Thousand Oaks is a beautiful place to live, but when it comes to growing your career, just having technical skills isn’t always enough. Many professionals—especially non-native English speakers—struggle to express their ideas clearly at work. From writing emails to speaking in meetings, the pressure to “sound professional” can be frustrating.
If you’re in this situation, going for a reputable place like AF International School of Languages Inc. can be a smart step. It’s one of the options available in the area for anyone serious about improving their business English. But even with classes, many learners still face challenges.
So what’s really holding people back from speaking confidently? And more importantly, how can you change that?
Let’s break it down into practical steps you can use right away.
What’s the Real Problem?
Before you can fix your business English, you need to figure out what’s not working.
- Are you forgetting words in conversations?
- Do you worry about making grammar mistakes?
- Do you stay quiet in meetings because you’re not sure what to say?
- Are your emails too long or not clear enough?
Once you know what’s causing trouble, you can improve those areas. It’s better than guessing and wasting time.
Speak Up—Don’t Wait Until You Feel “Ready”
A big challenge many people face is fear. They wait until they feel 100% ready to speak. The problem is, waiting can take forever!
Here’s what you can do instead:
- Practice simple sentences out loud every day.
- Record your voice and listen to how you sound.
- Find local speaking groups in Thousand Oaks to practice with others.
- Use your phone’s voice assistant to practice speaking.
Start small. Saying “Good morning” or introducing yourself is a good first step. Over time, this will help you feel more confident.
Learn from Real-Life English
Books are great, but real English is all around you. You need to hear and see how people speak at work.
Here’s what you can do:
- Watch short business videos or TED Talks.
- Listen to podcasts about work-related topics.
- Read work emails or messages to see how professionals write.
These simple things help you hear the natural flow of language that you’ll use in real-world situations. Some English language schools in Thousand Oaks even use these tools to help students learn faster.
Learn Useful Phrases
Business English has a lot of set phrases that people use all the time. You don’t need to create new ones every time you speak.
Here are a few helpful phrases:
- “Let me explain that again…”
- “I’m following up on this email.”
- “Please find the attached file.”
- “Could you reply by the end of the day?”
These phrases can help you sound clear and polite in emails, phone calls, and meetings.
Practice Every Day
Going to class is important, but you also need to practice outside of class.
Here’s how:
- Set your phone and computer to English.
- Write down your to-do list in English.
- Talk to yourself: “I’m answering this email now.”
If you’re studying at an English language school in Thousand Oaks, try using what you learn right after class. Even 10 minutes a day of practice can make a big difference.
Make Your Emails Clearer
Emails are short and simple, so they’re a great place to start. And you probably write a lot of them!
Here are a few tips:
- Keep your sentences short.
- Be polite but direct.
- Avoid using casual words like “hey” or “gonna.”
- Use email templates if you need to save time.
The more you write, the easier it gets.
Get Feedback That Helps You Grow
One of the quickest ways to improve is by getting feedback on your speaking and writing. Look for feedback that tells you exactly what to fix and how to do it.
Here’s what you should look for in feedback:
- Clear – It tells you what you did wrong.
- Helpful – It gives you steps on how to fix it.
- Encouraging – It motivates you to keep going.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need perfect English to do well in business. You just need to speak clearly and with confidence. You don’t have to sound like a native speaker, just focus on saying what you mean in a way others can understand.
Taking small daily steps and practicing in real-life situations will help you improve over time. Whether you’re attending a class or practicing alone, don’t worry about being perfect. Just keep learning and speaking, and business English will become much easier.
For more information visit : penwhatmatters.com
