The next edition of Beyond English Fluency is here.

If you are new, Beyond English Fluency dives into topics and shares strategies around communication that go beyond language.

Every other Wednesday (twice per month), I share a theme related to communication that goes in depth about one theme, strategy or idea. Whether you are a non-native English speaking professional or consider yourself a native looking to excel in your communication- you’ll find a strategy that you can apply to your own situation.

The strategy I am sharing with you today is all about building your foundations. It is a little different today because I am sharing strategies specifically for UX/UI Designers. However, many of the strategies I am sharing apply to all English language learners – including those who are native or very advanced level English speakers (Step 3 is especially important for you!).

When I was 12 years old, I started figure skating. If you have any idea about this sport, it’s pretty late. I wanted to start when I was 7 and I begged my parents to start skating after going to a birthday party.

I loved the feeling of being free on the ice – it felt like I was flying.

Despite starting a little later than many other children, I got to a pretty good level. But I was so ambitious I wanted to be spinning and jumping right away.

My coach would always tell me –

‘I get that you want to start doing the fun stuff and doing cool tricks but without doing these exercises and building your strength and foundations which means putting the work and effort in now – it’s going to take longer to get there’.

As you can imagine, at 12 years old I didn’t love that answer!

But he was right. As an expert, he knew what worked and what didn’t.

There was a method to it.

A roadmap I needed to follow to build my skills and develop my ability as a skater.

Foundational skills provide the critical building blocks for training and learning.

Just like building a house, an app or learning to figure skate, language learning requires building foundations.

Our language journeys and how we acquire language can differ so much.

I’ve spoken with many self-taught learners and many others who have followed a more traditional way of learning English in school and at academies.

I’ve met professionals who have never really had an official English lesson since primary school but are leading organisations.

I’ve met designers who have learned English through video games and watching TV series.

Just like those who have studied design at Masters degree level or those who are self-taught UX/UI Designers, there isn’t exactly a right or wrong path to follow (I know some might disagree with me here!).

We all have had a unique experience of how we acquired English.

But because we are all so unique and have different journeys, it can be hard to know – ‘where do I fit?’

You may have thought to yourself:

‘Are my language skills good enough to…

Work for a global company?
Apply for the Senior UX role at a start-up?
Move to an English speaking country?
Use English 100% in my role?

I love that ambition.

While I can’t provide an answer for that right here, it helps to take a step back and check where we are at – do you have strong language foundations?

This is especially true when striving to have the capability to cope with and thrive in the fast-changing pace of a global work environment.

I’ve seen many incredible UX/UI designers who are working in English and thriving in their role. I’ve also met designers who weren’t quite ready to step up and use English and have resented their work and position as it’s been challenging to not have the English language foundations in place.

Today I am sharing 3 areas to focus on.

1. Knowing what to say

Firstly, it’s all about knowing what to say. This includes the structure of the language and grammar but ultimately it’s about using the correct expressions and idioms to better express yourself. The language and words you choose, especially as a designer and someone who speaks with people at many different levels (stakeholders, clients, the development team)… it’s essential to be careful with your language and word choices. It’s also about building on the language you have.

For example, if you have learned English through watching series and playing video games, it’s likely a lot of the language you use will be relatively informal. If this is the case, it’s about understanding when to be more polite and professional language and which situations you may need to do that – and other times you can be more relaxed and informal.

2. Knowing how to say it

I find many language learners reach a point where they have a high level of vocabulary and understanding but struggle to speak up or put the words into coherent sentences to get their ideas across.

When you are explaining complex ideas, you might be able to say it one way and have the language to do that but do you know how to say it in another way?

It’s not just about the structure but also about the physical side of speaking and phonology.

Phonology is all about the sounds of the language. Are you speaking clearly? What about the rate of delivery? Are you speaking too slowly or too quickly?

It also includes having a good base for pronunciation. I had a wonderful client with a high level of English, who was offered an awesome position as a Senior Designer. The only issue was that she struggled with some aspects of pronunciation and certain sounds in English. We were able to focus on the most difficult sounds for her as well as the overall intonation of English and she made great progress with her speaking clarity.

Knowing how to say it will also build your confidence immensely.

Sometimes, I have the Spanish sentence in my head but I am unsure of the exact pronunciation so I don’t say anything at all. I’m sure you have been there, too. But by empowering yourself with this type of knowledge – in knowing how to say you, you will feel more confident to speak up and less afraid of what to say next.

3. Higher level communication skills

If you feel confident in the language foundation that you have, the learning never really stops.

The aim of language is to communicate meaning and to convey your thoughts to others.

When we begin to develop our language abilities, the main purpose is to communicate and interact with others.

Communication goes beyond the words and the language that you use. While it’s important to have a solid understanding of language, listening, writing, reading and grammar, to move beyond that and reach a level of fluency, you need to focus on the higher level skills of communication.

For a UX/UI Designer, these higher level communication skills can include empathy skills, how you can adapt to others feedback, your facilitation and leadership skills, and how to influence others through questioning, handling conflict and many more skills.

Many of these skills aren’t language specific. I’ve helped many native English speakers with these areas – in delivering presentations and presenting their ideas with confidence in an interview to leadership and facilitating workshops.

But unless you have the right language and foundations, it can feel hard to present ideas or build relationships with clients.

I’d love to know where you are on your journey. What area do you think would be helpful for you to focus on? Let me know in the comments.

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If you are are a UX/UX Designer and want to be a powerful communicator even if you don’t have the confidence to speak up then check out the following guide:

If you would like to build your communication confidence and foundations in English but not really sure how or where to start then check out my free guide to build your confidence today.