How to overcome the fear of speaking in English?

The single biggest problem with using English for most learners is the fear of speaking. The root cause for this is the fear of mistakes and being judged, the fear of not being able to get your point across, the fear of being perceived as less intelligent than you are in reality, and so on. These fears are very common in professional circles, because in a professional environment being able to clearly articulate your thoughts is important. So, people tend to avoid speaking as much as they can, they tend to speak in monosyllables, they prefer to write than to speak, and so on. And the more they do this, the more they strengthen their fears.

So, how to overcome the fear of speaking in English? Well, the number one thing you need to understand is that the fear will not vanish because you improve your grammar or your vocabulary. The fear will vanish because you face it. You see, the more you speak, the more your brain is going to understand that speaking in English is not a life-threatening situation. It’s okay to make a few mistakes, it’s okay to struggle to find your words. It’s okay, because you will be understood anyway. And if you’re not, you’ll find a way to explain. So, it’s not the end of the world. But if you don’t face your fears, if you don’t speak regularly, your brain is never going to learn this. So, the number one thing you need to do to overcome your fear of speaking in English is to speak.

Number two, you need to change your relationship with mistakes. When you make a mistake, don’t think of it as a failure. Think of it as feedback. Because when you make a mistake, you learn something new, you understand how to improve, and so on. In fact, native speakers make mistakes all the time. They make slips of the tongue, they change sentences midstream, they clarify their thoughts and so on. So, it’s not a big deal, it’s not the end of the world. If you start thinking of mistakes as feedback rather than failure, you will be less apprehensive of making them. And this will help you to overcome the fear of speaking in English.

Finally, preparation can also help. But preparation of the right type can. If you prepare by speaking about familiar topics, or topics that you need to discuss regularly, then it’s going to help you to overcome the fear of speaking in English. For example, if you’re a business analyst, prepare to speak about projects you’re working on. Practice presenting them, explaining them to people, and so on. Because when you have thought about what you need to say, it becomes easier to say it. You don’t have to struggle to find the words and you don’t have to think too much. So, your brain is not too stressed, you’re able to handle unexpected questions and reactions, and so on.

So, these are the three things you need to do to overcome the fear of speaking in English: speak as much as you can, change your relationship with mistakes, and prepare for real life situations.