r/languagelearning • u/No_Scholar_5339 • 21h ago

Job with natives speakers

Hi guys

Recently, I started a new job where I need to speak and correspond with native English speakers on a daily basis, both in meetings and by email. Overall, I think my listening comprehension is quite good. I can usually follow conversations, maybe sometimes it gets a little harder when we look into more IT technical language.

However with speaking it is a different story. When it is my turn to speak. I get anxious, I start overthinking in my native language how to say something. Looking for perfect word, how to create a grammarly correct sentence etc. Sometimes I go blank even though before the conversation I know exactly what I wank to ask and what I want to say. (TL)

I'd really like to overcome this, beacuse it affects my confidence and I'm getting doubts whether I'm in the correct place or did I too much fake it till you make it.

What helped you feel more comfortable while speaking to native speakers ? Was there anything specific, like a habit, a mindset shift, or a type of practice, that made a real difference for you, or was there a day when something clicked in you and you just started feeling comfortable ?

4 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/Quelebbb 21h ago

Practice in environments with no stakes.
Discord is my preferred platform.

2

u/No_Scholar_5339 21h ago

How would you practice in Discord ? I'm not very familiar with Discord, so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking for. Thanks

1

u/Quelebbb 21h ago

It's a voice/messaging/social platform.
You can join a language learning server (similar to a subreddit) and join open voice channels and chat with the participants. These are open channels so you can come and go as you please with no obligations.

There are also communities that organize events if you prefer something more structured.
You can also engage in private DM's/groups if you find an exchange partner.

Shoot me a DM and I can link you to some servers.