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Every Thursday you receive tips and content to help you improve your English skills, 1 % at a time.

Football is a global sport and the World Cup is the biggest sporting event on the planet. Football is more than a sport though, it's a business and the World Cup is its biggest point of sale. Like other international businesses, the main language in football is English, therefore the World Cup has given us an insight into how people (players, coaches, referees, the media etc.) communicate in English in high pressure situations. It also further reinforces that speaking English effectively is such a vital skill, even in the world of sport.

People often say to me they find it easier to speak in English about their business than about general, every-day subjects. This could be because of the time they spend learning and practising talking about these subjects, and also because the situations are more predictable, and as a result, the questions asked and the topics raised are usually within the sphere of knowledge the speaker more or less controls and feels comfortable talking about.

So, surely this should be similar in football too? The stakeholders involved in the World Cup know they have to communicate in English in some moments, and they can generally predict what they will have to say. So why have we seen instances of unclear communication from referees? Nowadays, referees wear microphones and must explain their VAR decisions to the stadium and the world. In the France versus Senegal match, we saw a referee nervously announcing he was not giving a penalty, yet his body language was incongruent with his words, which even made the France players and staff think he had given the penalty. Imagine this type of confusion in a business negotiation. People would doubt the credibility and skills of a worker who communicates in a confusing way, and maybe therefore they would doubt the company, meaning a potential loss of business and reputation. The low level of English displayed by the referees has surprised me, given that they know what they will have to say (most of the time) and the fact that communicating information and decisions is a vital part of their job.

Furthermore, we could consider why a foreign coach has never won the World Cup. This is a fascinating question that makes you think if identity, culture and sharing a nationality are deciding factors, or whether being able to communicate well in the language and the ability to bond with the players is of greater importance? Or maybe it's a mix of all of them. If you don't dominate the native language of the players in a team, or the workers in a company, can you really expect to be successful? Imagine two people going on a romantic date to a restaurant and not being able to speak the same language. Would they be able to connect and fall in love? I have my doubts.

On a more positive note, throughout the World Cup, we have seen players like Rodri giving interviews in English. Rodri displays the calmness and confidence necessary to speak in a non-native language. He makes some small mistakes (that don't affect our understanding of what he says), but he never looks like he is analysing himself when talking, or that his mistakes affect the way he speaks. And most importantly, he shares what's inside with clarity, which makes him easy to understand, and that is the essence of communication- to share ideas, thoughts, and opinions clearly.

So what can we learn from the English communication from this World Cup?

1. People are human and they get nervous when talking in their non-native language and they make confusing statements and/or mistakes.
2. Preparation is vital, especially if you know that you will have to speak to a group, or you will have to make clear statements about information or decisions etc.
3. And, you should speak like Rodri- calmly, confidently, and with the psychological security that if you do make a small mistake, nobody will question you if you can transmit your thoughts clearly.

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TIPS

1. Predict and plan for the high-pressure situations where you have to speak.
2. Practise for these high-pressure situations so you avoid being confusing under pressure.
3. Speak with clarity like Rodri.
4. Accept you may make a mistake but if you are well-prepared and know enough vocabulary about your subject, people will still understand you.

CONTENT

1. Use sport to practise your English! Here you have a link to the BBC website with videos, articles, reports, interviews and much more...
2. Here are some links to posts I have written on LinkedIn about the issues discussed in this newsletter:

3. Try the Fluent In 50 Days course to really make progress with your confidence in English, and your professional career!

€97.00 Fluent In 50 Days Starter Plan Receive daily material and tips to improve your English communication skills. The course begins on the Monday after you... Read more I want to improve my English!

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A CHALLENGE

Read the post about Rodri speaking in English and watch the video in the comments section. Practise speaking like Rodri, with the focus on effective rather than perfect communication.

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AN INSPIRING QUOTE

“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, and others make it happen.” Michael Jordan.

Make effective communication happen!

If you want to improve your communication in English, book a free call to see how we can help you:

​https://calendly.com/ben--palmer/30-minute-calls​

If you want to learn English, you can read the How to (finally) learn English book:

​https://lighthousetraininggroup.com/books/​

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Find out more about us at https://lighthousetraininggroup.com/​

Ben

PS: Keep progressing!