Keys to Confidence

“Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.” – Vince Lombardi

TEACHME TEFL

Confidence is key to success. If you believe you can, you can!

In the TEFL classroom confidence is vital. Your students will listen, respect and value a teacher who is confident in their abilities.

Not every teacher has the same level of confidence. However, using these tips you will be able to step into any teaching environment with confidence.

Smile

Speak Clearly

Positive Attitude

SMILE

We are put at ease when we see a friendly smile. This will be the same for your students.

Smiling, will show that you are confident and ready to teach.

For some, smiling is not common in your culture or background but in the English teaching world, smiling is everything.

How to do it

Practise! Try talking to yourself in the mirror, it may sound strange but this way you can practise smiling and talking.

Don’t forget that there is a difference between a smile and a grimace. Try to make your smile and speech warm and inviting. You want your students to want to listen and feel motivated to do what you are saying.

Another way to practise is through recordings. Set up your phone to record yourself saying your simple teaching introduction. Watch the video back to see where you can improve.

SPEAK CLEARLY

You may be your students only access to the English world. That means the way you speak and act will shape your students’ perception of the English language and English speakers.

Therefore, you want to make sure you leave a good impression.

Try to speak clearly, but not robotically. Make sure that your speech sounds natural, clear and confident.

How to do it

Reading is a good way to practise your speech. Choose a paragraph or story and record your reading. Play it back to hear how you sound. Listen for fluency, accuracy and make sure it sounds enjoyable to listen to.

If you have access to a recording of the same story, listen to the recording, note the differences and include what you liked in your own reading.

Once you have some notes, incorporate these into your lessons, to make sure you are providing your students with clear and fluent speech that they can learn from.

POSITIVE ATTITUDE

Your attitude will be reflected in your teaching. If you have a positive view of your students, your class and your job then you will be able to come across as confident, engaging and motivating.

While you will have days when your students or your class material may not be your favourite and sometimes you may just have a bad day.

Don’t let these factors change your confidence. Your students will notice a difference. You have the power to choose how you feel, so choose positivity and enjoy the benefits.

How to do it

Your perception affects your attitude. To keep a positive attitude you need to look for the good and focus on these aspects of your lessons.

Keep a diary for each day, include your lessons for the day. Next to each students or class, leave space to write three positive aspects of the lesson. These could be as simple as, the student remembered the content from the previous lesson, the class finished on time or the students learned a new point.

Before your next lesson, read over the last lesson notes and remember the good points. This will improve your attitude and allow you to be ready to teach inspire and motivate your students with your positive and confident attitude.

Keys to Confidence