How to Speak English Without Freezing: Paul’s Barber Call, Four Small Steps and Three Real Places
Paul starts with a question that many learners answer with a quiet “yes”: “Have you ever picked up the phone, heard one fast English question, and just hung up?” Emily adds the shop version: you stand at a counter, and your mouth stops working (00:00).
Last winter, Paul called a barber shop to book a haircut. He knew every word. Then the man said, “could you spell your last name for me?” Paul did not hear the word spell. He heard noise. “Five seconds of silence” followed, he said “okay, thank you”, and he hung up. On Saturday he waited fifty minutes on a hard plastic chair (01:06).
This episode is for A1 and A2 learners. Paul and Emily explain why we freeze, give you four small steps to melt it, and then you use the steps in three real places: a shop, a phone call and a chat with a new neighbor. At the end you make a phone call with them, out loud.
Watch the episode: Watch the episode on YouTube
Time: about 38 minutes to listen, and about 15 minutes for the practice below.
Before you listen: think of one place where you freeze the most: the phone, a shop, or a neighbor. At the end of the episode you can tell Paul and Emily in the comments.
How to use this page: listen once and enjoy the two stories. Then listen again and say each phrase out loud in the pause, when Emily counts “One… two… three…”. The full transcript is at the bottom for any line that goes too fast.
What You’ll Learn
- Why we freeze: fear of mistakes, thinking too much, and feeling watched
- Four steps: a bridge, slow steps, a rewind button, and keep going
- Five bridge sentences: Just a second. Let me think. Good question. Let me think. How can I say this? Let me find the right words.
- The echo: say the question back, and change you to I
- Six rewind buttons: One more time, please. Sorry, could you repeat that? I didn’t catch that. Could you speak a little slower? What does that mean? Do you mean…?
- Two small fixes for mistakes: I mean… and Let me say that again.
- Phone English: Hello, this is… I’m calling about a booking. I’d like to book a table. Could you spell that?
- Friendly honesty with a neighbor: I’m still learning English. Can you tell me more? I’m not sure. Let me check.
- A quiz with six moments, and a barber-shop phone call in two rounds, slow and fast
Key Idea
Say something small. Then keep going.
Paul gives this sentence right after his barber story, and he and Emily come back to it at the end of the shop scene, after the neighbor story and in the last minute (02:38, 17:44, 24:49, 36:49). It is a very small rule: the goal is not perfect English. The goal is to break the silence with one little sentence, so the conversation can move on.
The hosts explain freezing with a picture of water. Water usually moves and flows. In very cold air it turns to ice and stops, but it is still there. “Your English is the water. Fear is the cold air” (03:10). So a frozen moment does not mean your English is gone. It means it is waiting for you to melt it.
| Cold air | What it says | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Fear of mistakes | ”I will sound stupid.” | Say something small anyway |
| Thinking too much | ”Is it went, or goed, or gone?” | One bridge sentence to slow down |
| Eyes on you | A quiet room, everyone looking | A slow voice and a breath |
When English Freezes (00:00)
The episode begins with two pictures that learners know well: the phone that you answer and then put down, and the shop counter where your mouth stops. Emily gives it a name, “We call that freezing”, and Paul promises to melt it with four small steps. Listen for the rule at the start: they speak slowly, and you are asked to repeat out loud, because out loud is best.
Paul’s Phone Call to the Barber (00:56)
Paul’s story has a clear order, so it is a good one to retell in your own words: a small barber shop, a Thursday evening call, a fast voice, one new word, a hot face, a hang-up, a Saturday walk with no booking, and a hard plastic chair. The funny part is Paul’s last sentence about it: “I knew every word he said.” Emily answers: “You knew English. But your English froze” (02:02).
The story has a happy ending, near the end of the phone section (24:15). On Monday, Paul called the barber again. The man asked him to spell his last name again. This time Paul said “just a second”, took a breath, and spelled it slowly. He got his haircut on Saturday at ten, with no waiting (24:39).
Why We Freeze: Three Kinds of Cold (02:47)
Paul and Emily name three kinds of cold air. Fear of mistakes says silence is safe, but Emily answers that silence teaches you nothing (03:24). Thinking too much opens “ten windows” in your brain, and Emily’s old laptop stops in the same way (03:58). The third is eyes: a waiter, a boss, a teacher, a whole room looking at you.
Then comes the most important idea of the section: “Freezing is normal” (05:03). Emily forgot her own phone number at the bank, in her own language, and Paul says he freezes in his first language too. So freezing does not mean your English is bad. Say it with them: Freeze. My mind went blank.
Step 1: Bridge Sentences and the Echo (05:44)
Emily’s first step is a bridge. When you freeze there is a gap of silence between you and the other person, and a bridge sentence helps you cross it while you think. You are not answering yet; you are walking across the bridge (06:07).
Her five bridges are short and slow: Just a second. Let me think. Good question. Let me think. How can I say this? Let me find the right words. (06:25). They sound normal, and Emily says that native speakers use them every day. Nobody thinks “oh, a learner”; people only think that you are thinking. Paul shows it with a breakfast question: “Hmm, let me think. I had toast with honey, and a cup of tea” (07:47). Then you answer your own questions in the pause.
