Improving English Through Daily Office Talk
Improving English Through Daily Office Talk
Speaking Wrongly at Work – Is It Really a Problem?
At my job, I’ve noticed something interesting. Most of us, as much as we’d love to improve our English, but sometimes we hesitate to speak because we fear pronouncing it “incorrectly.” They’re afraid people will laugh at them, that having mistakes will make them unprofessional.
But that’s a fact: it’s not wrong speech that’s the problem, it’s being quiet. If we don’t talk, then we’ll never get to practice. And without practice, there’ll be no fluency.
Even in informal office talk, talking in English is among the surest means of building confidence. Well, grammar may be incorrect. Every mistake influences us to learn something new. In due time, small corrections mean big improvement.
I myself felt that if teammates speak freely, there will be a friendly environment, and without judgements, there will be corrections among us. One and all develop gradually.
Finally, office English is not about “perfect.” It should be clear and forceful. Mistakes now will be fluent later.
Do you feel more uncomfortable when speaking English?, or are you interested in learn by mistakes? Let’s share your ideas.
It is a such a relevant and relatable post! You have touched on something that many of us can never talk about, or openly discuss, but it is a big problem. The anxiety that overtakes one in case of errors in speaking English at work is too intense and it is indeed true that being silent is far worse than speaking poorly. I like that you highlighted the fact that the office English does not have to be perfect – it should be clear and effective.
This is on point with your observation that we should have a supportive environment wherein the teammates can correct each other without any judgment. That is precisely the type of a working environment culture that contributes to everyone developing. I really like the line in which he writes about making a mistake now and speaking fluently later since it can be considered the entire experience of learning a language. We begin at some point and all discussions are training. Thanks, I appreciate your point of view, it makes me hope that anyone who is better at speaking Spanish than English will feel more confident about coming to the office. The weakness of accepting your fears and at the same time provide a solution demonstrates actual leadership thought.