Here’s a post for my Japanese readers who are keen to communicate with clarity and confidence in global business.
Do you struggle to find the proper words to express yourself in English? You may feel frustrated at work because you can’t show your true capability and expertise when speaking in a different language. Global colleagues don’t understand what you’re thinking or what you want to do. You may feel limited to communicating only with Japanese counterparts and even lose opportunities for interesting work.
もったいない。
But what If you CAN express your opinion in English? You can work with many people in a diverse environment and develop new friends and business partners. Your work and life can become more interesting and fulfilling. Being able to express yourself in English expands your environment and gives you so many more opportunities.
If you like the sound of that, read on.
Let’s look first at WHY it’s difficult to find the proper words and then at what you can do about it.
3 reasons why it’s difficult to express your opinion in English – which is yours?
なぜ自分の意見を英語で言えないのか。以下３つの理由から当てはまるものはありますか？
Take a moment to understand which of these three reasons applies to you. Then it’s easier to know what you can do about it.
1. You don’t even have an opinion in Japanese
日本語でも意見がない
You may think that it’s difficult to say your opinion in English, but can you say it in Japanese? You can’t be clear in your non-native language if you’re not even clear in your native language.
One of our Sasuga! Circle members commented:
“My friend said that his English was dramatically improved after he began to work as a consultant. He said logical thinking in Japanese helped.”
So the first step is to be sure that you have clear thinking and an opinion in your native language.
How to develop your opinions in Japanese
When you read or hear about a topic – whether it’s in conversation, online, in a book, or in a meeting – ask yourself what your opinion is.
Even better, carry a notebook or a device to record the topic and your opinion on it. Review your notes daily or weekly.
This will get you into the habit of developing your opinion.
2. You don’t have the English vocabulary
英語の語彙不足
Once you have something to say in Japanese, you may find that you don’t know the appropriate words in English.
Sadly, there’s no quick solution to this. You need to invest the time studying and using English to develop your vocabulary.
You may look at your colleagues – native speakers of English or Japanese team members who speak fluently. It’s easy to think that it’s easy for them. But consider how much time they’ve invested in reading, writing, listening, and speaking in English.
How to develop your English vocabulary
Start with easy and fun. Which is most fun for you – reading, writing, listening, or speaking? Set a goal around that. For example, choose one of these and do it once a week:
- Read a blog post
- Write your opinion in an online group
- Listen to a podcast
- Speak with a colleague
When I was first learning Japanese, I worked in junior high schools as an English assistant. On Mondays, I would go into the teachers’ room and tell one of my colleagues what I did at the weekend. My Japanese vocabulary wasn’t so good and sometimes my colleague introduced new words to me. Then I found another colleague and told the same story using the new words. I repeated the process again. This helped me to improve my Japanese vocabulary.
As Tony Robbins says, “Repetition is the mother of skill.”
I suggest an easy and fun approach so that you can keep learning. If it’s difficult, most people give up.
Once you have some momentum, set a bigger goal. It may take time, but you will definitely improve.
3. You’re setting your expectations too high
自分のスタンダードが高すぎる
You may already have opinions and have spent many hours studying and practicing English, but you still find it difficult to express yourself in English.
I hear this so often from my clients.
This is usually because you’re setting your expectations too high. You’re worried about making a mistake, so you don’t say anything. Or you speak, but your colleague doesn’t immediately understand you, so you think your English isn’t good enough.
How to set realistic expectations
Did you know that native English speakers who are talking with each other can have misunderstandings? Does that mean that their English is bad?
Misunderstandings sometimes come from unclear language, but more often it’s from different assumptions or from not listening properly.
So don’t be disheartened if people don’t immediately understand you. Test out different ways to express yourself. Ask for advice.
We learn from our mistakes. 失敗は成功の元.
Instead of expecting that you can speak “perfect” English, focus on getting your message across.
* * * * *
I want to thank Sawako, one of the founding members of the Sasuga! Circle, for asking a question on our first Q&A call, which gave me the idea for this blog post.
If you find it difficult to ask questions in meetings, just follow the 5 simple steps in this free PDF to get started. You’ll also find 25 powerful questions that you can use for better results and efficiency in your meetings. Click here to get 25 Questions for More Productive Meetings.
