intricate scenarios like debates and group discussions.  What they’re told to do is to identify the imminent language gap in their English skills and work on specific area for a defined time limit. To take an example, suppose I make lots of mistakes in using past tense, then my goal for the next 1 week would be to ensure I work on the past tense, i.e.,  learn the past forms of verbs and apply them correctly and consistently. This is how students at the English language  institute- inlingua New Delhi,  are able to experience visible progress, by setting doable, short term goals.

• Another very approach that students are advised is to focus on communication, not perfection. Oftentimes, students are too caught up in getting the perfect grammar and vocabulary, they forget the aim of learning English, that is, to communicate. If we’re so wrapped up in using the vehicle perfectly, how will we focus on the destination?  This is what students at inlingua New Delhi are made to understand, so that once that perspective is right, it becomes easier for the rest to fall in place. However, this is not what students in other English language institutes experience.

• Speaking in full sentences. While a person can understand when you speak just a word or two, it doesn’t help your English skills. Using complete sentences as well as questions while practicing is a non-negotiable practice that students are asked to follow at inlingua New Delhi.

Other than these, there are other common tips for improving your confidence in speaking, which you might already be aware of.

For instance:

• practice in front of a mirror
• speak with friends and family, or a create a support group
• avoid comparing yourself with others
• record yourself while speaking and review it
• speak more loudly and slowly
• read aloud
• prepare in advance
• practice self-motivation

With these tips in your kitty from the best ranked English language institute, your journey to using English more confidently is sure to become a breeze! Happy practicing!