How to Speak Confidently in Class and Meetings, Even in a Second Language

How to speak confidently in class and meetings (even when English is not your first language)

You know the answer. The teacher asks the question, your heart starts racing, you rehearse the sentence in your head three times, and by the time you are ready, someone else has said it. Or you are in a team meeting at your first job, you have a concern about the plan, and you say nothing because your English might come out wrong and everyone will notice your accent.

Speaking up is one of those skills nobody teaches properly. Schools in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh often reward memorising and writing, not talking. Many of us grew up in homes where questioning an elder was rude, and carried that into classrooms where questioning a teacher felt the same. Then we arrive at university or work, and suddenly being heard matters a great deal: for grades, for team projects, for getting your ideas taken seriously and, later, for promotions.

The good news is that speaking confidently is a skill, not a personality trait. Quiet people learn it. Nervous people learn it. People who think in Urdu, Tamil or Bangla and speak in English learn it. This post covers why it feels so hard, what research says about the fear, and practical steps for class, presentations and meetings.

Why speaking up feels so hard

Everyone overestimates how much others notice

Psychologists Thomas Gilovich, Victoria Medvec and Kenneth Savitsky described the spotlight effect in a 2000 study: people consistently overestimate how much others notice their appearance and their mistakes. In a related line of research, Savitsky and Gilovich showed the illusion of transparency: speakers believe their nervousness is far more visible than it really is. In their experiments, simply telling speakers about this illusion made them feel less anxious and their speeches were rated better.

So the shaking voice that feels like a siren to you is, to most listeners, barely there. They are thinking about their own lunch, their own slides and whether they will be asked next.

Your brain treats it like danger

Fear of public speaking is one of the most common fears there is. The racing heart and dry mouth are your body's stress response, which evolved for running away from danger, not for answering a question about linked lists. You cannot switch it off, but you can work with it.

Cultural and language layers

For many South Asian students there is an extra layer: the respect gap. Talking in front of seniors, teachers or managers can feel like overstepping. And if English is your second or third language, you may be doing two jobs at once: thinking about the idea and translating it, while worrying about grammar and pronunciation. That is genuinely more work. It is not a sign that you are less capable.

A reframe that actually helps

Harvard researcher Alison Wood Brooks published a study in 2014 called Get Excited. People about to sing, speak or do maths under pressure were asked to say either "I am calm" or "I am excited". Those who said "I am excited" performed better than those who tried to calm down. Anxiety and excitement feel physically similar, so relabelling the feeling is easier than trying to kill it.

Before you speak, try saying to yourself: "I am excited to share this." It sounds silly. It is still worth a try.

Speaking up in class

Start small. You do not have to give a speech; you need to get used to hearing your own voice in the room.

1. Sit nearer the front. You will feel more involved, the teacher will notice you, and the rest of the room is behind you, out of sight.
2. Prepare one question before the class. Read the slides or chapter for ten minutes and write down one thing you did not understand. Now you have a question ready instead of making one up under pressure.
3. Speak in the first ten minutes. The longer you wait, the bigger the moment becomes in your head. An early, small contribution ("Could you repeat the last step?") breaks the ice.
4. Use a simple structure. "I have a question about X. I understood A, but I am not sure about B." Teachers love specific questions, and it shows you were paying attention.
5. Set a weekly target. One question or comment per class per week is enough to start. Keep track of it. After a month, raise it to two.

If you are worried about sounding stupid: the student who asks the "basic" question is often thanked silently by half the room who had the same doubt.

Presentations and project demos

Prepare the structure, not a script

Memorising a script word for word makes you fragile: forget one line and you freeze. Instead, know your structure:

• Open: what problem this is and why it matters, in two sentences.
• Three points: what you did, what you found, what is next. Three is easy to remember for you and for the audience.
• Close: one sentence that repeats the main idea, then "Happy to take questions."

Write the first two sentences out in full and memorise only those. The first 30 seconds are the scariest; once you are through them, your body calms down.

Practise out loud, not in your head

Silent rehearsal feels like practice but is not. Say it out loud, at full volume, at least three times. Record yourself on your phone once. Watching it is uncomfortable, but you will catch the "umm"s, the speed and the moment you look at the floor. Then practise in front of one friend or family member.

Slow down and pause

Nervous speakers rush. Aim to speak slightly slower than feels natural and pause after each main point. A pause feels long to you and normal to the audience. It also gives you time to breathe and gives listeners time to think. Sound expert Julian Treasure's TED talk, How to speak so that people want to listen, has good exercises on pace, pitch and warming up your voice.

Handling questions you cannot answer

"That is a good question. I am not sure, but I will check and get back to you" is a perfectly professional answer, in class and at work. Making things up is much worse than saying you do not know.

