Louise Jefferies’ Post

Having techniques to manage yourself and overcome challenges as they arise gives you so many more options. At least that's what my clients are finding. Coaching isn't about turning you into a different person, it's about learning to manage yourself so that you can say "Yes" to opportunities which you previously said "No" to. The techniques I share with my clients hep them to find their own way to manage their fears and insecurities. When they're able to develop ways that are effective for them, that fit both who they are and who they aspire to become, so much more is open to them. I’m Louise and I help non-native introverts gain the confidence to speak up in English at work without getting overwhelmed so that they can start getting the recognition they deserve and desire. My coaching addresses the real reasons you aren’t comfortable being visible at work, and helps create effective solutions to prevent you getting lost for words when speaking up in stressful situations at work… without having to learn more vocabulary or speak perfect English. Sound interesting? DM me to find out more about how I can help you. #biotech #businessenglish #personaldevelopment #podcast

It's well known that fear of public speaking whether it's presenting, speaking up in meetings in front of your peers or networking is one of the most common fears. Yet many people don't get help. If this is you, or someone you know what is it that's stopping you? I'll start, I didn't get help overcoming my fears for over 30 years because thought of speaking to anyone about it was way out of my comfort zone (and that's putting it mildly!) Unfortunately, there are only 4 options allowed, so if your reason isn't listed I've love to hear from you either in the comments or my private DM.

Don’t even bother reading if you’re one of the many… Many people have anxiety or stage fright when it comes to being visible at work, whether it’s making presentations, speaking up in meetings, or networking. The truth is only a few choose to do something about it. The majority believe that it’s just the way they are. They ‘couldn’t possibly’ present at the congress, voice their opinion at the governance meeting, approach that renowned scientist at the convention, make small talk with the visiting researcher at the coffee machine or say good morning to the CEO in the lift. I don’t work with them. I would, but more correctly put, they don’t work with me. Because they’ve already decided they are the type of person who… [name the fear]. I work with people who know that they could, with support. I work with people who aspire to do and be more I work with people ready to break free I work with the few. Which is a good job really, because I’m only 1 person and with 8.8M scientists world wide and around 50% introverts, 95% non native speakers and fear of speaking being the most common fear, there’s no way I could work with the many! I’m Louise, I work with the few non-native introverts who want to gain the confidence to speak up in English at work without getting overwhelmed so that they can start getting the recognition they deserve and desire. If you’re one of the few, DM me to find out what working together to achieve your goals could be like. #biotech #oncology #communicationskills #personaldevelopment

You want to do something for your anxiety speaking up in meetings in English, but you don’t know where to start. Before you enrol on another language course, buy more sets of vocab cards, or buy new grammar books or language training apps; consider this. Studying grammar and vocab doesn’t reduce anxiety, in fact it can make it worse if you improve your English inside the classroom only to go into panic as soon as you’re asked to speak up in a meeting. Instead, try working directly on your anxiety. Once your anxiety is in check you’ll naturally find that more of your language skills are available to you and you remember more vocab. You’ll also find that you’re more flexible to finding work arounds for explaining things where you don’t have the vocabulary you need to explain something. Don’t believe me? Give my short video course a try and see for yourself. https://www.rfr.bz/lmc3xmw #pharma #oncology #impostersyndrome #smalltalk

When you're a non native English speaker, working in a foreign country, such as Germany, and the language of that industry is English, such as Pharma and Biotech, there's a whole layer of complexity over communication, not to mention culture. If you happen to also be an introvert and HSP as well as a bit of a perfectionist, which by the way applies to a lot of scientists and technicians... it's easy to become overwhelmed. The fact is that you're doing a whole load more processing, 3 languages, unknown cultural norms and social etiquette, all the energies of the people in the room, on top of your own dislike of crowded noisy environments, small talk, and speaking up in meetings with more than 3 people. I know how tough it is because I'm HSP, I've lived outside of my own country for over half of my life and taught English as well as coached people like you in Pharma and Biotech for over 20 years. So, if you're struggling to gain the confidence to be seen and heard so you can get the recognition you deserve and desire, DM me to arrange a discovery call to see how we might work together to achieve your goals. #biotech #scientist #businessenglish #impostersyndrome

