It was a chance meeting in the building lift that shifted my goal post.
Met some cool young adults. For every question I asked, the reply would begin with, “Yeah, like…”
Really? All I could think at that moment wasn’t whether they lacked the vocabulary but whether they know how to make and own a sentence.
My years as an educator in an upmarket school opened my eyes to the deep chasm that existed between the knowledge received at the school and the real life application in the daily lives of the students.
That’s when I knew what I need to teach.
Thus, I began with teaching children and young adults English – not the school prescribed syllabus but the practical, usable one where they learn to speak confidently.
But the problem isn’t restricted to just these kids. I’ve worked with professionals with years of experience but when it comes to communicating in English, it all goes downhill.
Why?
I’ll tell you why. Because the focus is on theory, not practical usage. Volumes of grammar exercises, essays, focus on the full stops and commas, different formats of letters – this is what learning English gets confined to.
A big misconception that good communication is about grammar perfection.
As the global language of communication, all these gets overlooked if you’re unable to string two sentences together, being unable to convey your ideas or share thoughts.
And that will happen when you practice speaking.
Children pick up languages fast. So if they’re encouraged to speak the language regularly, they’ll get comfortable with it faster. Isn’t that how they learnt speaking the mother tongue in the first place?
One of my students expressed disappointment at the lack of opportunities as he manages the shop floor of a production unit.
Another complained that since most colleagues prefer to converse in either Hindi or the native language, it’s difficult to talk in English.
The college fresher blamed the school as it was not insisted on to speak in English, even during the English class!
Different ages, different environments but the same struggle. But if you think seriously, there’s no paucity of opportunities if you truly want to work on your language skills.
- Listen to Indian English news channels to build your listening abilities. They may be noisy, loud and aggressive, but they speak with an Indian accent which makes it easier to comprehend the gist of what they are saying. Even if a few words are incomprehensible, you can get the meaning through the context they are used in.
- Read aloud texts you’re reading, whether an email or a document or a report or even a news article. Anything will do but remember to read it aloud. This exercise will get you comfortable with intonations and pronunciations. Words will begin to roll off your tongue more effortlessly.
- Sounds silly but have conversations with yourself. Imaginary situations or interaction with someone or maybe even just a recap of the day. By having a conversation, you can work on your pauses, build up your vocabulary and practice reaction control.
- Stop translating from your mother tongue. Indian languages are rich and nuanced. Not every feeling or thought can be translated to convey the exact meaning. Instead focus on what do you want to convey. And do that with making simple, uncomplicated sentences.
I know it’s doable; I’ve seen the results. One of my clients, a senior manager in a private company, finally spoke up during a business meeting with foreign clients. He successfully summarised the presentation that his team had made.
That one small win stayed with me. My report card.
It’s all in the mind. If you truly want to improve, you’ll find the way.
But the bigger problem is not just intention. It’s overcoming your hesitation and self-doubt.
The ‘what if’ are the real killers.
What if I sound silly?
What if others laugh at me?
What if I don’t sound right?
It’s this apprehension which slows the progress, derails your efforts.
Give yourself the permission to try. The outcome will depend on your ability to overcome the obstacles in the mind.
Being able to communicate clearly in any language is a powerful skill that cannot, and should not, be ignored.
Let’s begin the year with this intention – to improve the communication skills, one language at a time.