The second tool in step one is the echo. Someone asks “What do you do on weekends?” and you say the question back: “What do I do on weekends? Well…” It gives you two or three seconds for free, and it shows that you understood (09:05). Notice one small change: the question says you, and your echo says I (09:17). Paul tries it with his favorite food, and then you practise with “Where do you live?” (09:55) and “What time do you get up?” (10:08).
Step 2: Slow Steps on Ice (10:17)
Step two is about speed. When Paul is nervous his voice gets “like a train with no driver”, and fast speech makes more mistakes, and more mistakes make more fear. Emily’s picture is walking on ice: you never run, you take small, slow steps and you arrive safely (10:45).
Paul says the same sentence twice, fast and then slow, and Emily hears only “bus” and “rain” the first time. The slow version has an extra gift: it sounds calm and kind, even if you are a little nervous inside. “Nobody can see the ice inside you” (11:57). Before the first word, take a breath in through your nose, and say it with them: Slow down. Take a breath. (12:31)
Step 3: Emily at the Gym and the Rewind Button (12:56)
Emily’s gym story is the funny one. Her first class was at seven on a Saturday morning, and the trainer asked, “any injuries?” She did not know the word, was too shy to ask, nodded and said yes. So she got the easiest class in the world, sitting on a soft ball with a small bottle of water, for a whole hour, while everybody else ran and jumped (13:22).
The next week she was brave and asked what injuries means. The trainer touched his knee, and Emily laughed: “No injuries. Just lazy legs” (14:22). Her picture for this step is a rewind button, like on an old video player: when you do not understand, you press it. And “People are happy to press it for you” (14:38). The rewind buttons are: One more time, please. Sorry, could you repeat that? I didn’t catch that. Could you speak a little slower? What does that mean? Do you mean…? (15:07). Use Do you mean…? when you want to check a guess, for example “Do you mean my family name?” (15:38).
Place 1: At the Shop Checkout (16:19)
Now the steps go to work in a supermarket. Paul is the cashier and Emily buys bread and milk. In one short scene she asks “Sorry, one more time, please?”, “Sorry, what does store card mean?” and “Do you mean four twenty?” (16:50, 17:03). Emily counts four rewind buttons and no freezing. The cashier is not angry at all: cashiers hear these sentences all day, and the only problem is when you say nothing. So any small sentence is better than a long silence.
Step 4: Keep Going Like a Band (17:47)
Step four is about mistakes. Most learners stop and say “oh sorry, sorry, my English is terrible”, and then they freeze again. Emily’s picture is a band: sometimes the guitar plays one wrong note, but the band keeps playing, and the people listening remember the whole song (18:11).
To fix a mistake in one second, use two small words, I mean. “Last night I cook… I mean, I cooked pasta” (18:52). No sorry, no stop. Paul gives Emily a wrong sentence to fix, “Last weekend, I see my grandmother”, and you can try your own fix in the pause (19:17). For a bigger mistake, use Let me say that again. Not “sorry”: just “again” (19:52).
Place 2: A Phone Call and Spelling Your Name (20:23)
The phone is hard because there is no face and no hands, and nodding does nothing. So have your words ready before you call: say who you are (“Hello, this is Paul”), say why you call (“I’m calling about a booking” or “I’d like to book a table”), and write these sentences on paper next to the phone like a map (20:49). Paul also explains that “I’d like” means “I want”, but it is more polite, and a soft voice helps on the phone (20:57).
Then the big one: spelling. When you hear spell, say the letters one by one, with a small stop between them. Emily spells her name, E… M… I… L… Y, and gives you a small trick for letters that sound the same, like B and P, or M and N: a word for each letter, such as “M for Mary” and “N for Nancy” (22:43). Paul spells his name with green, red, apple, yellow, which is gray (22:49).
Then you hear a full call to a restaurant, Rosa’s Kitchen: Paul asks for a table for Friday, uses “Sorry, could you speak a little slower?”, “Let me think”, “One more time, please”, “Do you mean a quarter past eight?” and finally spells his last name, G… R… A… Y (23:14). Emily’s comment: “You spelled your name. No hanging up.”
Place 3: Meeting a New Neighbor (24:54)
The third place is a friendly chat with no plan, and that can be scary too. Emily suggests an honest sentence: I’m still learning English. It is true, and it is not sorry. After you say it, people usually slow down and help you. Then there are two more helpers: Can you tell me more? gives you more time while the other person talks, and I’m not sure. Let me check. keeps you calm when you do not know something (25:16).
Paul plays Tom from number twelve, who grows red tomatoes. Emily says she is still learning, asks him to tell her more, asks what the bins means (it means the trash), and says she will check when the truck comes (25:59, 26:59). Her feeling at the end: “Warm, not frozen” (27:20). Because she told the truth at the start, Tom spoke slowly after that, and Emily did not need to know every answer.
Review, Quiz and Your Turn (28:03)
The hosts review the steps with their own stories, not with a list. Paul’s barber story gives five sentences: “Just a second”, “Could you spell that?”, “I didn’t catch that”, “Let me say that again”. Emily’s gym story gives three more: “What does that mean?”, “One more time, please” and “Do you mean…?” (28:44).
