How to stop being embarrassed to speak English?

How to stop being embarrassed to speak English?

How frustrating it can be when you learn a language, you learn it, you’ve already figured it out over time and you know the words, but when you need to say something - fear, panic and only “my name is...” in my head.

I remember how I myself kept silent for a long time during lessons at school and English classes at the university. I literally “ran away” from foreigners when they simply tried to ask me for directions. Although by that time I had already passed the Unified State Exam with a score of 90+ and entered Moscow State University on a budget.

Even then it seemed to me that I didn’t know enough, now I’d say something stupid, I’d be ashamed of my mistakes, they wouldn’t understand me.

At some point, I realized that I was losing excellent opportunities because of my barrier - I didn’t apply for internships, didn’t meet people - and the teachers considered me an outsider because of my isolation in language classes.

It was then that, with the thought “it’s better to do it and regret it” and with a trembling voice, I began a dialogue with an exchange student from California, and during the lesson for the first time I shared my opinion in language, without keeping silent on the sidelines.

On that day, everything I was so afraid of and worried about... it never happened.

This incident pushed me to try further and further. Was it less scary each time? No. Was I less embarrassed? Also no. I'm still afraid. But when you remember what happened once, that no one punished you, and you really can, then you accept your fear and go with it and try.

It’s normal to be afraid and shy, you can’t escape fear, but every positive experience motivates you not to stop.

Now many students come to me with psychological pressure and fear of speaking. For example, the mothers of Vera and Sasha shared the following:

💬“She was always very afraid of foreigners. Just until you lose your pulse. She couldn’t say anything at all. She was very shy, just terribly.”

💬“She is always shy to communicate in English somewhere”

I understand how scary it is to take the first step and start talking. Even from school, you get used to the fact that an incorrect answer is a “two”, a mistake is “lazy, didn’t study”, something you didn’t understand is “I’ll figure it out later at home, it’s a shame to look like an idiot in front of everyone.” It is important here that someone supports and helps you gain this most positive experience🗣

Therefore, classes in a mini-group or in pairs are more effective here (as in the case of Sasha and Vera). The girls were not left alone with their fear, but saw exactly the same person who was also shy. We practiced all the topics in a playful way on the platform and became more and more “immersed” in the language each time.

So, after four classes, the girls were already communicating only in English, and Sasha was even surprised:

💬“I don’t know when I became such an activist”

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