Confidence is an interesting thing. Some people just naturally seem to have it, even when they aren’t necessarily the best at something. For the rest of us, though, it’s something we need to develop over time. There are a few shortcuts, though. Here are six unusual ways you can feel more confident speaking English, quickly.
1. Breathe
Something that’s easy to forget when you are nervous. Making sure you have enough oxygen in your blood is vital to feeling confident and speaking a language well. Take a deep breath before you speak to five yourself time to think and help yourself feel more confident.
2. Slow down
Most of the best public speakers in English speak slowly. Speaking slower makes you sound more confident and trustworthy and will also have an impact on how you feel. As well as making you feel more confident, it gives you a bit of time to think about what you are going to say next.
3. Smile
There have been a number of studies that show smiling has a positive impact on people’s mood, making them feel happier and calmer even when there is no other change in their situation. Use this to your advantage when speaking English to feel happier and more confident.
4. Practise making mistakes
One of the biggest barriers to putting new sentence structures and vocabulary into action is the fear of getting it wrong. Even though mistakes are a natural and important part of learning, it can be easy to feel embarrassed or uncomfortable when you make one. So, to overcome that fear, put yourself in an a situation where you know you are wrong. For example, go into a hardware store and ask if they sell food. It’s a difficult thing to do, but finding out that people are usually polite and friendly, even when you make an obvious mistake is an important realisation to make.
5. Visualise success
This is a trick used by many top athletes. Before you speak English, imagine yourself speaking clearly and fluently. By visualising the most positive outcome of the situation, you’ll feel confident and know what you’re aiming for.
6. Congratulate yourself
Make sure to celebrate your strengths. Make a list of the things you can already do well in English and keep it to date. When you look down the list of all the things you are already great at, it will make you feel more confident.
Feeling confident, yet? Commit to trying one of these techniques today and see how much more confident it makes you feel.
