English For Change

I've got a question for you.

Are you showing up with the same energy and the same self confidence in English as you do in your first language?

Are you thinking in a destructive way about your upcoming meeting, presentation or networking event in English and is that negatively impacting your performance?

One of my clients recently told me that she still didn't feel confident showing up in English. This is a legal professional who has exceptional communication skills, her writing is native level and she is well able to summarise and discuss complex topics. However, she still felt nervous to speak up in meetings in English and she didn't think she was making a 'good enough' impression to clients and colleagues in English.

From listening to her speak about her challenges, I realised something: she did not believe in herself and her ability to speak in English as she didn't think she was 'good enough'. She also didn't imagine that she could communicate successfully and so her negative outlook was impacting her confidence and performance.

This inspired my live video this week where I covered 3 practical ways to show up with confidence in English as a lawyer - giving you a framework from evidence based psychology and neuroscience from books and podcasts I've recently learned from.

Check it out here: https://www.linkedin.com/events/3practicalwaystoshowupwithconfi7152593182751420416

PS Here's a photo of me after finishing my live video this week. I loved talking about this topic (so much that I spoke 8 minutes longer than I had planned) and I truly believe that changing your mentality and beliefs about how you show up in English is the missing ingredient for a lot of advanced English speakers.

PPS if you want to hear more about the psychology and neuroscience resources I referred to in this live, I will share details about it in my newsletter. Sign up here to get all my updates and behind the scenes content: https://shorturl.at/bhEF2

Getting ready for tomorrow's live video with some notes from this fantastic book and a podcast interview on neuroscience and the psychology of success.

So many clients tell me the same thing:

'What stops me from standing out in professional situations in English is my lack of confidence and hesitation when speaking.

Even though I'm great at what I do, not being able to speak up in English is preventing me from taking that next step in my career.'

So in this week's live video, I'll be going beyond vocabulary and grammar and sharing 3 practical ways to show up with confidence in English as a lawyer in any professional situation such as networking, meetings or interviews.

To watch, go here: https://www.linkedin.com/events/3practicalwaystoshowupwithconfi7152593182751420416

Here is a simple technique to help you manage conflict better in English.

As a lawyer, your work can involve:
🟢cross examination in court
🟢building relationships
🟢diffusing conflict

By using FUNNEL QUESTIONS, you can resolve conflict and build relationships without being forceful.

Here is the 3 step process:

1. Ask an open question to establish the situation (5 ws & h questions - what, where, when, who, why & how)

❓When did you get the call from the client?
❓How do you find working on this team?

2. Ask action focused questions to get more information

❓What exactly did the client say?
❓What projects are you currently working on?

3. Ask closed questions to get an explanation

❓Is it possible that the client is not satisfied with the work?
❓Do you think you could take on more work?

I cover this questioning technique (+ 3 others) in my latest live video 'How to ask good questions in English as a legal professional'.

Check it out here: https://www.linkedin.com/events/howtoaskgoodquestionsinenglisha7150066059008495618/theater/

Happy 2024 everyone!

We are 1 week into January and I'm feeling excited for the things I have planned in my business and life this year ✨ (hopefully I will share more of that in future posts).

I heard this quote recently and relate to it so much:

🟢'We tend to overestimate what we can do in a day and underestimate what we can do in a year'.

Through my work, I have the pleasure to know a lot of you legal professionals based across Europe. I know that you are all super busy but also extremely motivated to get more out of your life and career, whether it is getting a promotion, having a better work life balance, gaining more visibility and recognition for what you do.

So remember, whatever you want from 2024, focus on taking small steps every day towards your goals. My most successful clients are the ones who take small consistent action and don't give up on their goals - imagine the progress we could make through 12 months of taking action!

And if you need support showing up with confidence in English this year, you know where to find me.

Ruth

PS I am starting back my live video series on LinkedIn and YouTube Confident English for Legal Professionals - I'll be going live on Wednesday at 12.30 CET.

