Courage
to Speak

I speak five languages to a high level, and I'll happily hop on Skype to chat with native speakers of any language I'm learning.

But it hasn't always been that way.

Until quite recently, I felt really insecure speaking in another language. I'd sometimes arrange a conversation in my target language, but I'd get so nervous that I'd feel close to panic. Because of my nerves, I couldn't understand the other person. I'd feel bad about wasting their time, and sometimes I'd just end the call. Nothing came naturally, and when speaking to someone face-to-face, I just felt embarrassed.

So, I avoided speaking and focused on learning new vocabulary, reading and listening.

I now know that this drastically slowed down my learning, and I've worked out that I’ve wasted hundreds of hours of study time because of my low confidence. My progress was much, much slower than it could have been, if only I'd had the courage to speak.

And it wasn't just language learning. How many of us have felt a flood of anxiety before a work Skype call, a job interview, or even just meeting a group of friends?

My low confidence even impacted my music career – I felt terrified and downright uncomfortable being on stage and performing.

The worst part is, many of us let these experiences become the story of who we are. I know this happened to me. I'd tell myself that I wasn't "naturally" confident, unlike others in the music industry.

You’ve probably been there too – kicking yourself at how your language learning (or your whole life) could be so different, if only you had a natural, easy confidence.

• Why your mind goes blank in the middle of conversations, and what to do when this happens. I’m going to show you how to maintain momentum even when you feel like you’ve “messed up”
• Why learning a language can sometimes feel too much to handle – and a simple technique you can use to beat this overwhelm;
• How language learners actually block themselves from learning a language with invisible roadblocks. I’ll show you how to find the roadblocks you’ve created, and how to navigate your way around these roadblocks;
• How to make sure you find people who have got your back and keep you motivated to learn a language. In fact, a lot of confidence comes from knowing that other people believe in you;
• Why learning a language - and especially speaking a language can feel so scary, and how to make this into a fear you feel able to deal with;
• How to be absolutely sure you know enough to start speaking a new language. There’s actually a good chance you already know enough… you just need to take this simple test to find out;
• What to do when it feels like you’re wading through sludge with language learning, and there’s no way through. This happens to almost everyone, so it’s important that you know what to do when it happens to you;
• How to get solid confidence in your pronunciation and accent, so you can be sure you’re saying things the right way;
• What’s at the root of your fears around language learning, and how to respond when this fear is triggered so you can come back stronger than ever.

Action worksheets for every module, so you’ll be putting those mindset shifts you learn into practice – building your confidence means taking small steps that gradually expand your comfort zone.

Curated further reading, so you can explore the ideas that resonate with you most in more depth.

Courage to Speak is IS for you if...

• You want to build your confidence while learning a new language
• You’ve tried the “speak from day one” approach - and found nerves got in the way
• You’re willing to take small steps outside your comfort zone to start speaking your target language
• You feel anxious about meeting new people - and you want to change that
• You’d like to discover specific techniques you can use to build your confidence while learning a language

It would be easy to wait until later. You've got this far without speaking another language, right?

Every day that slips by without you speaking your target language, you're losing out. Speaking other languages has allowed me to connect with people around the world, make new friends, and have incredible, life-changing experiences. Plus learning to speak has helped me build a natural confidence that spills out into all areas of my life. You can have the same.

We all have a "What if...?" regret in the past. You have the choice about whether you’ll have more of these regrets in the future.

Confidence is one of the most powerful skills you can imagine. How would it feel to know you can handle meeting someone new – and enjoy every moment – no matter where in the world they are from?

That's why I believe now is the right time for you to jump into a new future – with a new confidence. And when you close your eyes and imagine the most confident person you know… you can see that it's the right time, too.

There's one more reason now is the best time to join this course. For this enrollment, I'm offering personal support to my students – so you can ask me anything, and I'll be cheering you all the way. I'm not sure if this is something I'll be offering in the future, so if you're interested in having this personal support, I recommend you sign up today.