Hello, Hive family! I hope you all had a great weekend. Today, I want to share my thoughts on facing my fears when it comes to speaking English. This post marks my entry to the Weekly Featured Content in the #Hivelearners community.
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When I had to go to Dubai, the biggest issue I faced upon arrival was the language barrier. Everyone there spoke either English or Arabic, and it made me feel quite fearful. Then, I met an old neighbor who was just a welder there. I felt embarrassed when I saw him confidently placing an order in English at the cashier in KFC. But then I decided that I would improve in this aspect too.
Why do I get nervous or scared in office meetings when everyone is speaking in English?
Growing up, English wasn't my first language, so I always felt a bit insecure about speaking it fluently. Even though I've learned English over the years and can communicate effectively, there's still that lingering fear of making mistakes or not being understood properly.
In office meetings, where everyone seems so confident and fluent in English, I often feel like I'm not good enough. I worry that I'll stumble over my words or say something wrong, and that others will judge me for it.
But I've come to realize that this fear is holding me back. It's preventing me from fully participating and contributing in meetings, and it's affecting my confidence in my abilities.
So, it wasn't just about not knowing English well, but also feeling unsure about how to respond quickly in conversations.
Writing official emails used to make me quite nervous too. I always worried about how the client would respond when they received my email.
I gained control over my fear by facing it head-on
Then I discussed this with my seniors, and they told me that it's natural to feel this way. Since English isn't our mother tongue, it's normal to find it challenging at first. But with time and practice, I'll improve.
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At first, when I had to make a call, I wrote down what I wanted to say in my diary. Then, I imagined how the other person might reply and planned how I would respond. This helped me feel more prepared and less nervous about the conversation.
I used to go to malls or restaurants alone and try to talk directly with sales representatives. Talking to those people alone in malls or restaurants helped me feel less scared, even though I was by myself. Sometimes, they didn't mind my English not being perfect.
Gradually, I got used to it and slowly started conversing with people.
Certainly, there could be several reasons why people find it difficult to speak English:
I am going to give some reasons why people are afraid to speak in English. People are afraid to speak in English because they think they are not ready or good at speaking in English.
Another exact reason could be that they thought their English Grammar is not good.
What will happen if I speak wrong English in front of others then?
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What if they laugh at me for my wrong pronunciation of words.
Or my sentence formation will not be correct?
I don’t have knowledge of new words.
So I want to tell one thing that it happens with everyone, nobody is born with good communication skills or knowledge it is just a matter of Practice now this time you are watching so many people who speak fluent English without any break or hesitation, so they did work on that and they are still working on that, means practice because if anyone wants to better then the only thing which is a “Practice”
Most important thing…….
Just Ignore that quote What will people say?from that day you stop caring about what they will say and what they will laugh at me, but the important thing you are not here to sit to watch other people grow, you also want to grow and learn then you have to stand, have to take a step.
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And, believe me, if you will do that nobody gonna stop you and day by day you will say how much you have improved.
Those people will succeed who do not care what other people will say because they are busy in their life and sometimes if they are going to correct in your English then just accept your mistake with gratitude and be a learner first, because am writing this answer am also a learner.
You can succeed if you are still want to learn, don’t limit yourself.
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First, start learning then you’ll gain knowledge and it will boost your confidence then you can see after a few months a drastic change in yourself.
I hope you like this post. If you also have this fear or have experienced it, please share your thoughts in the comments.
Thank you so much for reading.
Read my previous blogs:
@jahanzaibanjum/good-bye-ramadan-until-next
@jahanzaibanjum/chicken-potato-cutlets-chicken-alu
@jahanzaibanjum/i-m-a-constant-learner