Full details here:
https://www.linkedin.com/events/howtoaskgoodquestionsinenglisha7150066059008495618/theater/

PPS A picture of me on a weekend trip in Paris before Christmas💃

The Christmas holidays have officially begun…

(and yes, that’s me in front of the beautiful traditional Christmas tree in my town in France)

I just finished my final class of 2023 on a high note!

The law student I was working with has progressed from an A2 to a B2 level in 5 months and I can’t wait to see what future opportunities she will have in her legal career.

If you were a client of mine this year, I want to say a big thank you and a congratulations for all the progress you have made in your English communication. I was extremely lucky to work with such talented, determined and intelligent individuals throughout the year.

I hope you will join me in taking some time out during the holidays to relax with your family and friends and enjoy the festivities.

I look forward to coming back next year relaxed and refreshed and ready to help you show up with confidence to your work in English.

Warm regards,

Ruth

Preparing for today's live video...

✅ Promote video
✅ Topic outline
✅ PowerPoint slides
✅ Get camera ready
✅ Tech setup

I will be talking about a struggle shared by many legal professionals who use English to communicate with international colleagues and clients - how to find the right words when speaking in an English meeting.

Will I see you there?

If you miss it, you can catch the recording afterwards at the following link on LinkedIn or YouTube:
https://www.linkedin.com/events/3tipstofindtherightwordswhenspe7136639942734028800

‘I am helping you speak English so you can speak to the police’.

This is what I told one of my group classes last week.

After a shocking event, my students were finding it hard to focus in class and I wanted to remind them why they were learning English.

The day before, violence had broken out in Dublin city centre, right where my students lived.

Young children were among several victims of a stabbing attack by a man in the city centre.

Later that evening, riots were started by people who 'wanted to kill all immigrants' as a reaction to the stabbing attack suspect who was believed to be an immigrant.

The students I teach - all women - are members of an ethnic minority who have immigrated to Ireland.

The classes I run on English language and literacy are part of a programme to help this group of women integrate into Irish life, find employment and speak up for themselves when faced with challenges.

Since last week, my students have been afraid to leave their house and their children have not gone to school as they fear being attacked. As migrants and a vulnerable minority, many of them have experienced racism and discrimination throughout their life. This recent violence makes them feel unsafe and they fear being attacked as immigrants.

Many of my students don't speak a lot of English yet and so they cannot fully understand the Irish news. As a result, they are extremely fearful and they feel they have no power over the situation.

So when I told my students 'I am helping you speak English so you can speak to the police', I really meant it! With better English, they can report injustices to the authorities, they can explain their feelings and opinions in their own words without relying on others to speak for them.

Helping my students use their voice in English so they can stand up for themselves and others - this is exactly why I do what I do as an English teacher!

So whether you are a legal professional that is defending a client in need, or a migrant who needs legal protection, I know that speaking English fluently will help your situation.

🟢 Stay connected by signing up to my newsletter for confident English communication (link in comments)

How can you improve your accent in English so you can show up with confidence in legal presentations and meetings?

There are many techniques you can use but ultimately, it comes down to practising these pronunciation features:

🟢vowel sounds
🟢word stress
🟢sentence stress
🟢connected speech

Working on pronunciation is something many English courses forget to cover, instead focusing on grammar and vocabulary.

But without good pronunciation, your message in English will not be understood. All that work you do on grammar and advanced vocabulary will be a waste of time without clear pronunciation

After helping many legal professionals with their English fluency, I know that pronunciation is a key part to showing up with confidence in English and achieving success in your career. That is why I shared a live video this week on improving your pronunciation with Michelle Obama. You can check out the recording at the link here: https://www.linkedin.com/events/improveyourenglishaccentwithmic7130846167449382913/theater/

Also, sign up to my free newsletter to be the first to hear about my future videos and to read my top tips, lessons and strategies for confident communication as a legal professional: https://shorturl.at/bhEF2

You might be wondering why I am dedicated to helping legal professionals succeed with English fluency and career goals.

