Feeling nervous when you're speaking English? Here's what to do.

Why hiding or ignoring your emotions is not a good idea.

“Fake it till you make it”?

Let’s try the opposite.

If you're nervous when you're speaking English,the best thing you can do it is say it.

"I'm really nervous right now."

Wait, what?

I know you probably think that if you're nervous about your speaking ability, you should do your best to hide that and just muscle through; in other words: "fake it till you make it".

Here's an alternative: don't fake it.

Here are three reasons why you should openly say when you’re feeling nervous:

1 Having nothing to hide frees up your mind.

Ignoring or hiding emotions is a lot of work for your brain. Like your computer, your brain gets slower and starts glitching (pauses, mistakes, distractedness, etc.) when you try to do too much at once. (Really, it’s called “Cognitive Load” and you can read about it here).

When you openly address an emotion, it's like closing an energy-consuming task. The moment that you openly say how you're feeling, your brain is no longer busy trying to hide it.

You can now use all of your cognitive power on focusing what you actually want to say!

2 Vulnerability is strength.

Maybe you are worried that saying how you feel is going to make you look weak.

Actually, it will have the opposite effect on many people: they will think it's brave that you're so open and honest; many will admire you for it!

Yes, possibly some people will have another reaction. They might think it's not professional or even embarrassing to be open at work in this way. But ask yourself: is that the culture you want to support?

Allowing yourself to be vulnerable is the ultimate strength.

3 Be relatable.

Many people feel insecure and think they have to hide it.

By being open about how you feel, you invite people to relate to you and help them feel better.

People will feel closer to you and like you more when you open yourself up.

This is especially important if you're in a leadership position. Be a good role model and show that you don't need to hide emotions to look strong at work:

It's okay to be human. Actually, it's preferred!

4 Some phrases that might help you:

"Just to let you know, I'm not used to speaking about this topic in English so if I seem a little nervous or I don't have all the words, you know why."

"I'm actually feeling a little nervous right now but I'll do my best because I want to share something that I think will really interest you!"

"I've never done this in English before so I'm just a little nervous."

"Sorry if I seem a bit nervous, it's just that doing this in English is new for me and I have to search for the words. So please jump in and help me if I seem lost!"

And then: say whatever you have to say.

You have so much to share with the world. It's okay if you're feeling nervous about your English skills. Don't beat yourself up over it and most

importantly, don't push these feelings aside.

Be open and honest as much as you can so that your brain can focus on its most important task: sharing your valuable thoughts with the world!

If you enjoyed this, sign up for my newsletter below if you want to get more radically honest tips and creative inspiration that helps you express yourself more freely and beautifully (in English).