Quiz: What Do You Say? (30:13). Six moments, three seconds each: a waiter who speaks fast, a friend’s word you do not know, a question that needs time, “I buy a new phone yesterday”, a mind that goes totally blank, and a name on the phone that you need to write (30:27 to 31:54). Number five brings two new phrases: Sorry, my mind went blank. Can I start again? and Give me a second, please. (31:44)
Your Turn: Call the Barber Shop (32:30). You call Sam’s Barber Shop and ask for a haircut on Saturday. Round one is slow and Paul helps you after each pause; round two is a fast real barber, so use your rewind buttons (32:45, 33:45).
Today’s Action and Your Challenge (34:55)
Today’s job takes two minutes. Stand in front of a mirror and say three sentences, three times each, slowly: Just a second. One more time, please. Let me say that again. Then spell your name once (35:59).
Then answer in the comments: where do you freeze the most, on the phone, at a shop, or with a neighbor? And write your favorite bridge sentence too (37:18).
One more thing before the end: Emily asks learners to stop one sentence. The sentence is: “Sorry, my English is bad.” It is not true, and it makes you feel smaller. Change it to “I’m still learning.” Paul tells of a friend who said the first sentence every time, and when she changed it to the second, people smiled more, and she smiled more too (35:30).
Useful Language from the Episode
| Phrase | Meaning | Example from the episode |
|---|---|---|
| Just a second. (06:25) | a short bridge while you think | ”Just a second. Then spell it. Slowly.” |
| Let me think. (06:25) | say you need time | ”Hmm, let me think. I had toast with honey, and a cup of tea.” |
| How can I say this? (06:25) | you forgot the word | ”How can I say this?” |
| Let me find the right words. (06:25) | a longer bridge | ”Let me find the right words.” |
| the echo (09:05) | say the question back, change you to I | ”What do I do on weekends? Well…” |
| One more time, please. (15:07) | ask for a repeat | ”Sorry, one more time, please?” |
| I didn’t catch that. (15:07) | I did not hear it well | ”I didn’t catch that.” |
| Could you speak a little slower? (15:07) | ask for slow speech | ”Sorry, could you speak a little slower?” |
| What does that mean? (15:07) | ask about one word | ”Sorry, what does that mean?” |
| Do you mean…? (15:38) | check your guess | ”Do you mean a quarter past eight?” |
| I mean… (18:52) | fix a mistake quickly | ”Last night I cook… I mean, I cooked pasta.” |
| Let me say that again. (19:52) | start the sentence again | ”Let me say that again.” |
| I’d like… (20:57) | I want, but polite | ”I’d like to book a table.” |
| Could you spell that? (21:49) | ask for the letters | ”Could you spell that, please?” |
| I’m still learning English. (25:16) | an honest, strong sentence | ”I’m still learning English, so please speak slowly.” |
| I’m not sure. Let me check. (25:46) | when you do not know | ”I’m not sure. Let me check and tell you.” |
Mistake and Repair
| Often said | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Last night I cook pasta. | Last night I cooked pasta. | Use the past for last night. Fix it with I mean and keep going (18:52). |
| Last weekend, I see my grandmother. | Last weekend, I saw my grandmother. | Saw is the past of see (19:17). |
| I buy a new phone yesterday. | I bought a new phone yesterday. | Bought is the past of buy (31:44). |
| Nod and say yes when you did not understand | One more time, please. | Emily got a very easy class (13:22). |
| Sorry, my English is bad. | I’m still learning. | It is true, and it is strong (35:20). |
Practice with the Episode
1. Listen for details
Listen again and answer. The answers follow.
- What did Paul do after the barber asked him to spell his last name?
- How long did Paul wait on the plastic chair on Saturday?
- What did Emily do when the trainer said “any injuries?”
- In the echo, which small word changes: you to what?
- Which word helps you tell M and N apart on the phone?
Answers
- He said “okay, thank you” and hung up.
- Fifty minutes.
- She nodded, said yes, and sat on a soft ball for a whole hour.
- You changes to I.
- A word for each letter: M for Mary, N for Nancy.
2. Echo, then answer
Say the question back with Well…, then answer in one sentence. Use the pause.
- Where do you live?
- What time do you get up?
- What is your favorite food?
- What do you do on weekends?
For the first one, the episode gives this model: “Where do I live? Well… I live in a small apartment.” (09:55)
3. Fix it with I mean
Say each sentence, find the wrong word, and fix it with I mean. The answers follow.
- I eat rice last night. (written for this page)
- We watch a film on Sunday. (written for this page)
- My sister call me yesterday. (written for this page)
Answers
- I eat rice last night… I mean, I ate rice last night.
- We watch a film on Sunday… I mean, we watched a film last Sunday.
- My sister call me yesterday… I mean, my sister called me yesterday.
4. Your phone note
Take a piece of paper. Write three sentences for your next phone call: who you are, why you call, and one rewind button. For example: Hello, this is Anna. I’d like to book a table. Could you speak a little slower? Keep it next to your phone.