If you didn't know, as well as being a Cambridge certified English communication coach, I have a Bachelor in Irish law and Masters in international human rights law.

I am passionate about equality and have worked in organisations in Ireland and Brussels dedicated to helping migrants and minority groups.

In the last 3 years, I have coached 50+ legal professionals with their English and seen some wonderful transformations.

I know the challenges of this career and I want to help more of you!

I also feel your frustration with speaking a foreign language.

I moved from my home country Ireland to Belgium 4 years ago feeling severely underconfident with my French even though I've been learning it on and off since I was a 12.

As an introvert & perfectionist, I've encountered so many awkward and stressful situations when I couldn't find my words or couldn't fully understand what people were saying.

It made me feel unintelligent and vulnerable.

As a legal professional, I know that you are ambitious and probably like me, a bit of a perfectionist!

I want you to shine in your legal career and show people the real intelligent, kind and confident you without feeling limited in your English.

That is why I run the English Fluency Academy for Legal Professionals, with the mission to help you unlock the international legal career of your dreams through my English speaking fluency framework. You can check out my free video training and details of my 2 individual programmes at the link here: https://ruthwhittle.com/services

What would Michelle Obama do?

I had lots of challenges to put out my live video last week.

When I went live, something went wrong with my video streaming app.

I spent my entire lunch break trying to sort out the tech issue so I didn't have time to eat and had to teach a class on an empty stomach!

The live video was all about shadowing or following a speech by Michelle Obama to improve your English pronunciation. She is an excellent speaker and shadowing her speech is a very useful exercise for improving your English sounds and intonation.

But she is also an amazing woman that I admire a lot!

So it got me thinking - what would Michelle do when faced with the challenges I faced?

🟢I know she would be kind to herself and ask for help when things were challenging
🟢I know she would find ways to work smarter and not harder - and she would definitely not work on an empty stomach!

If you're struggling in work, maybe you avoid putting yourself out there for opportunities in English, it could be useful to ask yourself: what would a woman you admire do in this situation?

⚡Would Angelina Jolie quit when faced with a challenge in work - or would she keep trying?
⚡Would Kate Middleton hide away and not use her English for fear of making mistakes - or would she make the decision to show up with confidence in English?
⚡Would Amal Clooney give up on her career dreams to work internationally - or would she embrace the challenge of improving her English fluency?

🟢And before I go, I will be releasing a new (improved) version of my video on shadowing Michelle Obama next Monday at 13h CET on Linkedin and Youtube. Watch here: https://lnkd.in/eqqQjDqc

I've recently been creating content for my course for legal professionals (and as the evenings get dark and cold, I sometimes work by candlelight as you can see in the photo 🕯️✨)

One of the modules focuses on Speaking clarity which involves improving your English pronunciation and understanding of accents.

In the assignment that you see in the photo, my clients need to choose a speech from either Michelle Obama (American accent) or Amal Clooney (British accent). They need to listen to the speech, observing the various pronunciation features they have learned in the module. They then make a voice recording, reading the speech aloud and imitating the speaker and their accent. I then give them feedback on their pronunciation and delivery.

I will be sharing some of my teachings in this week's live video on LinkedIn 'Improving your English accent with Michelle Obama'. I will analyse one of Michelle's speeches (isn't she such an amazing woman😊). This will be an interesting look at the different features of pronunciation and how you can use them to polish your accent in English and impress your colleagues.

To watch live (or the recording after), check it out here: https://lnkd.in/e3gUKQ2G

A little behind the scenes post today.

Working as a teacher and business owner, I need to stay organised and this photo shows how I prepare for my social media content including all the videos I share and my newsletter.

If I get an idea when I'm out and about, I write it in my notebook or in the notes app on my phone
When it comes to writing a social media post or video script, I usually write it in a Google doc or with the project management app Notion.

