A Kannada-born Compliance Investigator at Cisco overcame his hesitation to speak Fluent English in JUST 3 months with BBR English!

“If I have to speak a single word, I might end up speaking 100 words to explain that.” - Prathyush Barya, (Investigator in Cisco), Mangaluru.

Before he was a student at BBR English

Today, let me tell you the story of Prathyush. He is an MBA graduate from Mangaluru, working as Compliance Investigator for seven years at Cisco.

Three months earlier, he came across a situation in his workplace that could become a threat to his job.

It also brought his insecurity and uncertainty about his future career prospects.

His manager told him to improve his English communication skills.

Or else…

He might lose the opportunity to present the summary analysis in the meeting with the Managing Director (MD) and General Manager (GM).

In the next three months, he has to improve his communication skills and speak fluent English.

Why? Because his poor English speaking skills and hesitation might lead to him losing his job.

But, Prathyush persevered and overcame his mental blocks and barriers.

Read how this small-town boy from Mangalore overcame his hesitation to speak fluent English and saved his job.

How Prathyush Developed this Hesitation towards Spoken English?

Prathyush is fluent in his mother tongue, Kannada. He loves talking in Kannada with his friends and coworkers.

He is clear in his thoughts, gestures, pauses, words, and sentences when he speaks Kannada.

But not so much with English.

Why? Because he needs more clarity in expressing his thoughts in speaking English.

He often thought, “Why am I unable to speak fluent English?”

During meetings, Prathyush’s spoken English often confused the audience as they struggled to understand what he said.

When the audience fails to understand him, he also thinks of himself as a failure.

Why? Let’s read through his own words.

“I feel like I miss some words. I can make lines in Kannada, but English is difficult.”

“My pronunciation and sounds of a few words are not clear.”

He often used filler words like uh, ah, whenever he forgot the right words to speak.

“I find it hard to make direct eye contact.”

He kept looking here and there, blinked a lot, and lowered his eyes when he didn’t know what to say.

“I speak fast sometimes due to nervousness.”

Sometimes due to this, his sentences get longer. And he thinks the listener doesn’t get enough time to process the information.

“I can’t collect my thoughts.”

He feels timid because he thinks slowing down may cause him not to think correctly.

Eventually, it led to hesitation and feeling out of place around his bosses.

And then, he feels he is not good enough to talk to a senior or convey his thoughts.

All this is because he is not comfortable in English.

And it has been paining him.

What Was Going in Prathyush’s Mind When he Chose BBR English?

He would often want to pull his hair out of his head.

“How can I be comfortable in Kannada and find it hard to speak English?”

“How will I improve my English communication skills?”

“What will happen if I lose my job due to this?”

And he even tried to find answers to this.

How? He watched a lot of TEDx videos to improve his presentation skills. He tried learning grammar and presentation skills from these videos.

But watching videos only helped him gain knowledge. When he would try to speak - he couldn’t apply his knowledge to good use.

He doesn’t know if he is doing it right or not.

He was unsure if he was still making any mistakes…

He felt anxious if he would even find someone to correct and guide him.

Why? Because his English was weak, and he wanted to improve it.

And he only had three months to prepare himself, upscale his presentation skills, and deliver it confidently.

He felt stuck while finding the whereabouts of available teachers at the times that suited him.

He was looking for a program where he could work on his weak areas and achieve his two specific goals:

1. The short-term goal of analyzing interview summaries with the team.
2. The long-term goal of improving his presentation skills in front of management.

Time was running out. And then, one day, while trying to learn from watching videos and still failing, he came across an Instagram ad for BBR English.

He was delighted to see that IITians teach Spoken English with LIVE 1-on-1 personal mentors.

With BBR English, he found what he was looking for:

• Regular practice
• Personal Mentorship
• Flexible timings

That’s why the BBR Live Spoken English program captured his interest. So he gave it a shot and began his journey with BBR English.

Why Prathyush Chose BBR English Over Watching Videos?

He wanted to know why English made him hesitant and uncomfortable. And he couldn’t get that answer from watching videos.

The hesitation in speaking Fluent English was killing his career.

Why? Because he lacked effective English communication skills. But he wasn’t usually a hesitant person while talking in Kannada.

