When we are in a conversation in a foreign language, we may feel the need to express ourselves with maximum precision.
This often leads to frustration for learners who don’t have the level of mastery in the language that would make this possible.
What if you simply relax and use what you have, enjoying what you “own” of the language in a given moment?
And then, of course, doing the homework when you get home.
Let me explain.
Think of singers and dancers.
When they are on stage, they are on stage. They have already rehearsed.
The stage is not the place to worry about details of their technique.
They have made the technique “part of themselves” through rehearsals as much as they could. But the stage is showtime.
How is this similar to when we are speaking in English as a foreign language?
1-Minute Tip ⏳
When we are in a conversation, or when we are giving a business presentation etc, we want to convey a message, we want to exchange information and ideas.
That is our primary goal.
And that is what our audience wants.
Everybody’s time is precious. We want effective communication.
Consequently, a conversation is not the place to be feel stressed about the details of grammar, or wanting to find that perfect expression.
Just like when a singer is on stage, that is not the time or place to think about vocal technique. That is done in the rehearsals.
Singers work on technique, lyrics etc before the concert. That is done off-stage.
On stage the number one goal is to entertain the audience. To communicate.
The audience doesn’t care about the singer’s technique.
Similarly, our conversation partners don’t care how much we worry about our grammar and this and that. So why stress out?
They come to a meeting or a presentation because they want to take some knowledge home.
So our number one goal is to communicate that to them, and transmit the message effectively.
Even if our grammar is not as sophisticated as we would like it in that given moment. Or we can’t remember that perfect expression we wanted to use.
Doubts about grammar and vocabulary should be checked at home. That is the place to get ready for the next conversation, presentation or business meeting.
This content is authentic. It is not AI generated.
I write these weekly tips for you because I enjoy sharing techniques that I have seen work for my students through my 20+ years of teaching experience.
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👋 Hi, I’m Gábor
I specialize in helping Spanish speakers develop confident speaking clarity in English for professional and business success.
Do you need help? You can contact me on LinkedIn through a DM, or by email at gabor@createnglish.com.
I’ll be happy to discuss with you what you personally need to work on for your business goals in English.
Talk to you next time 🙂
Connect | Gábor Légrádi | MA, RSA/CTEFLA