How to speak English confidently?

When you go on stage to speak something, do you get nervous? And does that nervousness takes the best of you? Well, a little bit of nervousness is alright but when your hesitation and fear do not let you do your 100%, it is time to get rid of it. You should not let them get the best of you. But it is easier said than done. Everyone knows that they should be confident when they speak, but how? 

Most people hesitate while speaking in English because they fear what others might think if they make a mistake. Sometimes people are even afraid of forgetting words or things that they have to speak. The root cause is fear - fear of being judged! But until you speak, you will never be confident. You have to get this fear out of your mind.

I know it is not easy, but there are some things you can do to be confident while speaking in English. The first step is to identify why are you afraid of speaking. Once you figure that out, it will be easier to conquer your fears. 

The ten steps to be a confident speaker!

1. No one will remember your mistake!

The biggest fear people have in mind is- "people will laugh". But trust me, no one will remember your mistakes. We tend to exaggerate our mistakes and negative traits but in most cases, they are very minute. Let's take an example, you go to a shopping mall and a shopping assistant came to you. He started talking in English, but he made many mistakes. Will you laugh at them at that point? Will you remember that they made these many mistakes? No! We might notice it but then we forget after some time! You won't even recognize the person if you see him next time. 

2. Stop overthinking

Yes! Stop overthinking! Do not play every sentence in your head first before speaking. It will confuse you and you will take a lot of time while speaking. Hence, your conversation will become tedious and boring. It is alright to make mistakes, but do not rely on translation while speaking. Some people first make a sentence in their native language then try to convert it into English into their mind. THIS IS WRONG! Just speak what comes to your mind first. Our first instincts are mostly correct! 

3. Stay Calm

If you get nervous, it will reduce your productivity. Your fear will overpower your mind and you will end up making more mistakes than usual. Just stay calm and try to speak your mind. Try to relax your mind and do not think about mistakes. If we think about mistakes, then we are bound to make more mistakes. Instead, just stay calm and speak whatever comes to your mind. Do some Yoga or meditation to stay calm and positive. 

4. Just Express, don't impress

Some people try to use heavy vocabulary while speaking to sound like a native speaker. This backfires sometimes. In an attempt to use fancy words, you end up messing up the meaning of the sentence. It is not wrong to use good words but if you are using fancy words just to impress it is not going to work. Your first priority should be to express your thoughts! Once you get comfortable with the language and are able to express yourself clearly, then start focusing on words, idioms, and phrases.

5. Practice

I cannot emphasize it enough! Practice! Practice! Practice! The more you speak, the better you get. Speak in English whenever possible. The next time you go to a mall, restaurant, ticket counter, or a takeaway, try to speak in English. The best thing is that these people see hundreds of people every day. So even if you make mistakes, they will not remember you! If you are still not confident, then speak with yourself. Try following this exercise for that: How to be fluent in English?

6. Points on Fingers

If you are going on stage, then you might be vulnerable to forgetting some important points that you cannot afford to miss. In this case, make assign each finger a point. For example Thumb: introduction, index finger: What is a solar panel? middle finger: how can one install it? Ring finger: Cost, and little finger: conclusion. This technique is really helpful. If you have more points, you can use both hands. Now you will never forget anything.  

7. What is the worst that can happen?

Honestly, just think about this: What is the worst that can happen? If you make a mistake, what will happen? It is not the end of the world. While speaking on stage, if you make a mistake, no one will even notice it because they are more interested in the content. Moreover, if you are confident, then your confidence will shine through and overshadow your mistakes. 

8. Start speaking 

Just start speaking in English with some people. If you don't have that kind of environment around you, then speak in English with yourself. Try to form some sentences in your mind in English throughout the day. Speak in English with customer support people. If you are still afraid then speak half of the sentence in English and half of the sentence in your native language. Problem solved! Gradually, you will start getting confident and over the course of time, you will start noticing that you are getting more comfortable with the language.

9. Your ideas matter the most

Always remember: ENGLISH IS JUST A LANGUAGE! It is a mere reflection of your thoughts. What is there inside your brain, matters the most. The things you think, the things you know, your opinions, beliefs, and ideas make you unique. And you are using English just to convey them. Your complete attention should be towards the content. If you have good content, you will automatically sound good. But if you don't know anything about a certain topic, there is no way, you can speak on it in any language, let alone in English! 

10. Be realistic

Have realistic goals. You cannot improve in a day or in a week. Language is a process. Just think how much time you took to get fluent in your native language! Be patient. Do not stress yourself. Say to yourself: "I am doing my best. I will practice daily and become fluent in English." 

There are no shortcuts. Just accept that you will make mistakes and it is alright. You will only learn if you make mistakes. There is no other way. Try to get rid of your fear and inculcate a habit of speaking in English without any hesitation whenever you get the chance. All the best!