Keep Practicing
Want the echo as a page you can use without the episode? Read Repeat the Question Back in English: The Echo Move That Buys You Three Seconds. It has the four steps of the echo, a long list of questions with their echoes, and exercises with answers.
Chapters
- 00:00 When English Freezes
- 00:56 Paul’s Phone Call to the Barber
- 02:47 Why We Freeze: Three Kinds of Cold
- 05:44 Step 1: Bridge Sentences and the Echo
- 10:17 Step 2: Slow Steps on Ice
- 12:56 Step 3: Emily at the Gym and the Rewind Button
- 16:19 Place 1: At the Shop Checkout
- 17:47 Step 4: Keep Going Like a Band
- 20:23 Place 2: A Phone Call and Spelling Your Name
- 24:54 Place 3: Meeting a New Neighbor
- 28:03 Review with Our Stories
- 30:13 Quiz: What Do You Say?
- 32:30 Your Turn: Call the Barber Shop
- 34:55 Today’s Action and Your Challenge
Full Transcript
Paul: Have you ever picked up the phone, heard one fast English question, and just hung up?
Emily: Or you stood at a shop counter, and your mouth stopped working.
Paul: You know English. But in that moment, everything goes cold and still.
Emily: We call that freezing. And today, we are going to melt it.
Paul: Welcome to English Practice Daily. I’m Paul.
Emily: And I’m Emily. This podcast is for A1 and A2 learners.
Paul: Today you will learn why we freeze, and four small steps to stop it.
Emily: Then we use those steps in three real places. A shop, a phone call, and a new neighbor.
Paul: At the end, it is your turn to speak. You will make a phone call with us.
Emily: We speak slowly. If you want, repeat after us. Out loud is best.
Paul: Okay. Let me start with a true story. It is a little bit sad.
Emily: Oh, I love a sad story. Go on.
Paul: Last winter, I moved to a new town. My hair was very long.
Paul: There was a small barber shop near my home. A barber cuts hair.
Paul: On Thursday, at six in the evening, I called the shop.
Paul: I wanted a haircut on Saturday morning. A very easy call.
Emily: Very easy. You know all those words.
Paul: A man answered. He spoke very fast. I said, I want a haircut on Saturday.
Paul: He said, sure, could you spell your last name for me?
Emily: Spell your last name. So, say the letters of your family name.
Paul: Yes. But I did not hear the word spell. I only heard noise.
Paul: My face got hot. My head was empty. Five seconds of silence.
Emily: Five seconds on the phone is a very long time.
Paul: It felt like five minutes. Then I said, okay, thank you. And I hung up.
Emily: Oh no, Paul. You hung up on the barber!
Paul: I did. On Saturday, I walked to the shop with no booking.
Paul: I waited fifty minutes on a hard plastic chair.
Emily: With your long hair, and your hot face.
Paul: Exactly. And the funny thing is, I knew every word he said.
Emily: You knew English. But your English froze.
Paul: Right. So here is the sentence I want you to remember today.
Paul: Say something small. Then keep going.
Emily: Say something small. Then keep going. We will come back to it.
Emily: So Paul, let’s talk about the reason. I want to know why we freeze.
Paul: Think about water for a moment. Usually, water moves and flows very easily.
Paul: But when the air gets very cold, water turns to ice and stops moving.
Emily: And the water is still there. It is not gone.
Paul: Yes. Your English is the water. Fear is the cold air.
Emily: I like that. Your English is still inside you. It is just frozen for a moment.
Paul: There are three kinds of cold air. The first one is fear of mistakes.
Emily: I know this one very well. I think, if I say it wrong, people will laugh at me.
Paul: So your brain says, stay quiet, because silence feels safe and comfortable.
Emily: But silence is not really safe, because silence teaches you nothing.
Paul: True. The second cold air is thinking too much.
Emily: You mean grammar, the right word, the past tense, all at once.
Paul: Yes. Your brain has ten windows open, so everything gets very slow.
Emily: Like my old laptop. Ten windows, and it just stops.
Paul: Ha. And the third cold air is eyes, when you feel people looking at you.
Emily: A waiter, a boss, a teacher, a whole room of people.
Paul: When you feel watched, your body feels tight, and your mouth feels hard and slow.
Emily: So, fear, thinking too much, and eyes. Three kinds of cold.
Paul: Let me give you one example of each. For example, fear says, I will sound stupid.
Emily: Thinking too much says, wait, is it went, or goed, or gone.
Paul: And eyes is a quiet room, where everyone turns to look at you.
Emily: I feel all three when I order food in a busy restaurant.
Paul: Me too. A big menu, a fast waiter, and a long line behind me.
Paul: Now here is the most important part of the conversation. Freezing is normal.
Emily: Normal for learners, you mean.
Paul: Normal for everybody. I freeze in my first language too.
Emily: Me too. Last month I forgot my own phone number at the bank.
Paul: Wait. In your own language.
Emily: In my own language. My mind went blank. The woman just waited and smiled.
Paul: So freezing does not mean your English is bad. It means you are a person.
Emily: Say it with us. Freeze. My mind went blank.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: Good. Now let’s melt the ice. Step one.
Emily: Step one is my favorite. I call it the bridge.
Paul: The bridge. Tell me more.
