More grammar knowledge won’t fix the hesitation. Using the language will.

Most professionals I work with have studied English for years. They know the rules. But in meetings, there’s still that split second right before they speak… the throat-tightening moment when a voice says, not yet.

They’re waiting to feel ready.

Readiness doesn’t come first. Speaking does. Speaking creates it.

Think of it like music. You can study notes for months. You only learn what playing feels like when your fingers hit the keys.

Quick win: Next time you feel that pause, say one sentence anyway. Keep it short. Spoken and a bit messy beats silent and perfect.

💬 When did you last speak before you felt ready?

I made a typo* this week. In public. While commenting on a post about grammar mistakes.

The post was about someone who cancelled their newsletter over one tiny error. I replied. And somewhere in that sentence, I wrote “glassses.”

Three s’s. I missed it. (I’m waiting for new glasses, which feels like a fair excuse.)

Here’s what 25 years of coaching has taught me. People still got the point. Those extra letters changed nothing.

Mistakes don’t erase your message. They just prove there’s a person behind it.

Your English doesn’t need to be perfect to work. It needs to be used.

Quick win: After your next slip, ask one question. Did they understand you? Almost always, yes.

💬 What’s the mistake you still think about?

*A typo is a small mistake when typing.

There’s a phrase for the moment someone shifts your thinking. Most people don’t have it ready in English.

So they nod. They say “mm” or “yes, okay.” And the other person never knows they actually made a difference.

Saying “you changed my mind” takes confidence. Not the kind that comes from perfect grammar. The kind that comes from feeling secure enough to be honest.

The phrase is simple: “I never would have thought of that – but that’s a great point.”

You don’t need to use it every meeting. Just when you mean it.

Quick win: Next time someone genuinely shifts your thinking, say it out loud. One sentence. It builds more trust than ten prepared answers.

Welcome to this week’s Sparks Plus. Short reflections and examples to help you speak up, respond and disagree in English without putting extra pressure on yourself. Six short sections. Easy to read. Designed to reduce effort, not add more.

1️⃣ Quick Win

You’re in a meeting. Someone has just made a point. You have something to add.

But how do you get in?

This phrase opens the door without interrupting:

“I’d like to add something here.“

Clear, professional and it buys you a second to begin.

✔ I’d like to add something here.
✔ Can I come in here?
✔ I’d like to build on that.

Quick win: Before your next meeting, choose your entry phrase and have it ready. One less thing to think about in the moment.

2️⃣ Real-World English in Action

A client wrote: “I am agree with your proposal.“

In German, Ich bin einverstanden uses sein — to be. So “I am agree” follows the same logic.

In English, “agree” is already a verb. No “am” needed.

✔ I agree.
✔ I agree with your proposal.
✔ That works for me.

No extra verb. Completely natural.

3️⃣ Micro Clarity Tip: “Spend” or “donate”?

Spenden in German means to donate – to give money to a cause.

In English, spend means to use money on something for yourself or your organisation.

“We spent €500 to the Red Cross” – sounds wrong.

✔ We donated €500 to the Red Cross.
✔ We made a donation of €500.

Spend is for expenses. Donate is for giving. One false friend. Very different landing.

4️⃣ AI Prompt to Test

For those moments when a German phrase comes to mind – but you’re not sure how it travels in English.

Try this:

“Here is a German phrase: [your phrase]. What is the natural English equivalent? Please give me 2–3 options with a short note on when each one works best.“

Works for idioms, proverbs and expressions that don’t translate word for word. The AI won’t always be perfect – but it gives you options to choose from.

5️⃣ Reader Question

“There are so many English tenses. How do I know which ones to focus on?“

You don’t need all of them.

In professional English – meetings, emails, presentations – five tenses cover almost everything. The rest are detail and edge cases that rarely come up in a working day.

The ones that matter: simple present, present progressive, simple past, present perfect, and will for the future. Master those five. The rest can wait.

6️⃣ Spotlight

If tenses have ever felt like a mountain – this might help.

My English Tenses Cheat Sheet: The Only 5 You Really Need is a short, clear guide to exactly that: the five tenses that matter in professional English, with simple explanations and examples.

No grammar textbook. No overwhelm. Just the five that will serve you in almost every professional situation.

👉 English Tenses Cheat Sheet

— Christine

There is a large industry built around helping professionals improve their English. Courses. Apps. Certificates.

All measuring progress the same way.

Grammar correct: pass. Grammar incorrect: more practice needed.

Nobody is measuring whether you finished your last sentence. Whether you paused without apologising. Whether you stayed in the meeting when it went faster than you expected.

These things don’t fit on a certificate. They fit in the room – in the moment after, when you realise you didn’t disappear.

Quick win: After your next English conversation, don’t ask: “Did I make mistakes?” Ask: “Did I stay?” That’s the measurement that matters.

We have very precise instruments for measuring the wrong things.

💬 What do you measure after a conversation in English?

— Christine