English has a way of making capable people feel foolish. Not because they’re wrong, but because some rules are weird.

Take “I am bored” and “I am boring.” One letter changes everything. You say the wrong one, the room shifts, and you blame your English.

Don’t. That sentence was a setup.

English is full of tiny, reasonable-looking patterns that catch almost everyone. I still hear this from professionals who’ve worked in English for years. If you miss it once, it doesn’t mean you didn’t study. It means the language didn’t post a sign.

Here’s the fix:

-ed = how you feel
-ing = what causes it
Bored is a feeling. Boring is the cause.

“I am bored. I’ve been listening to his presentation for hours. That presentation was boring.”

💬 Which one caught you first?

She has excellent English. Good grammar, clear pronunciation, the right words. In international meetings, she barely speaks.

In our first session, she was relaxed, fluent, completely herself. When I asked how she feels in meetings with colleagues from five or six countries, she paused for a long time.

So her task this week was simple: Observe the meeting. Write down anything she wanted to say – but didn’t. Just to see what’s already there.

Because the English is ready. The trust is the work.

If you recognise this, try it. One meeting, one notebook. Write down what you wanted to say.

You might surprise yourself.

(Not because she couldn’t. Because she didn’t feel ready.)

Every week, she joined international meetings.
Every week, she stayed quiet.
She was afraid she’d mess up her grammar.
Afraid she’d sound “unprofessional.”
Afraid she’d be judged.

When she finally booked a session with me, she said: “I just want to feel confident speaking English in front of people who already seem so good at it.”

In our first coaching session?
She paused. A lot.
She said “I didn’t had time” and “I know her since 4 years.”
She called an exhibitor an “exhibitionist.” 😳
We laughed.

But here’s the magic:

💡 Her ideas were clear.
💡 Her energy was contagious.
💡 Her message landed.

And by the end of the call, she said: “I can do this. I don’t have to be perfect – I just have to speak.”

That’s what happens in our English Communication Coaching sessions

No grammar lectures.
No red pens.
No shame.

Just real conversation.
Gentle feedback.
And a safe space to try, fail and try again – until confidence kicks in.

If you’re waiting until you’re “ready”… What if this is ready enough?

💬 Let’s talk. I offer a free, no-pressure 30-minute call to explore if this is right for you.

📅 Book yours here.

You bring the courage and I’ll bring the chilipepper. 🌶️

Many professionals think their English is the problem.

Often, the real problem is that they’re trying to explain a complex idea and translate it at the same time.

That is hard.

Read about your topic in English first.
Borrow the words that already exist.

Quick Win:
Before your next meeting, note down 3 useful phrases in English for your topic.

Most of the grammar rules you’re carrying around don’t affect whether people understand you.

A client once listed what she monitored while speaking: tenses, articles, prepositions, word order and subject–verb agreement. Five rules. Every sentence. All at once. “By the time I’ve checked them all,” she said, “I’ve lost what I wanted to say.”

Very few rules cause real confusion when broken. The rest just create hesitation.

Letting most of them go frees up the mental space to speak.

Quick win: Pick one grammar rule you worry about regularly and ignore it for a week. Notice whether anyone struggles to understand you.

In a Zoom meeting?

Hide self-view.

Why?

Because many people don’t only speak in English.
They also watch themselves speaking in English.

That extra layer adds pressure.

When you stop monitoring your own face all the time, it often gets easier to focus on the conversation.

Have you given it a try?