Emily: When you freeze, there is a gap. A gap of silence between you and the other person.
Emily: A bridge helps you cross a gap. So, a bridge sentence helps you cross the silence.
Paul: It is a small sentence that gives you time.
Emily: Yes. You are not answering yet. You are only walking across the bridge.
Paul: Okay, give us the bridges. Slowly, please.
Emily: The first one is very short. Just a second.
Paul: Just a second.
Emily: The second one. Let me think.
Paul: Let me think.
Emily: The third one. Good question. Let me think.
Paul: Good question. Let me think.
Emily: The fourth one is for a word you forget. How can I say this?
Paul: How can I say this?
Emily: And the last one. Let me find the right words.
Paul: Let me find the right words. Now you say them. Repeat after Emily.
Emily: Just a second.
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: Let me think.
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: How can I say this?
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: Let me find the right words.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: Very nice. Here is why bridges are so good. They sound normal.
Emily: Native speakers use them every day. Nobody thinks, oh, a learner.
Paul: Right. People only think, okay, this person is thinking.
Emily: So Paul, I will ask you a question. Use a bridge first.
Paul: Okay, I am ready.
Emily: What did you eat for breakfast this morning?
Paul: Hmm, let me think. I had toast with honey, and a cup of tea.
Emily: Three seconds of bridge, and then a full answer.
Paul: And I did not feel cold at all.
Emily: Now it is your turn. I will ask you a question. Start with a bridge, then answer.
Emily: What did you do last night?
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: You can say, let me think. Last night, I watched a movie at home.
Emily: Good. The bridge comes first, and the answer comes after it.
Emily: Now there is a second trick inside step one. I call it the echo.
Paul: Like when you shout in the mountains, and your voice comes back to you.
Emily: Exactly. When someone asks you a question, you say the question back.
Emily: Someone asks, what do you do on weekends?
Emily: You say, what do I do on weekends? Well…
Paul: And while you say it, your brain finds the answer.
Emily: Yes. The echo gives you two or three seconds for free.
Paul: And it shows you understood the question. That is a nice bonus.
Emily: Notice one small change. The question says you. Your echo says I.
Paul: What do you do. What do I do. Okay, let me try.
Emily: Paul, what is your favorite food?
Paul: What is my favorite food? Well… I think it is soup. Hot vegetable soup.
Emily: Perfect. Now you try. Listen to Paul’s question. Use an echo, then answer.
Paul: Where do you live?
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: You can say, where do I live? Well… I live in a small apartment.
Paul: One more. What time do you get up?
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: For example, what time do I get up? Well… I get up at seven.
Paul: Great. Bridges and echoes. That is step one.
Emily: Step two is about speed. Paul, tell me what happens to your voice when you are nervous.
Paul: It gets very fast, like a train with no driver.
Emily: Same for me. I want to say everything before I forget it.
Paul: But fast speech makes more mistakes. And more mistakes make more fear.
Emily: So my picture for step two is walking on ice.
Paul: Oh, I like this. When you walk on ice, you never run.
Emily: Never, because if you run on ice, you fall down. Boom.
Paul: You take small, slow steps, and you get there safely.
Emily: Speaking English is exactly the same. Small words and slow steps.
Paul: Let me show you. I will say one sentence fast, then slow.
Paul: This morning the bus was late so I walked to work in the rain.
Emily: Wow. I heard bus and rain. That is all.
Paul: Now slowly. This morning, the bus was late. So, I walked to work, in the rain.
Emily: Much better. I heard every word.
Paul: And when I say it slowly, I also have time to think.
Emily: So slow speech helps the listener and it helps you.
Paul: There is one more good thing. Slow speech sounds calm and kind.
Emily: Yes. When I hear a slow speaker, I think, this person is relaxed.
Paul: Even when inside, they are a little bit nervous.
Emily: Nobody can see the ice inside you. They only hear your slow, clear words.
Paul: Now you try. Say the slow version with me.
Paul: This morning, the bus was late.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: So, I walked to work, in the rain.
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: There is one more thing in step two. Take a breath.
Paul: Before the first word, breathe in through your nose. Then speak.
Emily: One breath is like warm air. A little bit of ice melts.
Paul: Say it with us. Slow down. Take a breath.
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: Okay. Step three. This one saved my life at the gym.
Paul: The gym. Now I really need this story.
Emily: Last spring, I joined a gym near my home.
Emily: My first class was on Saturday, at seven in the morning.
Emily: The trainer was a tall man with a loud voice.
Emily: Before we started, he looked at me and said, any injuries?
Paul: Injuries. That means a hurt body. A bad knee, a bad back.
Emily: Yes. But I did not know that word then. Not at all.
Emily: And I was too shy to ask. So I nodded and said, yes.
Paul: Oh no. Yes to injuries.
Emily: So he gave me the easiest class in the world.
Emily: I sat on a soft ball with one small bottle of water.
Emily: Everybody else was running and jumping. I was sitting.
Paul: No! For a whole hour.
Emily: For a whole hour. My body was fine! I was sad and angry.
Paul: So, tell me about the next week.
Emily: Next week, I was brave. I said, sorry, what does injuries mean?
