Two of my guiding values have always been fairness and equality. After graduating in German Language Studies, I began teaching English and German in language schools in Brazil. When I started, I was surprised by the number of students who wouldn’t speak English outside of the classroom, despite their excellent performance in my lessons.
I realised that many people shied away from communicating verbally because they had limiting beliefs that needed to be addressed if they were ever going to become confident in speaking another language.
In order to help my students overcome their limiting beliefs, I began using coaching techniques and concepts. The result was that, over time, they began to believe in their potential more than the negative preconceptions they held about their capabilities. This led to more opportunities to communicate in English and in turn, proved how capable they were.
In this article, I will share the three paradigms about learning a second language. Furthermore, I will also give you some tips as to how to help foreign language speakers become more confident. These will be useful for you, my fellow coaches, as we live in a world without borders. After all, your next coaching client might come from South America, Asia, or Europe. So, buckle up and let’s get inspired to challenge people’s limiting beliefs about speaking a second language.
1. Awareness of Limiting Beliefs
When people learn a foreign language, they usually focus primarily on grammar, fluency and pronunciation. These aspects are important. However, when they become the sole goal of the conversation they get in the way of natural communication, often leading to the person barely being able to speak. None of us can have a spontaneous conversation if we’re correcting ourselves all the time.
Some people feel insecure about showing their imperfections and vulnerabilities. These insecurities may stem from many factors such as feelings of inadequacy or needing to please others. This can result in an exaggerated level of self-criticism which, in turn, often leads to a decision to limit the amount they speak. So, it is paramount that the speaker works on their limiting beliefs so that they allow themselves to have the free-flowing, natural conversations that are needed to improve their understanding of another language.
2. Awareness of Body Language
In order to help your client communicate without internal judgement, it is necessary to raise their awareness of the importance of body language. Experts state that over 90% of our communication does not come from our words, but from our body language. Therefore, tone of voice, facial expressions and posture count for a large part of any conversation.
So, a good tip is to tell the client that if they are participating in a meeting or a coaching session in a foreign language, they should firstly focus on their body language and their words will follow suit. If you are confident about who you are and what you do, your body will reflect this. Equally, if you are not confident about your grammar, your body will show this too.
3. Speaking Slowly Is the Key To Speaking Fluently
In order to become more aware of our speech, speaking slowly is a very efficient tool. When people speak slowly, they have time to think of what they are saying. Especially when speaking in a foreign language, not rushing gives the speaker precious time to harmonise what they want to say with how they feel. So, when coaching a foreign client who has difficulties speaking English, encourage them to speak slower and pay more attention to their body language. After just a few sessions, you will have a client who may not be speaking the most fluent English ever, but they will certainly be speaking more confidently and assertively.
Speaking a foreign language is certainly a challenge. As coaches we should be aware that our client’s difficulties around confidence when doing this are often a gateway to their limiting beliefs. We should therefore see this as a great opportunity to help them unlock their success in life. So, my top tip is for us to learn from our clients by helping them overcome any difficulties they may have around this. It’s a world of opportunity that opens up not just for our clients, but for us as well.
Rafael Pompeo is an English teacher and Life & Speech Coach based in Curitiba, Brazil. He qualified with The Coaching Academy and is a winner of our International Coach of the Year award. His coaching company helps non-native English speakers to express themselves with confidence at work. Rafael and his project have now helped hundreds of Brazilians increase their chances of developing an international career. Rafael is also the representative of The Coaching Academy in Brazil.
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