Last week we finished our August monthly check-ins with new students, and quite a few asked me how to get over their fear of speaking English. Today I'll share exactly what changes you can expect in 1 month if you follow our method.

01Why do you freeze up when you try to speak English?

Our teaching team always says: "Being scared to speak isn't about having too small a vocabulary - it's about never practicing the skill of thinking directly in English."

Most of the students I work with freeze up for these 3 reasons:

  • You've memorized thousands of words, but never used them in real conversation, so your brain goes blank when you talk to a foreign teacher
  • You're scared of making mistakes and losing face, so you translate every sentence in your head first, and miss your chance to speak by the time you're done
  • All the English you learned before was for exams, so you never practiced real daily or workplace conversation scenarios

Let's be real, most so-called "speaking blocks" aren't ability problems - they're practice method problems. Our courses designed with the Callan Method intentionally skip the Chinese translation step, forcing you to respond directly in English. Many students who were too scared to speak at first can hold simple conversations after 3 classes. You can check out the details of our Callan English courses if you're curious.

02How to get over the fear of speaking English? Real changes you'll see in 1 month

For example, Xiao Su, who works in cross-border operations, could barely say hello to her teacher without checking her phone for words last month. When we checked in with her this month, she was able to talk to her Filipino tutor about product selection ideas for 10 minutes without any pre-written notes. Out of 30 students we tracked who were either total beginners or too scared to speak, 90% saw these changes in 1 month:

  • First 2 weeks: You can finish a full 25-minute English conversation with your teacher without looking up words beforehand, no more freezing up and saying "sorry I don't know"
  • Week 3: When you run into a word you don't know, you'll try to explain it in simple English instead of immediately switching to Chinese
  • Week 4: You can speak naturally about your hobbies or work topics without translating everything in your head first

I personally recommend workplace English improvement students stick to short, frequent classes. 25 minutes a day doesn't require you to carve out huge chunks of time, you can finish a class even on your work break, and it's way more efficient than forcing yourself to sit through 2 hours of classes on the weekend.

03How to get started if you want to speak English confidently

Right now we're opening 100 free trial class spots. You can take a 1-on-1 online tutor class to test your current English level, and see if the Callan Method works for you.

If you're still wondering how to get over the fear of speaking English, just try a 25-minute class first. It's free, and after one class you'll realize you're totally capable of speaking English well.

From Our Tutors