You are on page 1of 14

02

TABLE OF CONTENTS

HAVE YOU EVER SAID ANY OF THESE THINGS? ……………… 3

WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO GET………………………………………… 4

WHY SHOULD YOU LISTEN TO ME? ……………………………….. 5

THE 5 KEYS

1. Read Actively ……………………………………………………………… 6


2. Create a Daily Writing Habit ……………………………………… 8
3. Think in English …………………………………………………………. 9
4. Imagine Your Future ……………………………………………….… 11
5. Ask for Feedback ………………………………………………………. 12
GET READY TO SOAR …………………………………..……………….. 14

2
03

H ave you ever thought, “If only I could


write in English as confidently as I do in
my native language?” If so, this might be the
most important message you read all year.
Here’s why…

HAVE YOU EVER SAID ANY OF THESE


THINGS?
• I don’t know how to put my thoughts into written
English…

• I don’t know where to find a writing solution that gives


me results quickly…

• I don’t want to lose customers because I don’t


communicate effectively in English…

• I want to be able to write from my heart


(independently, by myself) and not depend on
translation apps or friends and colleagues...

If you can relate to any of that, then this special ebook is


going to be life-changing for you.

3
04
WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO GET ...

In these pages, you are going to discover the top five proven
ways to write confidently and clearly in English fast! You’ll
find out the habits you need to make you an entrepreneur, a
leader or an influencer who writes for an international
community.

Before I unpack the specifics, I want you to consider for a


moment the results of doing nothing. Ignoring a problem
doesn’t make it go away. It makes the problem worse!

How bad could it get? Well, if you ignore your


embarrassment or frustration about your limited writing
skills these are the long-term results you are very likely to
get:

• You will lose customers because your writing confuses


and frustrates them.

• You will lose the trust of your colleagues because they


write long email chains trying to understand you.

• You never gain the international business influence


and impact that you so desire.

• You will eventually pay $1,000s to copywriters and


copy editors to fix your writing.

‘Ignoring a problem doesn’t


make it go away. It makes
the problem worse!’

4
05
WHY SHOULD YOU LISTEN TO ME?

English was my second language when I was a child.

When I was five years old, I arrived in England from Hong


Kong. I didn’t know a word of English. My uncle and my
father taught me a few words of greeting. But on my first
day at school, looking out of place as I wore Chinese
pyjamas, and had a pudding basin haircut, none of those
words were useful. When I needed the bathroom,
I was anxious and frustrated because no one
understood me, and I was ashamed.

In my 30s, I went out to India with a Christian


community development group and had to learn
the Indian language, Marathi. When I arrived in a
small town and no one was there to pick me up,
the fear of inadequacy rose in me again.

I know what it is like to learn a language as a child


and as an adult. I know what it is like to feel
embarrassed, incompetent and inadequate, simply because
my language wasn’t good enough.

But as a child, within three years I was getting higher grades


than many of my classmates. I had learnt English to a near-
native level.

In India and later in Canada, I worked with children and


adults to help them learn English as a second language so
that they could thrive in their communication and make the
most of current and future opportunities. As I compared
how adults and children learn, I discovered the best ways to
fast track improving English writing skills.

Now let’s look at the top five keys to writing confidently in


English when it’s not your native language. If you apply these
specific steps, you will be clear, confident and able to write
from your heart as an entrepreneur, leader, and influencer.

5
06
1. READ ACTIVELY

B y the time I was nine years old, I had caught up to my


classmates and surpassed many of them. Yet three and
a half years before, on my first day in the classroom, I had
not understood a word of English. What had happened in
between?

I learnt to read.

As soon as I learnt to read, my world changed. Apart from


entering and experiencing different places and lives that
belonged to the characters in books, I also learnt vocabulary,
sentence structure and grammar in the most delightful way.

Many people I meet want to write well but they don’t like
reading. My question to them is, “Would you run a car
engine on an empty gas/petrol tank?” No, the engine
wouldn’t run.