He had to get rid of his hesitation in the next three months.

Why? Because a meeting was after three months with the MD and GM where he had to analyze summaries of interviews with the team.

He was scared that if he hesitated there, his sentences would come out jumbled.

He could lose the opportunity of climbing the corporate ladder.

He didn’t want his manager to be unhappy and risk getting fired.

More than that, he needed to improve his English communication skills to:

• Initiate conversations in English with anyone
• Hold conversations longer
• Have clarity to express his thoughts effectively

So, throughout 15 sessions with his mentor Tanu, he worked on his inability to make complex sentences comfortably without any mistakes.

How BBR English Transformed Prathyush’s English Communication Skills?

At the beginning of his journey, Prathyush didn’t know the problem areas affecting his English communication skills.

He only knew he didn’t want to be hesitant when speaking English anymore.

He tried to initiate conversations and hold them longer.

But most importantly…

He didn’t want his poor communication skills to affect his meeting scheduled after three months.

But then he attended the BBR English foundation session. In this 1-hour session, the teacher analyzed his spoken English skills and provided a calibration report.

Through the calibration report, Prathyush figured out the following:

• His current spoken English skill level: Where he scored average, poor, and good

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• His goals: Communication with professionals, and delivering presentations

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• His core focus areas for a customized learning track:

1. Grammar for speaking and application
2. basic and advanced vocabulary
3. workplace communication
4. formal and informal conversations
5. presentation skills

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So, what were the areas that became the reasons behind his hesitation to speak fluent English?

What skills did Prathyush need to improve to become an effective communicator in his workplace?

For analyzing interview summaries with the team:

• Presentation Design
• Impromptu Speaking
• Structuring Speech
• Voice Modulation
• Gestures

To improve communication skills with colleagues:

• Grammar for speaking and application
• Confidence
• Active Listening
• Body language and gestures

In the entire course:

1. His basic grammar and vocabulary improved drastically.
2. He learnt to structure the conversations by using voice modulation for more emphasis.
3. He stopped using filler words and learnt to present his opinions constructively and clearly.
4. His self-confidence replaced hesitation by using gestures, body language, and eye contact.

What the Transformation Process Looked Like?

In the last session of the program, Pratyush delivered an excellent presentation on Cisco brand protection.

Prathyush’s transformation from a hesitant Pratyush to an effective speaker included many milestones.

First to Third Sessions: Earlier, he could hold conversations. But he faced issues while sharing his opinions effectively.

Now, he learnt to use facial expressions and gestures to make his speech effective.

Fourth to Sixth Sessions: Earlier, he used to commit grammar mistakes while speaking, which led to ineffective or broken communication. His problems with past and present tenses started improving with the regular assignments provided by his mentor.

Seventh to Ninth Sessions: Earlier, he used to add fillers when speaking on the spot for the topics for which there was no preparation on his end. He now effectively uses storytelling by including more real-life examples to engage the audience more.

Tenth to Twelfth Sessions: He can also understand the concepts better to use the information and knowledge in his speech in a way that allows him to help his colleagues resolve their queries. Now, he can effectively handle difficult situations when colleagues approach them for consultancy.

Thirteenth to Fifteenth Sessions: When he reached the last session, he could effectively use voice modulation techniques to ensure clear pronunciation and deliver informative presentations with smooth transitions.

The Outcome

“Props to the entire BBR team, and thank you, BBR English, for setting up my expectations.” These were Prathyush’s words once the course ended.

Here’s how satisfied he was after the program:

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It is evident that if you have the right guidance and support, you can overcome any fear.

BBR English helped Prathyush change his defeated mindset to an optimistic one that Fluent English doesn’t have to be complicated.

Do you also hesitate to speak English in front of seniors even though you are good at speaking in your mother tongue?

Do you want to figure out why English communication can sometimes become a roadblock to better career growth?

Then, sign up for the foundation session with BBR at only Rs. 499! NOW!

The BBR English courses help you in removing MTI and be a better presenter with the following:

• A customized path that works for you on your slots.
• A 1:1 personal mentor at each stage to guide you
• A course that helps you work on your specific goals

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