How much have you just accepted about your life? Are you even aware anymore the effort and strain you're putting on yourself just to survive? Are you aware of the tension in your body before and during meetings? Are you aware of how long that stress takes to leave your body? Are you aware of the efforts you go to avoid attending your triggers? Or has this become so common place you now consider it 'normal' behaviour? If you're experiencing anxiety, palpitations, constriction in your throat, blanking out, buzzing in your ears, sweats, flushes, when networking or socialising with your team, and consider this 'just part of the job'... then you're just surviving. There is another way, and being visible doesn't have to be terrifying. I’m Louise and I help non-native introverts gain the confidence to speak up in English at work without getting overwhelmed so that they can start getting the recognition they deserve and desire. My coaching addresses the real reasons you aren’t comfortable being visible at work, and helps create effective solutions to prevent you getting lost for words when speaking up in stressful situations at work… without having to learn more vocabulary or speak perfect English. Sound interesting? DM me to find out more about how I can help you. #scientist #impostersyndrome #smalltalk #podcast

I know it's not fair that you have to speak English in meetings and your native English speaking peers don’t have to speak German. But this isn’t about what’s fair and what’s not. And it’s not personal! It’s about the industry and how it’s developed over time. It’s also about you and how you live your life and the pressure you’re putting on yourself under. We all have parts of our job which we don’t enjoy. But that part we don’t enjoy, still needs to be done. So it’s best to find your motivator and find a way, any way, to make it less painful and enjoyable. If you don’t enjoy speaking in English in front of your peers, get clear on why it’s important. How important is it to you to inform and inspire, to share you knowledge and your experience? How important is it to you to develop the medicines and techniques that save lives and make others lives more comfortable? How important is it to you to get the recognition you deserve at work? If these things are important to you, remind yourself of this every day before you find the courage to speak up in English. If you’re holding back your opinions because of your anxiety speaking English in front of your peers you need to get that sorted. If not for your sake, for the sake of all the people in the world that can benefit from your knowledge. I’m Louise, I help non-native introverted HSP scientists in Pharma and Biotech overcome stage fright and social anxiety, and gain the confidence to be seen and heard so they can get the recognition they deserve and desire, without being overwhelmed. DM me to arrange a free 20 minute discovery call to see what working together could look like.

If you're having difficulty speaking up at work; if you suffer from some degree of social anxiety and find representing yourself and your skills in English overwhelming... I can help. You're not alone in your dislike of small talk and networking You're not the only one that gets anxious before meetings You're not crazy for feeling this way. I’m Louise and I help non native introverts gain the confidence to speak up in English at work without getting overwhelmed so that they can start getting the recognition they deserve and desire. My coaching addresses the real reasons you aren’t comfortable being visible at work, and helps create effective solutions to prevent you getting lost for words when speaking up in stressful situations at work… without having to learn more vocabulary or speak perfect English. Sound interesting? DM me to find out more about how I can help you.

Want to improve your English language skills? The advice I usually give is to find a way to get more exposure to the language doing something you enjoy. Because the fact is that life is short and our free time even shorter, so we’re more likely to actually work on our language skills if we enjoy the activity. Films, series and books tend to be too long to focus on, so we often rule them out before we even start. The news tends to be too depressing, and social media channels too silly. Let me recommend TED.com. If you aren’t already familiar with TED Talks, they’re a brilliant resource of talks given by inspiring people from all around the world on every topic imaginable. Talks range from 3 minutes up to an hour and most have subtitles and transcripts in a wide variety of languages. The fact that speakers come from around the world means you can train your ear to any accent you need to. Don’t know where to start? How about this short TED talk by Lŷdia Machcová on the secrets of learning a language 😎 (link to Lŷdia’s talk in the comments) https://lnkd.in/dXTBht4W

We tend to get fixed in our ways, think it's too late to make changes about who we are and what we're capable of, but the truth is... that we're "never too old to set another goal pr to dream another dream" What goal would you set, what dream would you follow, if you had the courage to start working on it? I’m Louise and I help non-native introverts gain the confidence to speak up in English at work without getting overwhelmed so that they can start getting the recognition they deserve and desire. My coaching addresses the real reasons you aren’t comfortable being visible at work, and helps create effective solutions to prevent you getting lost for words when speaking up in stressful situations at work… without having to learn more vocabulary or speak perfect English. Sound interesting? DM me to find out more about how I can help you. #pharma #oncology #smalltalk #podcast