Our brains are amazing. They have a wonderful ability to


learn and absorb language. But when it comes to writing,
they are like car engines, they need a gas tank full of fuel.
That fuel is reading. When we read, it is like pouring gas/
petrol into the engine of our brains so that we can process
vocabulary, grammar, and style. You can read passively, as I
did as a child, enjoying and soaking up the images, pictures,
and scenes that the writer paints with their words. But when
you read actively, you notice the grammar, the vocabulary,
the flow and the style, your progress in developing your
writing skills is much faster.

When I met Maria, she was struggling to write clear and


concise articles that were good enough for publication. She
felt inadequate and lacked confidence because she was
unsure of the correct way to structure her work. I connected

6
07
with Maria on a ‘Breakthrough Strategy Session’ where I
meet one-on-one with entrepreneurs, leaders and
influencers who want to increase their global impact. I help
them increase their confidence and build their writing skills.
We identify the #1 obstacle to achieving their goal and map
out a three-step action plan to help them get clear, concise
and confident in their writing.

During her time working with me, Maria found the time to
read extensively, and her grammar and understanding
began to improve as mine had years before.

Maria almost didn’t reach out to me because she had very


little free time. While talking to Maria, I discovered that her
top constraint was not understanding flow in narrative
writing, and I prescribed a specific course of action. As Maria
implemented an active reading plan, she was able to
develop her voice and style. Now she feels stronger when
she has to write articles and reports because she has finally
received individual feedback and correction on the mistakes
she was making. She now recognises her mistakes and can
correct them herself.

7
08
2. CREATE A DAILY WRITING
HABIT
W hen I was nine years old, for a special school project, I
created miniature books that I sewed together and
wrote inside. They were doll size, so I pretended that the
dolls kept a journal and wrote in them daily.

With that tiny project, I began a lifelong habit. I began to


write daily in a journal. I now have years of journals. I no
longer write every day but it’s a habit that helps me to
organize my thought, lets me talk to my inner self and
created a daily writing habit.

When you do a small task consistently every day, the


cumulative effect builds up and increases so at the end of 60
days or 90 days (for example), there is an enormous change
in your life.

If you want to write confidently in English, journaling will


train your brain to think in English every day. If you allow it
to become a habit, and combine it with active reading, it will
rewire your brain to use English grammar, vocabulary and
sentence structure.

Start today with journaling using these prompts. Use one


each day this week.
1. What are you most grateful for?
2. Name four people that you are thankful for and
why?
3. Who can you help today?
4. Describe your ideal day.
5. What does your dream life look like?
6. What makes you feel alive?
7. What are your greatest fears?
Happy journaling!
8
09
3. THINK IN ENGLISH

W hen you have an advanced level of English, you have


enough language to be able to communicate and
share your thoughts. You also know more grammar rules
than most native speakers of English.

The problem many entrepreneurs, leaders and influencers


make, however, is they think first in their native language
and then they translate. They then confuse the sentence
structure between the two languages. It slows down their
thinking and they lose confidence in their ability to process
thoughts in English.

To increase your confidence in your writing, practise thinking


in English every day. When you are with English speaking
colleagues and writing English emails, instead of thinking in
your native language and translating, focus your brain to
think in English.

When you read in English, process your reading in English.


Don’t translate into your language to think about what you
have read. Use the author’s words to think about the
author’s writing.

You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to write


confidently in English when you do this.

Sarah is a marketing professional who has dreams about


increasing her international influence through her writing.
She felt frustrated and embarrassed because her language
wasn’t good enough to write for an international audience.

When I met Sarah on a ‘Breakthrough Strategy Session’, she


had already taken several writing courses and she didn’t feel
she was good enough to write for an international reader. I

9
10
explained that she could use simpler language and simpler
sentence structures that she already knew because there
are now more people using English as a second language
than as a first language. Simpler structures make English
easier to understand for everyone.

Sarah almost didn’t reach out to me because she was not


used to paying for English lessons, and especially not for a
customised coaching program.

While talking to Sarah, I discovered that her top constraint


was feeling she didn’t have a high enough vocabulary and
didn’t understand complex sentence structures. I made
three simple recommendations. Sarah implemented the

“… write in a simple,
clear and engaging
style that anyone can
understand.”

plan and discovered how to write in a simple, clear and


engaging style that anyone can understand. Now Sarah feels
confident about her extensive vocabulary and confident she
can put her knowledge of English to good use in writing for
an international audience.