Emily: He touched his knee and said, a hurt knee, a hurt back.
Emily: And I laughed and said, oh! No injuries. Just lazy legs.
Paul: Ha! Lazy legs. I love that.
Emily: Then I got the real class. Running, jumping, everything.
Paul: That is step three. Ask them to say it again.
Emily: My picture for this step is a rewind button.
Paul: Like on an old video player. You press it, and the video goes back.
Emily: Yes. When you do not understand, press the rewind button.
Emily: And here is the secret. People are happy to press it for you.
Paul: Much happier than when you nod and say yes to injuries.
Emily: Much happier. Okay, here are your rewind buttons.
Emily: The shortest one. One more time, please.
Paul: One more time, please.
Emily: Sorry, could you repeat that?
Paul: Sorry, could you repeat that?
Emily: I didn’t catch that.
Paul: I didn’t catch that. That means, I did not hear it well.
Emily: Could you speak a little slower?
Paul: Could you speak a little slower?
Emily: And for one word. What does that mean?
Paul: What does that mean? And you can say the word. What does injuries mean?
Emily: And one new one. Do you mean…? Then you guess.
Paul: Oh, I like that one. Do you mean my family name?
Emily: Yes. You check your idea. Now you say them. Repeat after me.
Emily: One more time, please.
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: I didn’t catch that.
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: Could you speak a little slower?
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: What does that mean?
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: Now let’s use them in our first real place. The shop.
Emily: You are at the checkout in a supermarket. The cashier speaks fast.
Paul: I will be the cashier. Emily, you buy some bread and milk.
Emily: Okay. Hello.
Paul: Hi there, do you need a bag, and have you got a store card?
Emily: Sorry, one more time, please?
Paul: Sure. Do you need a bag?
Emily: Yes, please. One bag.
Paul: And do you have a store card?
Emily: Sorry, what does store card mean?
Paul: It is a card from our shop. You get points.
Emily: Oh, I see. No, I don’t have one. Thank you.
Paul: No problem. That’s four pounds twenty, please.
Emily: Do you mean four twenty?
Paul: Yes, four twenty. Thank you, have a nice day.
Emily: You too. Four rewind buttons, and no freezing.
Paul: And the cashier was not angry. Not even a little.
Emily: Cashiers hear these sentences all day, such as one more time, or sorry, how much.
Paul: For them, it is just a normal part of the job.
Emily: The only problem is when you say nothing. Then they wait, and you feel worse.
Paul: So any small sentence is better than a long silence.
Emily: Because asking is normal. Remember our sentence.
Paul: Say something small. Then keep going.
Emily: Step four, Paul. This is about mistakes. Tell me what most learners do.
Paul: They stop. They say, oh sorry, sorry, my English is terrible.
Emily: And then they freeze again.
Paul: Yes. So step four is very simple to remember. Keep going.
Emily: My picture for this step is a band playing a song together.
Paul: A guitar player, a singer, a drummer.
Emily: Sometimes the guitar plays one wrong note. But they do not stop the song.
Paul: No, never. The band keeps playing. The song goes on.
Emily: And the people listening do not even notice.
Paul: They remember the whole song, not one different note.
Emily: Same with English. People remember your idea. Not one little mistake.
Paul: Now, sometimes you really want to fix a mistake, and that is okay too.
Emily: Use two small words. I mean.
Paul: Let me show you. Last night I cook… I mean, I cooked pasta.
Emily: Nice. You fixed it in one second, and you kept going.
Paul: No sorry. No stop. Just, I mean.
Emily: Let me try. Yesterday I go to the park… I mean, I went to the park.
Paul: Now you fix one. Listen to my wrong sentence. Then say it again with I mean.
Paul: Last weekend, I see my grandmother.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: You can say, last weekend, I see… I mean, I saw my grandmother.
Emily: And then you keep talking. She made a big lunch for me.
Paul: Exactly. The fix is small, and the story goes on.
Paul: Perfect. And here is one more sentence for a big mistake.
Paul: Sometimes the whole sentence goes wrong. Then you say, let me say that again.
Emily: Let me say that again. Not sorry. Just again.
Paul: Say them with us. I mean.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: Let me say that again.
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: Okay, Paul. Tell me where you freeze the most. Be honest.
Paul: Honestly, on the phone. You know my barber story.
Emily: Then let’s go to our second real place. The phone.
Paul: The phone is hard because you cannot see the person.
Emily: No face, no hands, no smile. Only a voice.
Paul: And you cannot nod. Nodding on the phone does nothing.
Emily: So you need words ready before you call.
Paul: First, the start of the call. Say who you are. Hello, this is Paul.
Emily: Then say why you are calling. I’m calling about a booking.
Paul: Or, I’d like to book a table. I’d like means I want, but polite.
Emily: I’d like is softer. On the phone, a soft voice helps a lot.
Paul: And write these sentences on paper before you call.
Emily: Yes. A small note next to the phone is like a map.
Paul: When your head goes cold, you just read the note.
Emily: Let’s repeat them. Hello, this is Emily.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: I’m calling about a booking.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: I’d like to book a table.
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: Now, the big one on the phone. Spelling your name.
Paul: My old enemy. Could you spell that?