Speaking up in meetings at work

Meetings have their own rules. Some practical habits:

• Read the agenda and prepare one point. If there is no agenda, ask the organiser what the meeting is about. Walk in with one thing to say.
• Speak early. As in class, the first few minutes are the easiest moment to join. Even agreeing with someone and adding a detail ("I agree with Sara, and I think we should also check the API limits") counts.
• Use the bridge phrases. "Can I add something?", "Just to check I understood...", "One concern I have is...". These give you a polite way in.
• Disagree with the idea, not the person. "I see why we would do that. My worry is that it might break the mobile app. Could we test it first?" Julia Dhar's TED talk on how to disagree productively is a useful watch.
• Follow up in writing. If you could not say everything, send a short message afterwards: "Following up on today's meeting, one more thought on X." Clear writing is a backup voice and many remote teams value it more than talking.
• On video calls, use the chat and the raise-hand button. They are there exactly for people who find it hard to interrupt.

Speaking in English as a second language

If English is not your first language, here is the honest picture.

You do not need a "perfect" accent. Your goal is to be understood, not to sound British or American. Engineering teams around the world are full of people with every accent imaginable. Clarity matters far more than accent: speak a little slower, finish your words, and do not drop your volume at the end of sentences.

Use shorter sentences. Long sentences in a second language are where grammar goes wrong. Short sentences are clearer for everyone, including native speakers.

Build a phrase bank. Write down 20 useful phrases for class and meetings ("Could you clarify...", "Building on that point...", "Let me check I understood...") and practise them until they come out automatically. This frees your brain to think about the idea instead of the words.

Practise a little every day. BBC Learning English has free short lessons on pronunciation and everyday phrases. Talking to yourself in English while cooking or walking sounds strange but works. So does explaining what you learnt in class to a friend in English.

Do not apologise for your English. Starting with "Sorry, my English is not good" makes listeners look for mistakes. Just start.

Practising somewhere safe

Real confidence comes from repetition in low-stakes places:

• Toastmasters International clubs exist in nearly 150 countries, including many universities and cities across South Asia. You give short speeches and get structured, kind feedback. It is one of the most reliable ways to improve.
• University societies. Debating, Model UN, tech societies and student chapters of ACM or IEEE all give you chances to speak.
• Study groups. Explaining a concept to two classmates is real speaking practice, and you learn the material better.
• Online. If in-person groups are hard to reach, the Introduction to Public Speaking course on Coursera from the University of Washington covers preparation and delivery step by step.

If quiet is just who you are

Being introverted is not a problem to fix. Susan Cain's book Quiet makes a strong case that quieter people bring real strengths: listening, preparation and careful thinking. The goal is not to become the loudest person in the room. It is to make sure that when you have something worth saying, you say it. Preparation, one point per meeting and writing things down afterwards suit introverts very well.

If your fear of speaking is so strong that you avoid classes, cannot attend meetings, or feel panic for days beforehand, it may be social anxiety, which is very treatable. A university counsellor or mental health professional can help, and the Looking after your mental health roadmap explains how to find one.

Build it step by step on Sefism

The Speaking and being heard roadmap takes you through asking questions in class, presenting, meetings, small talk and networking, speaking in a second language, disagreeing politely and writing clearly as a backup. Each stage ends with a small real-world action, not a quiz. If self-doubt is the bigger issue, pair it with the Building real confidence roadmap.

My honest read

The people who seem naturally confident in meetings have usually just had more practice. You can close that gap faster than you think: one question a week, one presentation rehearsed out loud, one point prepared for each meeting. Your accent, your nerves and your pauses matter much less to your listeners than they do to you. What they remember is whether you had something useful to say.

FAQ

How can I stop my voice shaking when I speak in class?

Breathe out slowly before you start, speak a little slower and louder than feels natural, and prepare your first two sentences. Remember the illusion of transparency: others notice your nerves far less than you think.

Is it bad to have a Pakistani or Indian accent in English at work?

No. Teams worldwide work with every accent. Aim for clarity: slower pace, clear word endings and short sentences. Being understood matters, not sounding native.

How do I speak up in meetings as a junior developer?

Prepare one point before each meeting, speak in the first few minutes, use phrases like "Can I add something?" and follow up in writing if you missed your chance.

How can I practise public speaking for free?

Join a university society or a Toastmasters club, explain topics to study partners, record yourself on your phone, and use free resources like BBC Learning English.

What if I am an introvert?

You do not need to change your personality. Prepare well, pick your moments, and use writing as a second channel. Quiet, well-prepared contributions are often the ones people remember.

Ask your own question

If your situation is different from the ones above, browse the career questions library first; someone has probably asked something close. If not, members can ask Tauseef a question and get a written answer. Create your free Sefism account to save roadmaps and track your progress.

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Cover photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash.