English Podcast For Daily English Speaking | Speak English More Confidently | Learn English Easy

Added: 2026-05-10

[00:00:00][music] >> Hi everyone. Welcome to the English Cast.

[00:00:11]>> [music] >> I'm Ryan, and we're really happy you're here with us today.

[00:00:15]Hi everyone. I'm Emma, and we're very happy to have you with us today.

[00:00:20]Whether you are listening on your way to work, taking a walk, or just relaxing at home, we are really glad you chose to spend this time with us.

[00:00:29]We know learning a language is a long journey, and we are here to help you improve step by step, just by listening to natural conversations.

[00:00:39]So Emma, how is your week been so far?

[00:00:42]My week has been really good, actually.

[00:00:45]I decided to try cooking a completely new recipe on Tuesday night. It was a famous French dish, and I spent hours watching videos to get it right. But when I finally made it, it tasted absolutely terrible.

[00:01:05]Oh no, what went wrong? Did you burn it?

[00:01:08]No, I did not burn it. I just put way too much salt in the sauce. I misunderstood the instructions completely. At first, I was so frustrated. I wanted everything to be perfect. But then, my husband and I just ordered a pizza, and we ended up having a great night anyway. It was a good reminder that things do not have to be perfect to be enjoyable.

[00:01:31]That is such a wonderful point, and honestly, that is the exact mindset we need for our topic today. Today, we are talking about one of the biggest challenges every single language learner faces. We are going to talk about how to speak English more confidently.

[00:01:47]This is such an important topic. So many of you write to us and say the same thing. You say that you can read English well, and you can understand movies or podcasts, but when it is time to open your mouth and actually speak to another person, you freeze.

[00:02:06]Your heart beats fast, your hands get sweaty, and your mind goes completely blank.

[00:02:13]Exactly. We have all felt that feeling.

[00:02:16]You know the words in your head, but when you try to say them out loud, they just hide.

[00:02:21]And then you feel embarrassed.

[00:02:23]You feel like you failed.

[00:02:25]Today, we want to help you break that fear.

[00:02:28]We want to give you real, practical steps to build your speaking confidence, so you can connect with people without stress.

[00:02:36]Let us start by looking at where this fear comes from.

[00:02:40]>> [clears throat] >> Why are we so terrified of speaking a new language?

[00:02:44]I really believe it goes back to our time in school. Think about how we learn languages in a classroom. The teacher gives you a test. If you choose the wrong word, you get a red mark. If you say something incorrectly, you lose points.

[00:02:59]That is completely true. School trains our brains to believe that making a mistake is a bad thing. We are taught that the only goal is to be 100% correct. So, when we step out into the real world, we carry that same heavy pressure on our shoulders. We think the person we are talking to is secretly a teacher waiting with a red pen to score our conversation.

[00:03:22]But the real world is nothing like a classroom. In the real world, nobody cares if you choose the wrong word.

[00:03:30]Nobody is giving you a grade. The only goal in the real world is connection.

[00:03:37]If you go to a coffee shop and ask for a drink, and the barista gives you that drink, you won.

[00:03:44]It does not matter if your sentence was perfectly formed. You communicated successfully.

[00:03:51]I think we forget that communication is just a bridge between two people.

[00:03:55]When you travel to a new country and a tourist comes up to you and asks for directions in broken English, you do not judge them.

[00:04:03]You do not think they are silly.

[00:04:05]You just want to help them find their hotel.

[00:04:08]You appreciate that they are trying.

[00:04:10]Exactly. People are generally very kind and very patient. I want to share a story from a few years ago. I was traveling in Italy and I really wanted to buy some fresh fruit from a small local market. I did not speak much Italian at all. I stood across the street for 10 minutes repeating my sentence in my head over and over again.

[00:04:36]I wanted to sound completely natural.

[00:04:39]Oh, I know this feeling so well. You build the perfect sentence in your brain like a movie script. What happened next?

[00:04:48]Well, I finally walked up to the older woman selling the fruit. I opened my mouth to say my perfect sentence and everything just disappeared.

[00:04:58]My mind went completely blank.

[00:05:01]I just stood there looking at a box of apples feeling my face get very hot.

[00:05:07]I felt so foolish.

[00:05:10]How did the woman react to you standing there?

[00:05:14]She was so sweet. She just smiled, picked up an apple, pointed to it and said the Italian word.

[00:05:23]I nodded and said yes.

[00:05:25]Then she held up two fingers asking if I wanted two.

[00:05:30]I nodded again.

[00:05:31]We completed the whole transaction with smiles, nods and maybe two words.

[00:05:38]And as I walked away, I realized something powerful.

[00:05:42]My fear was entirely in my own head.

[00:05:47]She did not care that I was not perfect.

[00:05:50]She just wanted to sell me apples, and I wanted to buy them.

[00:05:55]That is a brilliant realization. The pressure we feel is almost always pressure we put on ourselves.

[00:06:02]This brings us to a very helpful concept called the spotlight effect.

[00:06:07]It is a psychological term.

[00:06:09]It means that we always feel like there is a bright spotlight shining right on us.

[00:06:15]We think everyone is watching us closely, noticing every small mistake we make.

[00:06:20]But the truth is, everyone else has their own spotlight shining on themselves. They are worrying about their own day, their own problems, or what they are going to eat for dinner.

[00:06:33]When you speak English to someone, they are just listening to your message. They are not scanning your words for tiny errors.

[00:06:41]Once you accept that people are not judging you, a huge weight falls off your shoulders.

[00:06:48]So, how do we actually change this feeling? We understand the theory, but how do we build real confidence in our daily lives?

[00:06:56]The first and most important step is to change your relationship with mistakes.

[00:07:01]You have to start seeing mistakes as friendly helpers, not enemies.

[00:07:06]Every single time you make a mistake, you are learning how not to do it next time.

[00:07:12]Yes, you cannot learn to ride a bicycle without falling off a few times. You cannot learn to speak English without saying the wrong words sometimes.

[00:07:23]You have to give yourself permission to be a beginner. Give yourself permission to sound a little silly sometimes.

[00:07:32]I have a great example of sounding silly. A long time ago, I was trying to learn Spanish. I was at a dinner with some new friends from Mexico.

[00:07:41]I wanted to tell them that I was embarrassed about something.

[00:07:44]In my head, I translated the word directly and said I was embarazada.

[00:07:51]Oh, [laughter] no.

[00:07:52]I know exactly what that word means in Spanish.

[00:07:56]Yes, for those listening who do not know, I told a table full of people that I was pregnant. The whole table went completely silent, and then everyone started laughing loudly.

[00:08:06]At first, I wanted to hide under the table, but then I just started laughing with them. It became a wonderful, funny memory, and I can promise you I never forgot the correct word ever again.

[00:08:18]That is the perfect reaction. You laughed at yourself. When you take yourself too seriously, every mistake feels like a disaster. But, when you can smile and laugh at your own errors, the fear disappears. You become human.

[00:08:33]People actually connect with you more deeply when you show that you are not perfect.

[00:08:39]Let us talk about some daily habits.

[00:08:41]What can our listeners do every day, starting right now, to build their speaking muscles and feel more confident?

[00:08:48]My favorite practical tip is to talk to yourself. I call it the shower talk.

[00:08:53]Your vocal cords are physical muscles.

[00:08:56]If you do not use them to speak English, they will feel stiff and strange when you finally try.

[00:09:02]So, you need to practice speaking English out loud when nobody else is in the room. This removes all the pressure.

[00:09:10]How exactly should they do this? Should they read a book out loud?

[00:09:15]Reading out loud is great for pronunciation. But, for speaking confidence, you need to create your own thoughts. Just narrate your life.

[00:09:26]When you are making breakfast, talk to yourself in English. Say, I am opening the fridge. I am taking out the eggs.

[00:09:34]Now, I'm going to make coffee because I feel very tired today.

[00:09:39]It sounds crazy, but it works completely.

[00:09:43]I love that. You are training your brain to pull English words out of your memory quickly.

[00:09:49]When you do this every day, speaking English starts to feel like a normal daily habit, not a scary performance.

[00:09:57]Another great place to do this is in the car.

[00:10:00]If you are driving alone, describe the things you see on the road. Just keep your mouth moving and the words flowing.

[00:10:08]Another powerful habit is to prepare what I call safety phrases.

[00:10:13]Sometimes our confidence drops because we suddenly do not understand what the other person is saying. They speak too fast or they use a word we do not know.

[00:10:24]This is usually the moment when panic starts.

[00:10:27]Yes, the panic moment. Your brain screams, "I do not understand." and you want to run away. What is the best way to handle that?

[00:10:36]You need to have honest, polite phrases completely memorized and ready to use.

[00:10:43]Do not try to pretend you understand.

[00:10:46]Just smile gently and say, "I am so sorry. Could you say that one more time?" or "I am still learning English.

[00:10:55]Could you speak a little slower for me?"

[00:10:58]Those phrases are magic. When you say, "I am still learning English." you are taking off a heavy mask.

[00:11:05]You are setting expectations.

[00:11:07]Almost every single person will soften their voice, smile, and help you.

[00:11:13]Honesty creates an instant connection.