Emily: When you hear spell, you say the letters, one by one.
Paul: Slowly. With a small stop between letters.
Emily: Let me spell my name. E… M… I… L… Y.
Paul: Now you. Spell your first name, slowly, out loud.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: Great. Sometimes you do not understand the name of a street or a person.
Emily: Then you say, could you spell that, please?
Paul: Here is a small trick for letters that sound the same, such as B and P, or M and N.
Emily: You can say a word for the letter. M for Mary. N for Nancy.
Paul: My barber needed that. G for green. R for red. A for apple. Y for yellow.
Emily: Gray. Green, red, apple, yellow. Very easy to hear.
Paul: Okay, let’s make a phone call. I am calling a restaurant.
Emily: I am the restaurant. Ring ring. Hello, Rosa’s Kitchen.
Paul: Hello, this is Paul. I’d like to book a table for Friday, please.
Emily: Sure, for how many people and what time?
Paul: Sorry, could you speak a little slower?
Emily: Of course. How many people?
Paul: Two people.
Emily: And what time?
Paul: Let me think. Seven o’clock, please.
Emily: Seven is full, sorry. We have seven thirty or eight fifteen.
Paul: I didn’t catch the second time. One more time, please.
Emily: Eight fifteen.
Paul: Do you mean a quarter past eight?
Emily: Yes, that’s right.
Paul: Okay, eight fifteen is perfect for us.
Emily: Great. Could you spell your last name for me?
Paul: Yes. G… R… A… Y. Gray.
Emily: Thank you, Mr. Gray. See you on Friday at eight fifteen.
Paul: Thank you. Bye.
Emily: Paul! You spelled your name. No hanging up.
Paul: I know. I feel like a new man. Let me tell you what I did after my barber story.
Paul: On Monday, I called the barber again. Same man, same fast voice.
Paul: He said, could you spell your last name? And this time I said, just a second.
Paul: I took a breath. And I spelled it slowly. G, R, A, Y.
Emily: And I hope you got your haircut.
Paul: Saturday at ten. No plastic chair. No waiting.
Emily: That is a happy end. Short hair, warm face.
Paul: Say something small. Then keep going. It really works.
Emily: Now our third real place. A new neighbor.
Paul: This one is not about a booking. It is just a friendly chat.
Emily: But friendly chats can be scary too. There is no plan.
Paul: Right. Someone just walks over and starts talking.
Emily: Here is a great sentence for this place. I’m still learning English.
Paul: I like it because it is true. And it is not sorry.
Emily: After you say it, people usually slow down. They help you.
Paul: You can add, please speak slowly.
Emily: And if they say something interesting, you say, can you tell me more?
Paul: That one is gold. The other person talks, and you get more time.
Emily: And sometimes they ask you something you do not know.
Paul: Then you do not freeze. You say, I’m not sure. Let me check.
Emily: Let’s try it. Paul, you are my new neighbor. It is Sunday afternoon.
Emily: I am in the garden behind our building. You walk over.
Paul: Hi! You’re new here, aren’t you? I’m Tom, from number twelve.
Emily: Hi, Tom. Yes, I’m Emily. I’m still learning English, so please speak slowly.
Paul: Oh, sure, no problem. Welcome to the building. Do you like it here?
Emily: Yes, I like it. It is quiet, and the garden is nice.
Paul: It is. I grow tomatoes over there, in the corner.
Emily: Oh, really? Can you tell me more?
Paul: Sure. Every summer, I grow red tomatoes. I give some to the neighbors.
Emily: That is very kind. I love tomatoes.
Paul: Then I will bring you some in July. They are very sweet.
Emily: Thank you. In my country, my grandmother grows tomatoes too.
Paul: Oh, how nice. So you know good tomatoes.
Emily: I do. Hers are small, but very red.
Paul: Good! By the way, do you know when the bins go out?
Emily: The bins? Sorry, what does that mean?
Paul: The trash. When does the truck come for the trash?
Emily: Ah, the trash. I’m not sure. Let me check and tell you.
Paul: Great, thanks. Nice to meet you, Emily.
Emily: Nice to meet you too, Tom.
Paul: And that is the end. Emily, tell me how you felt.
Emily: Warm, not frozen. Because I said the truth at the start.
Paul: And Tom spoke slowly after that. You helped him to help you.
Emily: Yes. And when he asked about the bins, I did not need the answer.
Paul: You only needed, let me check. Small, true, and friendly.
Emily: Nobody knows everything. Not even the neighbors.
Paul: I’m still learning English. Say it with us.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: I’m not sure. Let me check.
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: Paul, let’s stop and look back. But not with a list.
Paul: With our stories. Okay. I will start with the barber.
Paul: On Thursday evening, I called the barber shop. The man said, could you spell that?
Paul: I froze, and I hung up. On Monday, I called again.
Paul: This time, I said, just a second. Then I took a breath and spoke slowly.
Paul: If I didn’t catch something, I said, I didn’t catch that.
Paul: And when I started a sentence wrong, I said, let me say that again.
Emily: Five useful sentences in one story. Let’s repeat them.
Emily: Just a second.
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: Could you spell that?
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: I didn’t catch that.
