Are you a non-native English speaker who is constantly worried about what other people think of your language skills? Then this podcast episode is for you. Listen as Gabby provides some useful tips and encouragement for you to feel better about yourself. Learning another language is hard. It may be easier for some people than others, but it is never a simple task.
 
Most people, whether they would admit it or not, struggle to grasp certain spellings, pronunciations or grammatical structures. Fortunately, the more you practice, the more you learn, and the easier it gets. Anybody who has ever persevered in the learning of a foreign language knows all too well about embarrassing moments either in speaking or writing. Learn from your mistakes. Ask your peers, or your teachers to provide constructive feedback so you can improve and move forward. The key is not to give up out of frustration or fear of what others may be thinking.
 
Whether you are an advanced English speaker or a novice, Go Natural English is there to help you gain fluency and have fun at the same time. Listen to Gabby often to gain keen insights into the English language.
 
Episode transcript below:
Hello, hello, hello, awesome English learner.
Welcome to the Go Natural English podcast.
I’m your host, your American English teacher, Gabby Wallace.
In today‘s episode I want to talk about the fear of what other people think.
Are you afraid that other people might think that your English is really bad?
Are you feeling embarrassed about what other people might be saying about you, or thinking about the way that you communicate in English?
Well, listen to this episode because I’d like to talk with you about this very fear.
Before I discuss the fear of what other people think, I want to remind you that you can get a free short eBook by visiting gonaturalenglish.com.
When you sign up for the Go Natural English email list, you instantly get a free mini eBook about ways that you can fix common mistakes in the English language for learners like you.
So, I hope to see you over there.
Now, I was thinking – I was thinking this morning about the fear of what other people think of your English skills.
Now, if you’re afraid of what your peers think, let’s say other people from your country who are listening to you speak English – if you’re afraid of what they think, well, first of all, who cares?
I know it’s easy for me to say but we have to focus on the positive.
You have to focus on what you are able to do, and what you hope to do instead of focusing on what other people may be thinking negatively about you.
And, who knows what they’re thinking?
Maybe they’re actually thinking, “Wow, I’m really impressed that they’re trying to speak English”, right?
What are some things that you can do to avoid having people think negative things about your English skills?
Because I know, I know we care about what other people think even if we don’t want to care, even if we want to say, “Who cares?” It’s much easier said than done.
So, what are some things you can do to make people think your English is good?
Well, first of all, don’t be shy.
Sometimes when you’re quiet, people think that you’re quiet because your English is really bad.
They think maybe you’re not understanding, or maybe you don’t know how to say anything in English and that’s why you’re quiet.
Whereas I know sometimes if you’re quiet, it’s just because you’re enjoying listening or maybe you just want to think more before you talk.
That’s OK, but try to talk a little bit more if you tend to be quiet.
Another thing you can do is smile.
Just be positive and look for ways to project a confident and friendly image.
Third, and last, use the little bit of English that you know, a lot.
So,