{"id":51412,"date":"2018-05-08T01:05:55","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T01:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/127.0.0.1\/aee\/english-meetings-business-skills\/"},"modified":"2023-04-25T15:48:32","modified_gmt":"2023-04-25T15:48:32","slug":"english-meetings-business-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.allearsenglish.com\/english-meetings-business-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"AEE 943: How to Get Out Of Your Head and Into the Meeting in English"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"business<\/p>\n

Do you panic and stay quiet in meetings with international English-speaking colleagues?<\/p>\n

Many students do this because they create an identity for themselves and they say, \u201cI am the one who doesn\u2019t speak at these meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n

How can you stop getting locked into that identity and start participating to succeed at work?<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll show you how to do it today.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We All Play Different Roles<\/strong><\/p>\n

You may be a different participant in certain settings.<\/a><\/p>\n

You may be a natural leader and therefore feel comfortable giving a speech or leading a project.<\/p>\n

Then when you have to just participate in something, you might be a bit quieter.<\/p>\n

This is just one example but it shows that we are all different versions of ourselves at different times especially when it comes to speaking English.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Building An Identity Can Be A Fun Challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is really the focus here because we all create identities for ourselves. <\/span><\/p>\n

We all have visions of who we are and how we act. <\/span><\/p>\n

This changes so much depending on the context- where, who, what we\u2019re doing. <\/span><\/p>\n

These visions may be our best friend or our worst enemy for English learners.<\/span><\/p>\n

When we build an identity and let it take over. We have no way of breaking through it.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Real Life Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a phone meeting you may be talking to colleagues who speak native English.<\/p>\n

You may be across the world from these colleagues, and so you create an identity for yourself as being the one who doesn\u2019t speak in the meetings.<\/p>\n

You may not speak up much because you\u2019re not confident in your English speaking abilities.<\/p>\n

Yet you feel challenged in this situation so you take on a different identity to protect yourself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Bring your English to the advanced level with new vocabulary and natural expressions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get the transcripts from today\u2019s episode.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Face the Challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t want to hide behind an identity that isn\u2019t really you.<\/span><\/p>\n

So though you may struggle with speaking English, you want to face this challenge head on.<\/span><\/p>\n

The more that you are able to face this with confidence, the better it will work for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at a scenario that shows this very situation that you have likely faced at times in your life and ability to speak English in a comfortable way.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

So let\u2019s imagine that you work in an international company- and you have to communicate every week with your colleagues from the US- maybe California. They are all native speakers and they converse freely. You happen to be the only non-native speaker.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

But even worse, we aren\u2019t talking about meetings in person here where we can read body language or write things down. No, that\u2019s not the case at all! We\u2019re talking about phone meetings- with the big speaker placed right in the middle of the table.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s Normal To Try To Protect Yourself Sometimes<\/strong><\/p>\n

The context itself is not inherently scary.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s scary because we immediately build identities for ourselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

We do this so quickly and often without even thinking about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

In that moment, we say to ourselves, \u201cI am the one who doesn\u2019t speak up in these meetings.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

So even if we know we have to provide value or we know that our boss is looking for our feedback it is much more important to protect ourselves in that moment. <\/span><\/p>\n

And once we\u2019ve created that identity it almost becomes an excuse to not speak up.<\/span><\/p>\n

This becomes part of our comfort zone<\/a> and we don\u2019t want to get out of it under any circumstance.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s very common to retreat and to create identities to protect ourselves.<\/p>\n

However, you don\u2019t have to think of it this way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pay Attention to Your Thoughts<\/b><\/p>\n

If you are the only non-native English speaker, it may be common to want to protect yourself.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s far easier to say very little and not worry about getting criticized or feeling silly.<\/p>\n

If you really think about it though, it\u2019s not just about vocabulary. It\u2019s actually much more about a mindset.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Here is a quote from the Buddha which may reflect exactly what we\u2019re saying today:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhat we think, we become\u201d- Buddha<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Though creating different versions of ourselves can protect us, then we never really get to be who we are.<\/p>\n

Just because it\u2019s easy to change who you are in that moment or in that situation doesn\u2019t mean you should do it!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fighting The Urge To Change Who You Are<\/strong><\/p>\n

We all have the desire to change who we are when we are uncomfortable. You have to find it within you not to give into that urge though.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just because you haven\u2019t mastered the English language doesn\u2019t mean you should hide from using it.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here Are Some Tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n