THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING CONFIDENT ABOUT YOUR LEARNING

Several factors may make you feel like you're stuck and not achieving any real progress in spite of your English learning efforts.

One of them, (I'd risk saying the most common one, is the lack of confidence).

I could reproduce a bunch of lines I hear from my students now and then: 

"Oh, teacher, I understand you but I can't speak at all."

"I know I make a lot of mistakes."

"I will never learn it. I'm too stupid to do it."

"Sorry for my bad English."

I do hear such apologies/wailings. Even from students with a GOOD level of English.

How about you? Do you ever feel like your English is bad?

Have you ever felt like saying something... but haven't felt confident enough that you were going to speak English properly so that you ended up not even trying to do it?

The process of becoming confident in speaking a foreign language, no matter which, is not exactly a piece of cake, but there are some short paths you can follow to increase your confidence to do so. I'll tell you three of them and I'm sure that once you have put them into practice, the other ones will come to you naturally:

1) FOCUS. On what you CAN do, not the contrary.

It takes a long time to get fluent in English, and most students are constantly thinking about what they are missing or lacking.

This is a huge mistake!

It will sabotage your English-learning progress and only make you feel bad about yourself.

Usually, when we are reading a text in a foreign language, for example, we tend to highlight what we don't know by underscoring words and expressions we are not familiar with, right? But, when we look at the text, what first comes to our sight? Precisely, what we don't know! Pretty discouraging, uh? Of course, it doesn't necessarily mean you should start highlighting every single word you know of in a text... just don't bring all your attention to what you don't. Focus on the context, try to understand the words and their meanings by using tools other than simple translation, ok?

Instead, you should adjust your focus to being proud of what you actually CAN do in English (or any other language you've been currently struggling to learn). One way you can take to change your perspective and learn to think more positively is by keeping an "English success report/diary".

Every time you make progress or have any small “victory” in your English learning, no matter how tiny it may seem at a first sight, write it down in a notebook (or in a document on your computer or mobile).

For example:

Today I've learned 3 new words and used them in context.

Today I've understood how to use the present perfect.

Today I've practised my listening skills for 15 minutes by listening to podcasts/watching TedTalks on YouTube.

Today I've remembered a word without looking it up.

Today I've understood some of the phrases in a song or film I like.

Today I've made a phone call in English/had a video conference.

These things can be big or small – the important part is that they show progress and improvement.

On days when you’re feeling down about your English, feeling like or stuck and had no progress at all, or when you don’t have much motivation, you can read your report to see all the great progress you’ve made. This will help increase your confidence and encourage you to keep up with the good work!

2) Practice speaking in low-pressure situations.

When you have to give a presentation in English, or when you're at a party trying to socialize with native English speakers, there's a lot of pressure to handle, right?

Such pressure can make you feel like you need to be flawless (perfect) - and then you're not confident enough to say anything at all. What's more, you get nervous, and then you might have real trouble remembering or saying even the simplest things you are familiar with.

If the only time you practice speaking is in these types of high-pressure situations, it's perfectly natural (despite not healthy) that you think speaking English is just really difficult and it's not "for you".

Forget it! Speaking English or any foreign language is for anyone who wants to do it.

But you can build your confidence by practising speaking in low-pressure situations. One way to do this is to speak to yourself. It might sound or feel ridiculous, but, trust me, it works. Try salving your own number on your WhatsApp contacts list. Record and send audios to yourself then listen to them so that you can check your pronunciation.

Think of questions people may ask you in a variety of social/professional scenarios, imagine that those people are really asking you the question, and respond to them by speaking aloud. This helps you train the ability to put your ideas into spoken English - without the pressure of a real situation.

When you can make yourself comfortable and confident speaking English in a "calm" situation, it gets much easier to express yourself in an actual higher-pressure situation like a job interview or a Skype conversation.

3) Get feedback on your speaking.

Let's say you're doing OK with your speaking, but you still wonder if your pronunciation is correct at moments you are not in class or cannot reach your teacher.

"Am I saying everything correctly?"

"How is my pronunciation?"

"Are there any sentences or expressions that would not sound natural to a native speaker?"

The way to get answers to these questions is by getting feedback on your spoken English. Someone - a friend, partner or teacher - can comment on your speaking and let you know what you're doing well and what you should improve.

Where can you get such feedback?

In class, with an English teacher (Hey! here I am!), of course, but also on websites and apps designed for this purpose.

You can join a conversation exchange, where language learners interact and help each other with their difficulties.

This type of feedback is really valuable for students at all levels because you'll know EXACTLY how to fix your mistakes and improve your speaking.

So, in a nutshell, remember, that the three ways one could follow to increase their confidence to speak English are:

Focus on what you CAN do in English, not on what you CAN'T do yet.

Practice speaking in low-pressure situations.

Get feedback on your speaking from people who have a good English background.

Think positive and keep up the good work in your English learning!

And, at last, but not least, treasure the idea that any progress is some progress, and that's huge, ok?