10
11
4. IMAGINE YOUR FUTURE

I magine leading an international team that leans forward,


engaged, as they read your words.

Imagine writing articles and blogs that your team and


customers respond to.

Imagine receiving feedback from readers and potential


customers that your message has impacted their lives and
helped them.

We all need motivation.

Learning a language takes time and commitment. Learning a


language so you can write confidently to an international
audience is one of the highest forms of achievement.

But how do you motivate yourself to continue learning?

I suggest you imagine what your fulfilled goals would look


like, feel like and sound like. Many people like to make vision
boards. This is a pinboard with pictures of their future. They
place the board in a place where they can see it every day
and it helps them to stay motivated and to keep learning.

I like to write in word pictures, like in the first paragraph on


this page. Could you see the pictures? As you picture
yourself writing confidently and receiving praise from
colleagues, potential clients and clients, your confidence
grows. You begin to see what you imagined for the future
happening now.

11
12
5. ASK FOR FEEDBACK

H ow do you know when you are making mistakes in your


writing?

The truth is you usually don’t.

If you did know they were a mistake, you probably wouldn’t


be making it.

(What is wrong with that sentence?)

To be confident about your writing, you need to know when


you are making mistakes that confuse your reader and when
your writing is clear and understandable.

Written mistakes are a lot more obvious than spoken


mistakes. They stay on the page glaring back at the person
reading.

Most people reading social media posts or comments are


very forgiving and especially when they know English is your
second language, they appreciate you even using English.

However, when people read blogs and articles and reports,


too many mistakes lead to misunderstanding and can lessen
a reader’s opinion of the product or service you provide.
They may link the quality of writing to the quality of the
service or product.

I must be careful what I write here because some people


become crippled by the fear of making mistakes and won’t
write or learn because of their fear. I don’t want that. Making
mistakes is part of the learning process.

As with anything in life, feedback is essential for correcting


our errors in English writing. When you receive feedback,
either from a friend, a boss or a coach, your confidence
grows when you know you can correct the mistakes.

12
13
When I met Brandon, he had thousands of followers on
LinkedIn, and he enjoyed writing articles to encourage and
engage his followers. But he felt that he might be missing
out on his international reach because he wasn’t writing in
English. He wanted to improve his English writing skills so he
could increase his influence internationally and help more
people with his message.

I first met Brandon on a ‘Breakthrough Strategy Session’


where I meet one-on-one with entrepreneurs, leaders, and
influencers to help them understand what their true-life
goals are. Then I help them identify their #1 obstacle to
achieving their goal and map out a three-step action plan to
help them write clear, engaging, and readable content.

Brandon almost didn’t reach out to me because he believed


Google Translate could translate his articles. When I pointed
out to Brandon that he could write better than Google
Translate and that the app often translated ineffectively in a
way that was difficult to understand, I got his attention.

I helped Brandon blueprint a plan of action. He


implemented the plan, increased his LinkedIn following and
used the writing skills he learnt not only in his English writing
but also in his native language writing. After consistent
feedback throughout his time working with me, Brandon
now feels confident he can recognize and correct mistakes in
his English writing and that he has the strategies and skills to
write for an international audience.

13
14
GET READY TO SOAR!

If you want to clearly share your message with a global


audience, lead your multicultural team more effectively, or
gain international customers successfully follow these five
proven steps to write confidently in English.

If you want to get these results even faster, I invite you to


book a free one-on-one ‘Breakthrough Strategy Session’ with
me. On this fast-paced call, we’ll look at your background,
experience and current situation, and we’ll see what’s
possible for you in terms of writing your message, your story
and your communication clearly and engagingly in the next
three months.

We’ll examine what you’re doing now and find out what’s
working and what’s not. We will identify the #1 thing holding
you back from having the business or team that you want to
have and map out a plan to get you where you want to go
faster.

You’ll leave the call feeling clear, confident, and excited


about taking your business and career to the next level.

To schedule your free ‘Breakthrough Strategy Session’ with


me, click the image below:

14

You might also like