Author: Henry Loveless
**As usual, we’ve added an explanation of the highlighted words at the end of the article. **
Do you know what one of the nicest things about being an English teacher in Finland is? When I have a new student, and we have our initial chat, I get to tell them that their English is already good.
They are usually quite surprised.
“Really?” they say.
You can see the relief in their faces. I guess it’s like a doctor telling you, “It’s not serious. Have some physiotherapy and you’ll be fine.”
So why are people that have good English skills asking for English classes? Well, mostly it’s about one thing: confidence.
Confidence is key. At Finnbrit we get many students that don’t believe they can speak English. If I ask them to read or listen to something, they can. And usually, they can write pretty well too (not perfectly, but no one writes perfectly). So, the English skills are there, but the student is worried about using them in a conversation.
Finnbrit teacher Blake Schumacher thinks it comes from too much focus on reading, listening and writing skills at school. “Unfortunately, these are easier to evaluate, so often exams and teaching don’t include speaking.”
Fellow Finnbrit teacher, Pan Doxopoulos, agrees that the lack of confidence comes from a lack of practice. “If you only have five minutes of speaking per week at school, how can you learn to do it confidently?”
Whatever the reason, many people are uncomfortable speaking in a second language, which is totally reasonable. It’s a scary thing to do. When we speak, we feel totally exposed. The focus is on us like a spotlight, everybody looking at you. This is bad enough in your native language, never mind in English.
So, what’s the trick? How can we start to feel comfortable speaking English? Well, if there were a simple answer, everyone would be doing it. It’s not easy, but I can share some mental and physical techniques that help.
It’s all in the mind
The first thing is to focus on the positive. Tell yourself:
“Yes, this is scary, but it won’t be forever.”
“Yes, I will make mistakes, but I will learn from them and get better.”
A teacher is often the positive push we need, but make sure you give yourself one too.
To find courage, I like to think about colleagues or friends that I admire and imagine how they would handle certain situations. How would my friend Dan complain about something in a shop? The answer is fearlessly! He wouldn’t care that people are looking at him, and the queue behind him is getting longer, and the staff are confused about what he wants. He’d get his refund and happily walk out into the street, heartrate unchanged. Imagine someone you know that speaks English fearlessly and let them be your spirit animal (for a bit).
Also, be prepared to feel ridiculous. Blake remembers when he was learning Russian. “The teacher would make us dance down the corridor! Her point was that speaking a foreign language can make you feel stupid and vulnerable, and we needed to accept that.”
Try not to worry about what other people are thinking. It sounds easy, but humans are mostly obsessed with themselves. We are all worried about how we appear, and not how other people appear. You are embarrassed by your English, but no one else is.
And remember to be kind to yourself. Everyone needs to make their own journey, at their own pace. Don’t judge yourself by other people’s standards.
Start with the easy wins
A positive attitude is important, but there are also some practical tricks that can help you build confidence.
Setting goals is really important. A teacher will help you establish some clear, achievable objectives, which make learning English seem more ‘possible’. It turns the mountain into bumps in the road. Focus initially on smaller things and reward yourself when you complete them. It’s important to feel good about your achievements.
Pan Doxopoulos uses a similar technique with his classes, “Very often students have a specific need: being able to speak in a meeting, give a presentation, go to a conference, etc. I first try to build confidence in that area. It’s often a subject where the student already has a lot of the necessary vocabulary, so there’s a good return on investment. Good results in a short time.”
This approach has the advantage of also offering easy wins. “Preparing to speak is much easier if you know the topic and you can predict what people are going to say,” adds Pan. “I can help the student quickly feel confident about having a certain conversation, and when that goes well, they see that anything is possible.”
Finnbrit teacher Ian Marson estimates that 50-60% of his work is about building the confidence of his students. He does this with structured communication. “I start by speaking about topics students are familiar and comfortable with (family, hobbies, where you are from, work, etc) and then moving toward less-familiar topics. I choose subjects that are relevant or interesting. If you get students talking about something they feel passionately about, they stop worrying about language and focus on what they want to say.”
You can do it!
So, believe in yourself, forget the rest, start by talking about familiar and relevant topics and grow towards your goals from there.
One very important thing to improving speaking confidence, is to have a safe environment: somewhere you can warm up, improve, develop fluency and check pronunciation, a place where no one will judge you (and it doesn’t matter if they do). That’s why private classes are great. A safe space where the teacher will support you on this journey.
But maybe the most important, and bravest, thing you can do, is to take the first step. As they say, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.
So, go for it! If you feel nervous speaking English, organise a meeting with a teacher today. At Finnbrit, our team speak English and Finnish. We’re happy to hear your situation, what you find scary or difficult, and see if our teachers can help. The main thing is to take that first step.
Glossary
Evaluate -To determine the value, worth, or quality of something
Exposed – Unprotected or uncovered
Spotlight – A strong beam of light, often used in theatres
Courage – Bravery
Pace – Speed
Bumps – Raised areas
About the Author
Henry Loveless is a copywriter, teacher and examiner based in Helsinki, Finland. He has been part of the Finnbrit team since 2015. He has worked for many notable clients including Otava, The Finnish Defence Forces and Lindström. He is currently writing the second in a series of textbooks for English learners, Come Along. The first was published in 2025. He is an active runner, orienteer and the organiser of the Finnbrit Gardners’ Meet.