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In my experience, the most successful learners identify their fears, face those fears and learn to overcome them or to manage them.
So what are your fears when it comes to working in English?
What language, emotional or psychological barriers are holding you back?
What typical mistakes do you want to correct?
What communication or cultural habits might you need to change?
Maybe you’re afraid of presenting in English at an international conference. You think your colleagues or managers will judge your English. Or you get nervous when everyone in the room is British or American or their first language is English. Perhaps you worry about not fitting in or worse, offending people by missing something important. Whatever the fear might be, the way to deal with it is:
1 Identify or name the fears
2 Decide which fears are unlikely to happen and which are more likely
3 Get clear on what you actually want instead: describe your ideal outcomes
4 Create goals and measures of success for each goal
5 Make a plan, follow it and track your progress
6 Keep doing what works and adjust what doesn’t work
It sounds easy, right? And in a way it is. With the right combination of business English training, coaching and sparring, it’s easier to implement those steps in an ambitious, realistic and strategic way. So, let’s start:
When it comes to using business English at work, what exactly are you afraid of?