Why not speaking English when you should is bad for you, your company, and the world!


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I have seen and heard it many times: a person is about to speak, probably with something intelligent and valuable but then... they stay silent. Or, people tell me: "I wanted to say something/I had an idea, but I didn't feel comfortable/confident saying it because of my English."

If this has been you in some version, please read on...

Not speaking English when the need or desire arises is bad for you, your company and the world, and for many reasons...
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The loss of ideas because of this second-language silence could mean your company and the world are being deprived of your genius. Imagine nobody spoke of their inner-thoughts because they feared making a language mistake! There would never be any new products or services and the world would not progress, and it is only because people are brave and share their ideas that we can move forward.

Another consequence of second-language silence is the loss of relationships. You will not connect with people or express your true self if you keep quiet and don't communicate in English. This could mean less chances of building personal or professional relationships, and may mean you miss out on opportunities that these relationships could bring.

So if you keep your ideas, thoughts, and feelings inside, everyone loses. You feel bad because you haven't taken the chance to express yourself or connect, your company is worse off because maybe your ideas and thoughts could lead to a new/better product or service or way of working, and the world is too.

So what can you do?

The first thing is to create an environment where psychological security is part of the culture and people feel safe to express themselves. IKEA have a wonderful initiative called The Banana Card. The Banana Card refers to the viral physical card which reads "Go bananas" (meaning get excited and do it!). You are pre-forgiven for failing says CEO Jesper Brodin and you have permission to make mistakes, because Brodin recognises that only through trying without fear of error can people actually be creative.

The second thing is to practise listening to and giving opinions. If you can recognise and understand people's opinions you can respond. And if you practise how to give your own then you will feel more comfortable doing so in front of a group.

And the third and most important is give yourself permission to make mistakes!

This is so important, not only for your English development but also for the world. We need people who are not afraid of giving their opinion or making a mistake, because that is the only way to innovate and move forward. And that is something we are all responsible for.

You just need to start...


TIPS

  1. Create a culture of psychological security in your workplace/within yourself where you and your employees feel confident enough to express themselves and potentially make a mistake.
  2. Practise listening to and giving opinions.
  3. Give yourself permission to make a mistake!

CONTENT

  1. This article explains in more depth the Banana Card Policy at IKEA.

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

€97.00

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Receive daily material and tips to improve your English communication skills.
The course begins on the Monday after you... Read more

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A CHALLENGE

Next time you have an opinion or idea, share it, and don't worry about making a mistake with your English...

You just need to start...


AN INSPIRING QUOTE

"Psychological safety is a belief that the context is safe for interpersonal risk-taking—that speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes will be welcomed and valued even when I'm wrong." Amy C. Edmondson- Industrial Psychologist.


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/​

Out on Amazon!

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

Ben

PS: Keep progressing!

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