I’m not American but I’ve been living in the US for 9 years and I still get extremely nervous when I have to lead calls. Sometimes my words get mixed and makes me so frustrated. Just got off a call and I think I did horrible 😔

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No one cares you stumble over words, they have 100 other things to stress them out. Also, Some people will never learn how to properly speak their own language so you are doing amazing.
Keep up the amazing work.

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I read the “you are doing amazing” in a Kris Jenner voice haha thank you 😊

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I think you’re perceiving it to be worse than it is. I’m on calls with people from different backgrounds and in different countries all day and there are sometimes minor communication issues but it works out

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As a typical American that only knows English, just know that I'm hella impressed even if you think you slipped up a bit.

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This! I’m so impressed by colleagues that can speak multiple languages. If someone stumbles their words, being kind and nice always goes a long way.

As an international employee, I also needed to hear the responses. Thank you all :)

I can speak 5 languages, but I feel stressed and nervous very similar to the author when I lead the meetings or present to C-suite😓

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If you ever want to feel good about your language skills, listen to the average American and their butchering of the English language

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My boss told me once (while correcting a spelling mistake) that he has seen worst mistakes from native speakers but he didn’t feel comfortable to correct them haha made me feel a bit better :)

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People don’t buy products - they buy you. As long as the content is relevant and you have good rapport, I don’t think the accent matters much.

Also non native here ☺️

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Same. I was very talkative and responds fast in my native language. But i am always struggling speaking English. Sometimes I like to pay attention to my own accent and it frustrates me :(

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Same! English is my 3rd language and I’m self taught. I’m doing oké in conversations but the moment I have to lead a call I’m getting so nervous and start to mix words as well - which makes it even worse.
I’ve never really heard anything negative about it but I just feel so stupid and dumb afterwards.

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I think as long as you know what you’re talking about, I wouldn’t sweat it. I usually like to rehearse my presentation before so that I am more comfortable.

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Been in the US for 22 years and I still struggle to talk with coworkers. I hate anything from small talk to presentations. You are not alone OP!

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It’s pretty common; we need to work on our confidence. I’m pretty expressive in my native language or one-to-one conversation but I barely participate in group calls.

What feedback have you gotten, given you think this has been a multi-year issue? As in, a real or just a perceived issue?

This happened to me in an interview and I was freaking out after LOL. One other time I pronounced “gauge” like I read it instead of “gage” on a call and man did I want to dig up a hole and bury myself in it. The embarrassment!! 😂 I know no one really cares but if they only understood the impact on us when this happens! We think about it days on end! Haha

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