I love using my pretty notebooks and working away from my computer screen as much as possible. However, I've got to say that using digital methods to write posts, schedule meetings and take notes is extremely practical and helps me stay organised.

I'm currently preparing for my new Linkedin live video series which starts tomorrow and using Notion really helps me organise the series and keep on track of all the preparation.

How do you like to stay organised and write notes - digitally or in a notebook?

PS I am hosting the first video in my Confident English Lawyer Linkedin live video series tomorrow all about about how to go from upper-intermediate to advanced in English so you can unlock international legal opportunities. RSVP here to watch live or the recording: https://www.linkedin.com/events/howtogofromupper-intermediateto7119615834590699520/theater/

I think you can relate to this problem I’ve been struggling with lately.

Lack of time.

And the frustration that I wish I had MORE time to practice my French (so I can have a beautiful French accent and be a real Frenchie - as you see, I already have the Breton striped top!)

But when I get to the end of my day, after hours of helping my clients with their English, I am exhausted.

A lot of you share the same frustration.

𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆 (𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹) 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵!

The thing is, we often think we need the perfect time to start practicing English.

❌We think we need to dedicate several hours a week to practice English in a classroom.
❌We think we need to sit down with a textbook and study grammar.
❌We think we need to find native speakers to have conversations with.

I believed all these things when learning French and it slowed down my progress for years (true story!)

Everything changed when I started to find opportunities (and not more time or the perfect conditions) to fit French into my daily life.

I started indulging my hobby of deep dive researching - watching Youtube videos and listening to podcasts on a wide range of topics in French.

I couldn’t believe how naturally and easily I progressed going from an upper-intermediate to advanced level.

If you lack time but want to speak English fluently, here is what I would do:

✅Focus on the opportunities you have to practice English, not the time you lack.
✅Optimise your learning by aiming to get a balance between active skills (speaking and writing) and passive skills (listening and reading). Put simply, talk to yourself or write summaries about what you learn from reading or listening in English.
✅Don’t wait for anyone’s approval or permission to practice speaking. Remember you can speak to yourself in English (or make internet friends).

If you want to hear more about how to go from upper-intermediate to advanced in English as a lawyer, read the comments👇

Guess this film... (answer in the comments👇)

Some of my work this week involved watching back clips of this US film set in Harvard law school with an uplifting feminist message.

As part of my online English course to help legal professionals land their dream international job, I share my top techniques to understand fast speaking natives and I use clips from this film to look at some real examples.

I really enjoyed watching back the film and it was a very fun work activity this week!

I watched this as a teenager when it was first released in 2001 and it may have influenced my decision to study a Bachelor and Masters in law at university.

If you haven't already, I would highly recommend watching this film. It shows that you don't have to change who you are to be successful and that hard work and self-belief are the key to achieving your goals!

As we start the month of October, I am taking the time to write in my planner and list my priorities for my work life and personal life.

Since starting my business 3 years ago, I really enjoy embracing a new week, month or year with new intentions and goals. It helps me to focus on the essential tasks I need to do to reach my goals and live in line with my values.

But it is not enough to just write down my goals and intentions!

One important question my planner asks is: what 3 steps can I take to make this a reality?

This question is important as it gets me to reflect on the action I need to take to make my goals a reality.

One personal goal of mine is to do daily exercise, either a walk, a Pilates session or a swim. To do that, I need to block out some time in my calendar to commit to this every day, I need to prepare for my exercise in advance and have the suitable clothing ready, I need to choose some podcasts to listen to while doing my exercise to keep me motivated.

One professional goal of mine is to start a blog series on my website - confident English for legal professionals. To make that a reality, I need to block out some time 3 times a week to work on this without any distractions. I need to brainstorm blog topics and draft the blog posts. I need to create and execute a marketing plan to promote this series on my social media.

I’d love to hear from you: what are your personal and/or professional goals for October? And what steps will you take to make them a reality?

I was asked this question by someone recently:

Is there a magic pill you can take to make you fluent in English?

