An Oncologist from Maharashtra Overcame his Fear of Initiating Conversations in English

“I am a Marathi student. My Marathi accent comes into English when I speak, the way I speak and the expressions.”  -Dr. Krushna Chaudhary, Oncologist in Indore.

Let me tell you the story of Dr. Krushna Chaudhary from Jalgaon, Maharashtra who is practising cancer specialist in a corporate hospital in Indore.

Krushna is a trained Medical Oncologist. This means, he treats patients with cancer. Every day he interacts with fellow doctors, practitioners, and patients, pitching them his treatment methods in English.

BUT…

He resists opening up in situations where he has to speak in English.

This was ONE BIG roadblock on his way to achieving his dreams of addressing a large audience in international seminars and workshops.

Why? Because his mother tongue Marathi has a huge influence on his spoken English. And that made him conscious.

Hence, he hesitates to initiate conversations in English.

This story is of an aspiring doctor from Maharashtra who overcame his fear of initiating conversations in English and became a public speaker.

What Made Krushna Fear Initiating English Conversations?

Krushna grew up as a reserved and shy person living in the rural area of Jalgaon, Maharashtra.

He studied in Marathi medium throughout till 12th standard.

Then, he moved to Mumbai and stayed there for 11 years, where he completed his MBBS from Nair Hospital.

He shifted to Delhi for better opportunities in his career. Delhi got him his first job in an institute for cancer.

Coming to a big city like Delhi after living in a small town like Jalgaon was a revelation for him.

During his stay of 4.5 years in Delhi, a lot of things happened:

His schedule was hectic as he worked in one of the most prominent cancer institutes in North India.

“I used to go on many rounds in the OPD section daily.”

And Krushna is a family man. He has a wife and twin daughters aged 3-4 years old.

It left him with no time with his family. The mental and physical pressure took the best of him.

He also missed the Marathi culture a lot.

Living in Delhi didn’t suit him and his family because it has an entirely different culture. It also wasn’t a livable city because of the air pollution.

He didn’t want their daughters to grow up in a polluted environment that could affect their lungs.

(He is a doctor, so his responsibility towards providing a safer environment for his family was a priority.)

And he also wanted to stay close to his hometown Jalgaon.

So, he decided it was better to shift back to Indore. It’s closer to Jalgaon, has a Marathi population, and is a good location.

When he came to work in Indore one year back, he became more reserved because a midlife crisis hit him.

He felt he is wasting his crucial years carrying the hesitation and fear of speaking English because he is from a small town.

It made him realize he could lose many opportunities if he didn’t work on his communication skills, SOON.

What was Krushna Looking for in his Search for a Solution?

He was scared of his hesitation in initiating conversations.

So, he wanted a solution that could make him get rid of that initial shyness and reserved nature whenever he had to:

• Solve patients’ concerns by explaining their problems in simple layman’s language (to show empathy, gaining their trust, breaking the ice, sharing bad news).
• Participate actively in seminars where he has to speak fluent English (speeches, presentations, pitching solutions).
• Be able to express his thoughts and ideas in English without any hesitation (handling conflicts, training, talking to colleagues).

Every conversation happens in English in the hospital. And his inability to start conversations in English made him scared.

It was a BIG challenge for him.

But the challenge was every conversation happened in English in the institute.

“I wanted to bring more aesthetics to my language. That’s why I chose BBR English.”

Why? Because BBR English gave him the following:

1. Highly qualified mentors
2. A systematic way to polish English skills and public speaking
3. Complete knowledge of the areas he lacks and improvement
4. A customised program with one-to-one sessions

Hence, His top two goals were -

• General communication
• Public Speaking.

Here’s what his calibration report brought out for him:

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What Made Krushna Choose BBR English?

After moving back to Indore, he got his second job at a corporate hospital. He currently works as a super speciality Medical Oncologist and treats cancer patients.

Growing up studying in Marathi medium, he is most comfortable in Marathi.

He wasn’t sure he would be able to keep up with his fellow doctors and practitioners.

Why? Because the primary medium of communication in the hospital is English. And he has to converse a lot in English, internally and externally.

Though he can speak English, he struggles with fluency. He thinks it’s because of his Marathi background which influences his accent.

He feels there is a communication gap.

Now that he also has to attend many international seminars and workshops, he needs improvement.

“Professionally, I have to speak English.” International and even some national stages require him to speak entirely in English.

“I can initiate conversations, but I struggle to express the way I want.”

He can talk to laymen in English, but explaining non-technical things to them takes a lot of work.

Since his mother tongue is Marathi, he didn’t get enough chances to learn and speak English earlier.

Now, when he has to talk and speak casually in front of an audience, he finds it challenging to speak English fluently.

Because of the same, whenever he faces situations where he has to speak in English, he doesn’t take any initiative.

And it has made him lose many opportunities because he feels at a loss for words whenever communicating in English.

He wants to speak fluent English in seminars and be able to explain technical things to ordinary people as well.

How BBR Live Spoken English Course Transformed Krushna?

The calibration report at the end of the foundation session with BBR helped him figure out the areas he needed to improve.

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The foundation session provided him with the following:

• a detailed analysis of his current skill level in English communication
• performance measurement and scoring,
• goal identification, and
• a roadmap of areas to improve and how to reach his desired goals.

Krushna’s transformation process consisted of the following:

1. Improving general communication
2. Public speaking & leadership

Through the 15 sessions, Krushna emerged as a doctor who now knows how to:

• Express himself freely
• Initiate conversations and hold them
• Explain non-technical concepts easily

First to Third Sessions: Earlier, he could hold conversations well. 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: In the last session, he could effectively use voice modulation techniques to ensure his pronunciation was clear and deliver informative presentations with smooth transitions.

Do you also fear speaking English in front of people?

And do you also hesitate to initiate a conversation in English because you’re not good at it?

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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