If you’re like a lot of other international professionals, you’ve been speaking English a long time. You studied it years ago in your home country, then you moved to the US or another English speaking-country, got your degree and now you’ve been here for several years.
During that time, you’ve developed some habits that are hard to overcome. Maybe it’s a pronunciation issue or a grammar structure that you know you’re not using correctly, but oh well, most people seem to understand you most of the time.
What we’re talking about here is entrenched habits. Every time you repeat that mistake, it becomes more locked in as a permanent part of your English speaking style. Over time, it’s difficult if not impossible to fix.
But here’s something you can do right now that will help.
1.Write 10-15 sentences using the grammar or structure correctly. These sentences should be related to your real life, not abstract or silly. (Unless your real life is silly, of course!)
For example, if you’re working on present perfect, “I’ve worked on four different UX projects this quarter” for someone who’s a UX designer will help reinforce the grammar point because it’s linked to your real experience.
2.Record these sentences by speaking them into your smartphone or laptop.
3.Listen back to the sentences.
Repeat this exercise once a day. Over time, your original bad habit will be replaced with a new good habit. It’s the best way to upgrade your Business English, and it’s free!