Sadly no, I said.

But on reflection, maybe there is…

One of the polyglots I follow and often recommend to my clients, Steve
Kaufmann said that one of the keys to successful fluency in a language is this:

The ability to notice

What does that mean exactly?

The ability to notice means being curious and observing the language that we
see around us, making links between what we already know and new
information that we see.

This helps new information ‘stick better’ in our brain so we can recall it later
more easily.

Noticing English vocabulary and its complex grammatical structures and
pronunciation, we are observing and seeking to better understand.

Result: you will use your time effectively and get to that magical C1/C2 level of
fluency more quickly and with less effort.

So what exactly should you be observing when you read, watch or listen to
English?

One important thing for advanced English users is expressions.

Do you know the difference between ‘speak’ up and ‘speak out’? They are quite
similar but have a slightly different meaning:

🗣️Speak up means to express your opinion / to speak louder
🗣️Speak out means to voice your opinion about something especially in relation to a legal matter or injustice

I covered these expressions in the topic of 8 useful English expressions for
legal professionals in my live video as part of my Confident English
Lawyer series. This video looked at phrasal verbs, a type of expression that we
find frequently in English and that is used regularly both formally in the legal
field and informally in everyday life.

As you start to observe English more and more, you will see phrasal verbs
everywhere! You really can’t escape them!

🟢So I would love to know in the comments:
What interesting language have you noticed lately when using English?

What a great end to the week!

I received this Linkedin recommendation from a client who has just finished working with me.

David was a great client to work with being self-motivated and curious. He responded well to feedback on his English and did a lot of self-study. As a result, he can now confidently speak and write in English in his work. I wish him well in his new job where he will use English to speak with his international colleagues!

And if working internationally is something you want but your English is stopping you, you can apply for one of my programmes in the English Fluency Academy for Legal Professionals. Full details are on my website: https://ruthwhittle.com/

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵.

You’ll see me in the photo enjoying an excellent glass of red wine in the south of France where I was on holidays recently. Here I am in the town of Collobrières famous for its chestnut production.

And after coming back from a fun and relaxing holiday, I am ready for a fresh start this autumn to work on a number of personal and professional goals and projects.

𝗠𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀:
I am keen to try new things and expand my social circle in the small Norman town I’ve been living in for 10 months. I will be doing weekly pilates classes and a watercolour painting workshop. I want to travel into Paris more regularly as I live just 1 hour away by train and I really enjoy wandering through the city and learning about the history of the different quarters of Paris.

𝗠𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀:
I have a few projects that are in the works - a new blog section on my website and a new live video series to help legal professionals communicate with confidence in their work which will start in October (more details on that later).

I am currently supporting some wonderful talented legal professionals in my Fluent English Lawyer Accelerator and I am excited to see the progress they make as they go through the material and work with me in the coaching sessions. I have 4 spots available at the current reduced price so I invite applications from any legal professionals who are serious about improving their English speaking fluency so they can take that next step in their international legal career.

That’s all all of my goals. What are yours for these last few months of 2023?

PS I will share more about my holiday and French life in my newsletter - if you are interested, subscribe at the link here, in my bio or on my website: https://subscribepage.io/DhC4ln

When I thought about posting today, I felt guilty because it has been several weeks since I shared any content on my social media!

But then I was reminded of a quote from a book I read a while ago: ‘Say no to many good things so you can say yes to a few great things’.

The truth is that I needed to take a break this summer, not just to relax from a hectic few months of coaching my clients but also to do some important work.

I’ve been working hard behind the scenes creating my course content for the Fluent English Lawyer Accelerator and welcoming my first clients into the programme.

Just last week, I recorded 19 videos for my Mini Grammar Course for legal professionals. It was a huge task that required many hours of work including some late nights. Now that it is finally finished, I’m very happy with the result and know that it will help my clients use English with more accuracy and confidence.