[00:11:16]There is no shame in being a learner.

[00:11:18]It is something to be proud of.

[00:11:20]It really is. It means you are brave enough to try something difficult.

[00:11:26]Another safety phrase you can use when you forget a specific word is to just describe the thing instead. Let us say you are at a hotel and you forgot the word for towel. Do not panic. Just say, "I need the soft thing we use to dry our hands after washing."

[00:11:45]Exactly. The person will instantly say, "Oh, you mean a towel?" And you will say, "Yes, thank you." You solved the problem without the exact word. That is a huge victory for your confidence.

[00:11:58]Confidence does not mean knowing every word. Confidence means trusting that you can figure out the situation even when you lack the perfect vocabulary.

[00:12:09]I want to move on to the physical side of confidence. The way you hold your body completely changes the way your brain feels. When we are nervous about speaking English, our bodies naturally shrink. We drop our shoulders, we look down at the floor, and we take very short, shallow breaths.

[00:12:31]That is the body preparing for danger.

[00:12:34]But when your body is tight, your vocal cords are tight, and your brain stops thinking clearly. So, before you start speaking English, you need to force your body to relax.

[00:12:46]It sounds too simple, but it is incredibly effective.

[00:12:51]Stand up straight. Pull your shoulders back. Look the person in the eye.

[00:12:57]And breathe.

[00:12:59]Take a deep, slow breath into your stomach before you open your mouth. A deep breath sends a signal to your brain that you are safe. When your body feels safe, the English words will flow out of your mind much more easily.

[00:13:16]It is amazing how connected our breathing is to our memory.

[00:13:21]And do not forget to smile.

[00:13:23]A genuine smile is the best communication tool in the world.

[00:13:27]Even if your grammar is completely wrong, a warm smile makes the other person feel comfortable with you.

[00:13:33]It shows them that you are friendly and open.

[00:13:36]When you smile, the other person usually smiles back, and suddenly the whole conversation feels easy and relaxed.

[00:13:44]Let us also talk about where to practice with other people.

[00:13:50]If speaking to native speakers feels too scary right now, that is perfectly fine.

[00:13:56]You do not have to jump into the deep ocean immediately. Start in the shallow water.

[00:14:02]Practice speaking with other English learners.

[00:14:06]That is a wonderful strategy. When you speak with other learners, you know that they are facing the exact same struggles as you. They are not judging you because they are also trying to remember words.

[00:14:19]You can find language exchange partners online or join a local conversation club. It is a very safe, warm environment to test your skills.

[00:14:30]The key to all of this is consistency.

[00:14:33]Confidence is not a magic pill you can swallow. It is a wall that you build, one small brick at a time.

[00:14:42]Every time you open your mouth to say hello to someone in English, you place a brick.

[00:14:48]Every time you ask a question in a store, you place a brick. Even every time you make a mistake and smile, you place a strong brick.

[00:14:59]Over time, those small moments add up.

[00:15:02]Six months from now, you will look back and realize that the situations that used to terrify you are now completely normal.

[00:15:09]You will realize that you are just chatting, living your life, and using English as a simple tool to do it. So, to summarize our main points today.

[00:15:18]First, let go of the school mindset.

[00:15:22]Perfection is not the goal. Connection is the goal.

[00:15:26]Second, remember the spotlight effect.

[00:15:29]Nobody is judging your English as harshly as you are judging yourself.

[00:15:34]People are just happy to communicate with you.

[00:15:37]Third, talk to yourself every day. Build those physical speaking muscles by narrating your life when you are alone.

[00:15:45]Fourth, use safety phrases to protect yourself when you get confused. Be honest about being a learner.

[00:15:53]And finally, manage your body. Breathe deeply, stand tall, and smile warmly.

[00:16:00]We really believe in you. Every single person who speaks a second language fluently had to walk through this exact same forest of fear. They made thousands of mistakes. They felt foolish, but they kept opening their mouths, and slowly the fear vanished. You can and will do the same thing.

[00:16:24]Just take it one conversation at a time.

[00:16:27]The next time you have the chance to speak English, do not run away.

[00:16:32]Take a deep breath, smile, and just say the first word.

[00:16:37]You will survive, and you will be a little stronger for the next time.

[00:16:42]All right, that brings us to the end of today's episode. We hope this conversation helped make English feel clearer and more natural for you in everyday situations.

[00:16:52]Remember, progress comes from small daily practice. Be patient with yourself. [music] If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to like the video and subscribe to the English Cast so you don't miss the next [music] one.

[00:17:05]And as always, keep learning, keep speaking, and keep connecting. Thanks [music] for spending your time with us.

[00:17:12]We'll see you in the next episode.