(3 min) Your English Mistakes Sound Worse to You Than to Anyone Else | with Lauren Martin

Have you ever stopped yourself halfway through a sentence in a meeting because you weren't sure the grammar was right?

In this short clip from a longer conversation, I'm joined by Lauren Martin, a language expert and copywriter who runs Simply Copy and helps language teachers, coaches and schools with their marketing, to talk about why so many capable professionals freeze when speaking English at work.

We talk about how grammar-heavy schooling leaves people so worried about getting every sentence perfect that they won't open up at all, and how quieting the inner critic and accepting that mistakes are fine is what actually helps you overcome English anxiety.

Lauren also makes a point I loved, that people want confidence for what it unlocks, getting on at work and connecting with people, and the fear of making mistakes in English is what's standing in the way. And those little slips you're so worried about? They're far louder in your head than in the mind of the person listening.

This is Speak English with Confidence, previously 'From Lost to the River', a weekly show about language, identity, and what it really takes to speak with confidence.

More conversations, coaching options, and my new book 'More Than Words: Essays on Language, Identity, and the Courage to Speak' at procoachenglish.com.

Find Lauren:

Instagram: @simplycopy_co

LinkedIn: Lauren Martin

Website: https://simplycopyco.com/

Connect with me on Substack: https://substack.com/@thecouragetospeak