5 Phrases to Avoid for Confident Spoken English
Have you ever stopped to listen to your spoken English and evaluated the words and expressions you use on a daily basis?
Words are extremely powerful.
Depending on the words you use, others can perceive you as strong or weak, certain or uncertain, trustworthy or untrustworthy, confident or unconfident…
One thing is feeling confident speaking English to others. The other is sounding confident.
Together with how you feel about your English, it’s the way you say something, as well as the words you use that determine how confident other people view you.
In this post, I focus on the words, and more specifically, how certain words and expressions can affect how confident your spoken English appears.
I teach you five types of phrases to avoid or at least, reduce. Then give you 26 stronger, more confident sounding expressions to replace them with.
Let’s get started…
1. “This is just my opinion, but…”
Through habit, nervousness, or trying to sound polite, many people express opinions using prefaces (phrases at the beginning of a sentence) that are either negative or don’t have any use.
Another common phrase is, “I may be wrong, but…”
The problem is that these kinds of expressions make you sound less confident about your personal opinions, and they can also make you sound apologetic.
“Just” in this context means “only.” So indirectly, you are undervaluing your opinion and your listener could notice this, whether consciously or subconsciously.
So if you have a point of view which you believe in, why use an expression that makes you sound unsure or even insecure about it?
If you have the facts and research to back up your opinion, then express it confidently.
Alternative phrases for confident spoken English:
“We should take the decision to…,”
“I have no doubt that … “
“He is absolutely right.”
“I take a different view.”
When you need to speak with a less authoritative tone, use phrases like:
“My impression is that … “
“From my point of view, … “
“Speaking personally, …”
2. “I just wanted …”
People often use expressions like, “I just wanted to let you know that I am going to…” (expressing plans), “I just wanted to say that we should…” (making suggestions).
The disadvantage with “I just wanted…” is that it can sound like a defense mechanism for being rejected or hearing the word “no”.
By removing it you will sound stronger and more direct, which as a result, will make you sound more confident.
Alternative phrases for confident spoken English:
“I’m planning on …”
“I’m looking forward to… verb+ing”
“I suggest the following…”
3. “I don’t know.”
Although this phrase is very direct and straight to the point, it can make you look unprepared, especially if it’s your answer to a question during a presentation or job interview.
You are not expected to know everything but can use more assertive phrases which sound a lot more professional and confident, that do not mislead your listener.
Alternative phrases for confident spoken English:
“I’ll find out.”
“Let me clarify that for you in just a moment.”
“Here’s what I can tell you.”
“I’m not sure I’m the best person to answer that.”
“Why don’t we ask (name)?
“I’d like to ask the same question.”
4. “Um”, “Uh”
It is common for people to use filler words when they are organizing their thoughts. But these are distracting for the listener and can result in your audience becoming less engaged with your message.
If you are somebody who says “Um” or “Uh” frequently, I suggest that every time you get asked a question, take two seconds to think about what you would like to say. This pause has three advantages: you will begin your answer powerfully, appear to have more authority, and it will cut out a filler word.
If you prefer not to pause, replace filler words with stronger words.
Alternative phrases for confident spoken English:
Linking words: “However”, “Moreover”, “in spite of this.”
“You see,”
“Now,”
5. “Kind of”, “Sort of”
Using these weaker words and phrases will make you sound hesitant and unsure of yourself. Some others include: “I suppose” and “I guess.”
Instead, use more decisive words to demonstrate that you are completely certain.
Alternative phrases for confident spoken English:
“Definitely.”
“Absolutely.”
“Without a doubt.”
“Certainly.”
“Surely.”
How to Eliminate Weak Words
To start making the shift from using weak words to strong words, you need to increase self-awareness.
Here are three actions you can start taking to become more aware of the words you use:
Get feedback
Ask your English teacher, work colleagues, and friends to observe how you speak, and then give feedback on your choice of words and whether you are using fillers.
Record yourself and listen back
It is sometimes uncomfortable listening to our own voice. I’m certainly not at ease with it! But it’s a great way to increase self-awareness.
These days, with the technology on our phones, it is very easy to do. I suggest making this part of your English practice a routine or recording a part of your English class when in conversation.
Write down and practice your speech for meetings, presentations, and interviews.
Writing down what you intend to say is a great way to improve your objectiveness, as it allows you to visualize how you speak. In turn, this helps you identify weak words and replace them with stronger ones.
Conclusion
Although this lesson is aimed at people whose mother tongue isn’t English, it is also useful for native speakers because these phrases to avoid are often used by natives.
The words we use have a direct relation to how we feel about ourselves too…
As well as making you sound more authoritative and confident to others, using the alternative expressions which I suggest in this post will also make you feel more confident internally.
So if confidence is an area in which you need to improve regarding spoken English, one of the steps you need to take is to work on becoming more self-aware about the words you use.