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: Let me say that again.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: Now your gym story, Emily.
Emily: At my first gym class, the trainer said, any injuries?
Emily: I nodded and sat on a ball for one hour.
Emily: The next week, I asked, what does that mean?
Emily: If I miss a word, I say, one more time, please.
Emily: And if I am not sure, I check. Do you mean my knee?
Paul: Three more sentences. Let’s repeat.
Paul: What does that mean?
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: One more time, please.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: Do you mean…?
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: Very good. And do not forget the pictures. The bridge, the echo, small steps on ice.
Emily: The rewind button, and the band that keeps playing.
Paul: Now a quiz. I will tell you a moment. You choose a sentence.
Emily: Answer out loud. You have three seconds. Then Paul gives one answer.
Paul: Number one. A waiter speaks very fast. You understand nothing.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: You can say, could you speak a little slower?
Emily: Number two. Your friend says a word. You do not know this word.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: You can say, what does that mean?
Emily: Number three. Someone asks you a question. You need time to think.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: You can say, just a second. Or, let me think. Or use an echo.
Emily: Number four. You say, I buy a new phone yesterday. Oops.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: You can say, I mean, I bought a new phone. And you keep going.
Emily: Number five. Your mind goes totally blank. No words at all.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: This one is new. You can say, sorry, my mind went blank. Can I start again?
Emily: Or, give me a second, please. Both are honest and calm.
Emily: Number six. Someone tells you a name on the phone. You need to write it.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: You can say, could you spell that, please. Then write each letter.
Paul: Let’s repeat those two. Sorry, my mind went blank. Can I start again?
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: Give me a second, please.
Emily: One… two… three…
Emily: Now the big practice. You make a phone call.
Paul: You call my barber shop. You want a haircut on Saturday.
Emily: I will be the barber. Paul helps you after each pause.
Paul: Round one is slow. Get ready. Emily answers the phone.
Emily: Hello, Sam’s Barber Shop.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: You can say, hello, this is… and your name. I’d like a haircut on Saturday.
Emily: Sure. Morning or afternoon?
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: You can say, morning, please. Or, afternoon, please.
Emily: Okay. Could you spell your last name for me?
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: Spell it slowly. Letter, stop, letter, stop.
Emily: Thank you. See you on Saturday.
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: You can say, thank you. Bye. And that is round one.
Emily: Round two. Same call. But now I speak fast, like a real barber.
Paul: This time, use your rewind buttons.
Emily: Hi there, Sam’s Barbers, what can I do for you?
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: You can say, sorry, could you speak a little slower?
Emily: Sure. What can I do for you?
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: You can say, I’d like a haircut on Saturday, please.
Emily: We have nine forty five or eleven twenty, which one is better for you?
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: You can say, one more time, please. Or, do you mean nine forty five?
Emily: Nine forty five. Great. Your last name, please?
Emily: One… two… three…
Paul: Just a second. Then spell it. Slowly.
Emily: Perfect. See you Saturday.
Paul: Well done. You did not hang up. Not once.
Emily: Paul, one more thing. Many learners say one sentence too much.
Paul: I know the one. Sorry, my English is bad.
Emily: Yes. Please do not say that.
Paul: Because it is not true. Your English is not bad. It is growing.
Emily: And it makes you feel smaller, and the other person feels uncomfortable.
Paul: So change it to a different sentence. Say, I’m still learning.
Emily: I’m still learning. That is honest, and it is strong.
Paul: I have a friend who always said, sorry, my English is bad. Every single time.
Emily: That sounds very tiring, for her and for everyone around her.
Paul: It was. Then she changed it to, I’m still learning. People smiled more, and she smiled more too.
Emily: The same English in her head, but a new feeling. That is a big change from one small sentence.
Paul: Now, here is your one small job for today.
Emily: Stand in front of a mirror. Say three bridge and rewind sentences out loud.
Paul: Just a second. One more time, please. Let me say that again.
Emily: Say each one three times. Slowly. Then spell your name once.
Paul: It takes two minutes. Let me do it now, as an example.
Paul: Just a second. Just a second. Just a second.
Emily: One more time, please. One more time, please. One more time, please.
Paul: Let me say that again. Let me say that again. Let me say that again.
Emily: And my name. E… M… I… L… Y.
Paul: Two minutes. And the next time you freeze, these words are ready.
Emily: And remember our sentence, one last time.
Paul: Say something small.
Emily: Then keep going.
Paul: So today we learned why we freeze. Fear, thinking too much, and eyes.
Emily: Then four steps. Build a bridge. Walk slowly on the ice.
Paul: Press the rewind button. And play on, like the band.
Emily: And we used them at a shop, on the phone, and with a new neighbor.
Paul: Now we want to hear from you. Where do you freeze the most?
Emily: On the phone, at a shop, or with a neighbor? Write it in the comments.
Paul: And write your favorite bridge sentence too. We read every comment.
Emily: In our next episode, we talk about small talk at work. Easy and friendly.
Paul: If this lesson helped you, please subscribe, so you can find us again.
Emily: Thank you for learning with us. I’m Emily.
Paul: And I’m Paul. See you next time. Keep it small, and keep going.