How To Sound More Confident In Business English - Tips and Tricks

Today, I’m going to be sharing with you 3 things that you can immediately do to sound and appear more confident in English, EVEN, if you aren’t.speaking practice

You can apply these tips straight away and practice them with your colleagues and customers and I promise you they will make the world of difference in how you sound and how others perceive you as an English speaker. 

TIP #1: ATTITUDE

Have you or someone you know ever entered a situation where you have to speak in English, and before you’ve even begun your conversation, you say “Oh! I’m sorry in advance for my poor English”, or, “My English isn’t as good as yours, so I’m sorry if I make some mistakes.”

What’s wrong with saying these kinds of things?

Basically, you’re telling that other person what they can expect from you. Because as soon as you say “My English isn’t good” or “I make a lot of mistakes when speaking in English”, then that other person will start paying attention to those mistakes.

For example, if I said to you right now - do not think of your dad dressed as a pirate.

But as soon as I said that, you instantly thought of your dad dressed as a pirate! It’s exactly the same thing when we tell someone about our level of English.

Instead of apologizing and making excuses, simply smile, introduce yourself, and get on with it. The listener knows that English isn’t your first language, so they don't expect you to be perfect! 

TIP #2: VOCAL PRESENCE

Tip number two is to have a good vocal presence. What do I mean by good vocal presence? If someone has a “good vocal presence”, they speak in a deeper, fuller voice that people can understand. Speaking too softly and quietly isn't only going to make it more difficult for others to hear you, but it's also going to make you appear unconfident and shy. 

There are some great ways that you can practice this. Let’s say you have a big presentation to deliver and there are a lot of people watching. You need to make sure you have a good vocal presence and that your voice is well-heard by the audience.

Just before the presentation, do some vocal warm-ups and tongue twisters to get your voice going. There are lots of great vocal exercises and tongue twisters that you can find online and on YouTube where you can watch and practice, and by warming your voice up, you know that people are going to hear you and believe in that confidence you are showing. 

What is We Speak Business Program 

We Speak Business is an English course with live speaking lessons for English learners who want speaking practice with native speakers, professional teachers, and students from around the world. 

You have live speaking lessons where you can join and start speaking business English every day. There's a lesson every day and also, you can review all record lessons. There is a lot of conversation practice for each level of English (A2, B1-B2, C1). There is a calendar of scheduled lessons so you can see when lessons are and at what time you can join and start speaking.

In We Speak Business program, you have 24/7 support and also you have student chat where you can speak with other students from all around the world. Before you join our program and start speaking business English, we strongly recommend you sign up for our free seminar with Andrew Smith, where you can learn:

• What goals you need to have to get better results 
• How to master business English quickly
• What are the strategies that will help you advance to a higher level
• How you can speak business English more fluently and confidently
• Free resources to help you learn business English
• Exclusive resource to improve your speech

TIP #3: INTONATION

Intonation is how our voice rises and falls when we speak. We have rising intonation (goes up), and falling intonation (goes down). Each type of intonation is used in English for different sentences and ideas. When we know this and practice this, the listener notices and they’re really impressed - because you SOUND just like a native speaker when you talk.

So typically, when we are asking a yes or no question in English, we use rising intonation. Using a rising intonation for questions shows uncertainty - we aren’t sure what the answer will be.

When we are giving a statement, we often will use a rising-falling intonation. So our voice goes up at the end and then goes down at the very end. Doing this shows a sense of certainty.

Using the correct intonation adds a bit more emotion and authenticity to our speech and this makes us come across as more confident to the listener. 



LET'S WRAP UP...

Our 3 big ideas for sounding more confident when speaking English even if you aren’t, are:

1. Have the right attitude. Don’t apologize for having a low level of English and don’t pre-warn others about the mistakes you’re going to make. It makes you sound unconfident and weak.
   
   
2. Have good vocal presence. Speak fully and deeply, and avoid speaking too quietly or softly. Speaking loudly enough for people to hear you show confidence in both yourself and your speaking ability.
   
   
3. Use the correct intonation when speaking. Use rising intonation at the end of yes or no questions, and rising-falling intonation when making statements. Doing so will give your speech more credibility and emotion. 

If you apply those 3 little things I have just shared with you, then I promise you, I PROMISE YOU, your clients, colleagues, and boss will start to see you as a more confident English speaker.