So about that quote I shared, it comes from the book Essentialism. It is all about prioritising what's most important and saying no to the unessential things so you can create your dream life.

For me this summer, I decided that I need to take a break from posting on social media so I had the time and energy to dedicate to creating content for my course.

I’d love to hear from you. What are you prioritising and saying yes to at the moment? And what are you saying no to right now?

PS On my desk today, I’ve got a photo of my dream house, an autumnal ‘Pecan bourbon’ scented candle and a cup from my trip to Scotland in June. These little personal touches remind me of my passions and goals and what I am working towards in my business - abundance and joy for myself and my clients.

Something I want to share with you today is this…
A tool called Language reactor.

I discovered it last week and I am really impressed and excited by the features!

A lot of my clients who are legal professionals tell me that they want to expand their vocabulary and improve their listening skills of informal English. This tool definitely helps with that!

The photo I’m sharing shows my view from my couch (complete with some tea in my new mug from Scotland) last night watching a French series called ‘Détox’. You can view Netflix or Youtube videos with 2 different subtitles and follow a transcript where you can check and save new vocabulary as you watch. With the new vocabulary you save, you can do quizzes and exercises to test your knowledge and see the vocabulary in different contexts.

Language reactor is a Google chrome extension and they describe themselves as being a ‘powerful toolbox for learning languages’ helping you ‘to discover, understand, and learn from native materials’

This is NOT a sponsored post. I just wanted to share it with you as an enjoyable and effective way of improving your language skills. If you try it, I would love to know how you get on.

Have a great week!

Ruth

We all need a little encouragement and motivation to keep us going especially when it comes to improving our English communication skills.

That is why I decided to share these 4 positive affirmations. You can use them to encourage you when you feel like giving up or when times are hard.

Which one do you like most? Let me know in the comments!

1. All of my problems have solutions
2. I have courage and confidence.
3. I have everything I need to succeed.
4. If I fall, I will get back up again

PS This summer, I am taking time off from posting new videos and educational posts so that I can plan my content for the autumn/winter period.

I would love to get your feedback on what format of content you prefer so I can create content that you enjoy consuming the most. Please consider voting in my poll on Linkedin at the following link: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ruth-whittle-a1880778_this-summer-i-am-taking-time-off-from-posting-activity-7090257113003753476-Crkw?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

With some new faces around here, I thought I’d reintroduce myself to all you lovely people!

I’m Ruth🙋‍♀️ I’m from Ireland 🍀and I am an English coach for legal professionals based in Normandie, France. Here are 7 facts about me:

1. I have lived and worked abroad in 4 countries: China, France, Belgium and the UK. My favourite place that I lived is probably Bordeaux - it was my first experience of living in France and I loved it!

2. I have worked in 2 careers: working in human rights organisations and working as a language teacher. I now have an online business where I am an English coach to legal professionals and migrants and I love the freedom and impact I have helping my clients.

3. I have been a pescetarian since the age of 5 so I eat fish and dairy products but not meat. I thought I would starve to death when I lived in Inner Mongolia!

4. I met my fiancé when solo travelling in Biarritz in the southwest of France. We have been together for over 11 years!

5. My favourite type of book is historical fiction and I love a good historical TV series, podcast or documentary. I used to love true crime but I gave it up as it felt wrong to be entertained by this kind of content.

6. I am completely deaf in my right ear. Weird for a language coach but usually one ear is all I need! I can’t hear people well on my right side and so often sit or walk on people’s right side so I can hear them :)

7. I appreciate good tea and wine. My kitchen is full of different varieties of tea that I drink throughout the day. I enjoy drinking wine with a good meal and company and I have visited some of the well known wine regions in France including Champagne, Bordeaux, the Loire and Burgundy.

So now over to you, tell me an interesting fact (or 7) about yourself!

*************************************
Hello! I'm Ruth and I help legal professionals speak English fluently, stop doubting themselves & take that next step in their international career.

Read more about how I can help you here: https://ruthwhittle.com/services