Hi, I'm Georgiana, and I'm back with a new episode of the Speak English Now podcast.
The podcast that helps you speak English fluently with no grammar and no textbooks.
Before we start, you can get the transcript at speakinglishpodcast.com slash podcast.
And if you want to help me, please share the podcast with your friends and family.
That would make me very happy.
Thank you.
You can also find tips and strategies for speaking English fluently on my website.
Visit SpeakEnglishPodcast.com to improve your English.
Okay, let's start.
Have you ever had this moment?
Let me describe a situation and tell me if it sounds familiar.
You start speaking English.
At the beginning, everything feels okay.
Then you want to say one word, a simple word, and suddenly, nothing.
Your brain is like, nope, not today.
So you try to fix it fast.
You start speaking faster.
You try to push the sentence out.
And then you feel frustrated.
And sometimes you feel ashamed like, why can't I say something simple?
If this happens to you, I want you to remember one thing.
This is normal.
It happens to learners from all around the world.
And it also happens to native speakers.
They forget words too.
The difference is, The real problem is speed plus pressure.
Many students think fluency means speaking fast.
But that's not true.
Fast is not fluent.
Clear is fluent.
Let me explain it in a simple way.
When you speak, your brain has to do many things at the same time.
Choose the words, build the sentence, pronounce the words, control your voice and also control your emotions.
Now imagine you add pressure.
You think, I must sound good.
I must not make mistakes.
I must be fast.
That's when your brain freezes.
Not because you don't know English, but because you're rushing and stressing at the same time.
Why do we speak too fast?
Usually, there are three reasons.
You want to sound fluent.
You want to sound confident, professional, smart.
So you speed up.
But speed doesn't create confidence.
Control creates confidence.
Number two.
You're afraid of silence.
You think silence is embarrassing.
But silence is not embarrassing.
Silence is useful.
Silence gives your brain time to search.
Number 3.
You're afraid of judgment.
You worry.
What will they think of my English?
This fear is heavy.
And fear always makes you rush.
So what can you do when you freeze?
This is important.
You need a plan for that moment.
Not a big plan, a simple plan.
Here it is.
Step 1.
Stop.
Yes, stop.
Don't keep pushing words.
Step 2.
Breathe.
One slow breath changes everything.
Step 3.
Use a rescue phrase.
These phrases are magic because they give you time.
For example, Give me a second.
Let me think.
How do you say... What's the word...
I mean, when you use these phrases, you don't look weak.
You look natural.
Because native speakers use them too.
One more thing.
Speak like you're talking to a friend.
A lot of learners speak like they're giving a presentation.
Very serious, very fast.
Try something different.
Speak like you're talking to a friend.
Slower, warmer.
And if you make a mistake, just continue.
Your goal is not perfect English.
Your goal is communication.
Now let's practice with a point-of-view story.
I will tell you the same story but in different points of view.
This will help you practice grammar in a natural way.
You can find more of this method in my premium courses.
Visit speakenglishpodcast.com slash courses Okay, let's start.
Ezra had the most important presentation of his life.
At least, that's what he thought.
In reality, it was just a normal Monday meeting.
But in Ezra's mind, it was like the Olympics of English.
He prepared for three days.
He practiced in front of the mirror.
He practiced in front of his cat.
He even practiced in front of his refrigerator.
He wanted to sound confident.
He wanted to sound professional.
He wanted to sound like a TED Talk speaker.
The meeting started.
His boss smiled.
His co-workers looked serious.
One colleague was eating a sandwich.
Ezra stood up.
At first, he spoke slowly.
But after two sentences, panic entered the room.
Not real panic.
Panic inside his brain.
He started speaking faster and faster and faster.
He spoke so fast that even he didn't understand himself.
He used long sentences, very long sentences.
Sentences with no oxygen.
Suddenly, he forgot the word budget.
Not a difficult word.
Budget.
A simple word.
His brain showed him a blank screen.
He tried to replace it.
Money, plan, financial, thing.
Nothing worked.
His heart started beating like a drum in a rock concert.
He imagined everyone thinking, Why is he speaking like an auctioneer?
He imagined losing his job.
He imagined moving to a mountain and becoming a goat farmer.
All because of the word budget.
Then something unexpected happened.
His boss raised her hand.
Ezra thought.
That's it.
I'm finished.
But she said, Ezra, you can slow down.
We're not running.
The room laughed, kindly, not in a mean way.
Ezra stopped.
He took a deep breath and said, Sorry.
Sorry.
He spoke more slowly.
He used shorter sentences.
He even paused.
And something incredible happened.
People started nodding.
They understood him.
The presentation finished.
No one lost their job.
No goats were involved.
After the meeting, his colleague with a sandwich said, Good presentation.
You just talk like you're chasing a bus.
Ezra realized something powerful.
The problem wasn't vocabulary.
The problem was speed.
From that day on, he decided, no more actioneer mode.
He would speak like a human.
Great.
Now let's change the point of view.
I had the most important presentation of my life.
At least, that's what I thought.
In reality, it was just a normal Monday meeting.
But in my mind, it was the Olympics of English.
I prepared for three days.
I practiced in front of the mirror.
I practiced in front of my cat.
I even practiced in front of my refrigerator.
I wanted to sound confident.
I wanted to sound professional.
I wanted to sound impressive.
The meeting started.
My boss smiled.
My coworkers looked serious.
One colleague was eating a sandwich.
I stood up.
At first...
I spoke slowly.
But after two sentences, panic entered my brain.
I started speaking faster and faster and faster.
I spoke so fast that even I didn't understand myself.
Then I forgot the word budget.
Just budget.
My mind went blank.
I tried to replace it.
Money, plan, financial thing.
Nothing worked.
My heart was beating like crazy.
I imagined losing my job.
I imagined moving to a mountain and becoming a goat farmer.
All because of one word.
Then my boss raised her hand.
I thought, This is the end.
But she said, You can slow down.
We're not running.
People laughed in a friendly way.
I stopped.
I took a deep breath and I said, Sorry, let me start that again.
I spoke more slowly.
I used shorter sentences.
I paused and people understood me.
After the meeting, someone told me, You speak well, just slower.
That day, I learned something important.
The problem wasn't my English.
The problem was my speed.
And I decided to slow down.
No more auctioneer mode.
Great!
I love using stories like these.
They're easy to remember and really helpful to learn English.
A bit of humor also makes the process more funny and enjoyable.
You can find more of this method in my premium courses.
Visit speakenglishpodcast.com slash courses.
If you want to help me share the podcast with your friends and family, that would mean a lot.
Thanks.
I'll be back next week with a brand new episode.
Bye-bye.
Did you enjoy today's episode?
