The Speak Confident English Podcast

Think of someone you'd like to know better. Maybe a neighbor, or another parent at your child's school. You've talked a few times, but the conversation never goes past simple facts. In this lesson, you'll learn how to ask better questions in English so your conversations can go deeper.
You'll learn how to listen for one detail and use it to form your next question. You'll learn what makes a question better when you want to know someone. You'll also get phrases like "I remember you said..." to return to a topic the next time you talk, and simple ways to ask without putting pressure on anyone.
At the end, I'll guide you to form one follow-up question for a real person in your life, so you can use this lesson right away.
Get my free training, Say What You Want in English: https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/say-what-you-want-in-english/
Full written lesson: https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/deeper-conversations-in-english
One better question can lead to a deeper conversation. And over time, it can help a friendship grow.

Do you feel stressed in English conversations? Do you prepare everything you want to say before you speak, and still worry about mistakes? My guest this month did that for years. Today she enjoys her conversations in English. In this real English conversation, she shares the simple mindset shift that helped her: communication over perfection.
My guest is Chih-shian. I've known her for almost 4 years, since she joined my Confident Women Community in the summer of 2022. She's from Taiwan and works in academia, with a busy schedule of lectures, conferences, and travel. And she still makes time for English every week.
Along the way, we talk about childhood memories, a green onion cold remedy, her 8 days in Oxford, and why neither of us has read Harry Potter.
This conversation is unscripted, the way friends talk. You'll hear easy moments and small mistakes. Sometimes we pause and search for a word. That's normal. It happens in every real conversation. I want you to hear what English confidence really sounds like.
Chih-shian built her confidence by practicing English with other women every month, in a safe and friendly space. That space is the Confident Women Community. You can join us here: https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/community/
 
Want a free first step? Get my free training, Say What You Want in English: https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/say-what-you-want-in-english

How many times have you told the story of how you met someone you love? In this lesson, you'll learn 16 phrasal verbs for relationships in English, so you can tell that story naturally, from the first meeting to your life now.
You'll learn how to describe the moment you met, with run into, strike up, and set someone up. You'll hear the difference between fall for and grow on, including the grammar change that surprises people. And you'll get the phrasal verbs for the harder chapters too: get through, stand by, break up, get over, and move on.
At the end, I'll give you a simple storyline to practice with, so you can tell the story of your own relationship or friendship in English.
Get my free training, Say What You Want in English: https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/say-what-you-want-in-english/
Full written lesson: https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/phrasal-verbs-for-relationships
Your story deserves to be told in English too. This lesson gives you the words for it.

Two little words help you explain a complicated situation in English: for now. In this episode, you'll learn how to say what is true right now, without telling the whole story.
You'll hear the difference between "for now" and "for the time being," and when each one sounds natural. You'll learn how to use "for the moment" for a current feeling or decision. And you'll get the professional phrase "at this time," so you can name a limitation at work without giving extra details. At the end, there's a short practice prompt, so you can use one of these phrases about your own life today.
Get my free training, Say What You Want in English
Full written lesson: Use "For Now" to Explain Complicated Situations in English
These small phrases help you be clear and natural, even when the situation is complicated.

Cold isn't just cold. Sometimes it feels crisp and fresh, and sometimes it feels bitter and painful. In this lesson, you'll learn how to describe winter and summer in English with 24 specific words, so you can say what each season really looks like and feels like, at its best and at its worst.
You'll learn words like blanketed, frosty, and bracing for winter, and lush, balmy, and sweltering for summer. You'll hear why crisp does not feel the same as bitter, and why balmy does not feel the same as muggy. You'll also get two useful collocations: in the dead of winter and in the height of summer.
At the end, there's a quick practice: choose three words from the lesson and use them to describe the weather where you are right now.
Get my free training, Say What You Want in English: https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/say-what-you-want-in-english/
Full written lesson: https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/describe-winter-and-summer-in-english/
The next time someone asks, "How's the weather where you are?" you'll have more than hot and cold.
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Thank you for listening! I share new episodes every Wednesday. Make sure you click the follow button to get notified.
If you prefer video or want closed captions, you can watch all my episodes on YouTube → ⁠https://www.youtube.com/speakconfidentenglish⁠
 
MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU:
How to Get the Confidence to Say What You Want in English (Free Fluency Training) → https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/say-what-you-want-in-english/
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