Author name: Ziaur Rehman

I want to shift the way you think about fluency. Instead of seeing it as something far in the future, something you’ll achieve one day, start seeing it as a present reality. The truth is, you are already fluent. It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out or if you can express yourself in simple phrases. That’s fluency. And it’s your foundation. This mindset shift is a game changer. By recognizing that fluency exists at every stage, you stop feeling like it’s something to chase and start realizing that you’re already on the path. You can build on what you have, level up from where you are, and keep going. You don’t need perfect English to be fluent. You just need to speak with confidence, with the skills you’ve already developed. And then, step by step, you take it higher. From basic fluency to conversation fluency to professional and academic fluency, each level is just an upgrade, not a distant dream. This is what I want for you: to stop worrying about “how much more you need to do” and start appreciating where you are right now. Because right now, you’re already speaking—fluently. And that, my friend, is the first victory. Now, let’s find your level and level up: The Different Levels of Speaking Fluency: Level 1 – Basic FluencyAt this foundational level, you can effectively communicate basic needs and understand simple conversations. This is often referred to as “survival fluency” as it enables you to navigate everyday situations with limited language use. Level 2 – Conversational FluencyAt this stage, you are able to engage in everyday conversations about familiar topics. You may still make occasional errors in vocabulary or grammar, but you can express yourself and understand others in a variety of common scenarios. This level represents practical fluency in regular interactions. Level 3 – Social FluencyHere, you are comfortable in both casual and slightly formal conversations. You can comprehend humor, express opinions, and participate in discussions without significant hesitation. Social fluency enables you to engage in most types of social interactions without feeling restricted. Level 4 – Professional FluencyAt this level, you can manage more complex topics, deliver presentations, and use specialized language relevant to your field. While minor mistakes may occur, they do not impede effective, professional communication. This level is crucial for those aiming to succeed in the workplace or professional settings. Level 5 – Academic FluencyThis level signifies a high degree of fluency where you are able to discuss not only everyday topics but also abstract, theoretical, and academic concepts. You can understand and contribute to in-depth conversations, lectures, and debates on a variety of subjects. Level 6 – Native-Like FluencyAt the highest level of fluency, individuals can converse naturally on any topic, using idiomatic expressions, humor, and cultural references with ease. Achieving native-like fluency is challenging and typically the result of many years of immersion and practice. This represents the pinnacle of language mastery. From today, never say you want to become fluent. You are already fluent. You just need to level up. This shift in your perspective can be magical if you realize its potential. What is Your Current Fluency Level?

This quote speaks a lot. Your attitude plays a big role in what happens to you throughout your life. Your happiness and sadness depends a lot on your attitude. The lens through which you see the world, defines your world. If you try and change or adjust this lens a little, you realize that things are not as bad or as good as you thought they are. Suddenly you realize a different kind of potential within you. Let’s understand this with an example. I, as a spoken English coach, get a lot of course inquiry calls every day. Most of the learners tell me that they want to learn English. And when I talk to them, I see a lot of them can already talk in English. They just don’t use the English they know already. They want to learn more first. What they think is that first they will learn English and then they will speak. This is the problem. Thinking you will learn first and speak later is like thinking you will learn swimming first and enter the water later. Do you think you will become confident first and speak confidently later? It will never happen. Do you think you will learn advanced English words first and use them later? It will never happen. Do you think you will become fluent without putting in hours and hours of efforts? It will never happen. It cannot happen. How can it? Learning and growing happen simultaneously. Like a seesaw: Confidence comes from trying and failing and trying and failing and trying and failing. Confidence is not about the result. Confidence comes with efforts. For instance, let’s say you start a business and you invest your 3 years and Rs. 1 crore in that business. After 3 years, your business fails. Will it bring your confidence down? Ideally, it won’t because that failure will give you more experience. You will learn how to fail successfully. You will know which mistakes to avoid. After a business failure your ego might also dissolve a little. But the very process of starting the business will give you confidence. Now you may say that you have seen many cases where business failures have brought people’s confidence down. Well, that’s probably because they were wearing the wrong lenses. They think one business failure will define their whole life. They are scared of failing. They think failing is a crime. They think failure means death. THAT’S NOT TRUE. Failure and success are just two sides like day not night. Night does not means darkness forever and day does not means light forever. Everything in nature has a balance. Day & night. Male & female. Love & hate. Life & death. Good & bad. Rich & poor. Powerful & powerless. And the list goes on……… & off. 😉 If at night you think now everything will be dark forever, that’s your problem. If you then take stress and lose hopes of light, that’s your problem. There is nothing good and nothing bad. Reality is reality. It’s just your perception that makes things good and bad. The smartest person, in my eyes, is someone who can be ‘in between’. Someone who is not very sad in the darkness and not very proud in the light because he knows it will change. If you stay in between, you will be able to see both. The day you detach yourself from good and bad, you will find new eyes, new lenses and new vision within you. Then you will not worry about making mistakes. Then you will not worry about what people think of you. Then you will not worry about guarding your image and reputation. You will just focus on your work. That’s what Krishna taught Arjuna: “कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन |”
“मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ||” “You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.” This explains everything. Do your work. Start now. Don’t wait for perfection. It does not exist. Just speak speak & speak. Just write, write & write. You will grow, your confidence will grow, your knowledge will grow and your fluency will grow. I promise.

“Worry gives a small thing a big shadow.” -Swedish Proverb This is a very interesting proverb I read today. It applies to language learners too. A lot of my conversation club members will agree to this that they were unnecessarily being scared with the shadow when it was nothing really big.  Stop giving so much importance to people’s judgement. Two things:1. It doesn’t matter.2. Even if you are the best person in the world, there will be people who will think you are not soooooooo awesome. Even Shah Rukh Khan has haters.  Next time you see yourself procrastinating something, look for your fear of being judged. This fear of judgment is dangerous. It’s your block. Remove it. You will have to remove it again and again every day. The problem is sometimes small but its shadow scares us. our fears exaggerate the problem.  What’s the solution?Do more of it. “The best way to overcome stage fear is going more and more on stage.”

A language learner’s biggest enemy is “hesitation”. 

We’ve all experienced that nagging voice in our heads, whispering doubts and fears, paralyzing us from seizing opportunities. But let me ask you this: What if I told you that the key to unlocking your true potential lies in three magical words?
Just. Do. It. Take a cue from Nike, the powerhouse brand that boldly declares “Just Do It.” It’s not just a tagline; it’s a philosophy—a battle cry urging you to break free from the chains of hesitation and self-doubt. Understand that confidence isn’t something you’re born with—it’s something you build through action. If you wait for perfection, you will keep waiting. You are already waiting for so many years, aren’t you? So, to all English learners out there, I challenge you: Just. Do. It. 

Let “Just Do It” be your guiding light, your mantra in the face of hesitation and fear. Because when you silence that voice of doubt and take that leap of faith, you’ll discover a power within you that’s truly unstoppable.

Desire vs. Commitment
I know you have a strong desire to become confident but guess what? Just having a desire is not enough. You have to put in the efforts. Confidence comes from taking action, not from just desiring it. Comedian Zakir Khan said once, “Agar aap kisi cheez ko puri shiddat se chaho.. to puri kainat ko ghan*a fark nahi padta.” You have to put in the efforts. There is no shortcut.