As with anything in life, the key to becoming a fluent and confident English speaker is practice! After all, studying English in a classroom or watching people speak will only get you so far… In order to speak English fluently, you simply need to immerse yourself in English conversations as often as possible!

The problem is… We are all busy! 

Whether it be work, education, family or life, we all have commitments and obligations that make it seem impossible to find time to practise English regularly, right? 

So, how can you build the confidence we need to speak naturally, without having to spend hours and hours studying everyday?

We spoke to four Hey Lady! members to find out how they use our platform to improve their skills and get the regular practise they need to build confidence and fluency. You’ll see how much time each member spends in the community each week, which activities they invest their time in, and how this has helped them to achieve their English goals!

After reading their stories, we think you’ll see that it’s totally possible to improve - even if your time is limited! 

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Valeria joined our community in 2020 because she wanted to improve her English skills for work. Even though she felt comfortable speaking in informal conversations, Valeria felt she had missed out on job opportunities because she lacked the confidence to write and present professionally in English.  

Valeria has a very busy schedule juggling both work and family commitments, so spends approximately two hours per week in the community. She doesn’t have much time to spare, so Valeria uses this time to participate in speaking events and getting feedback from our coaches in teacher-led events. 

Given her specific goal to present to her colleagues and peers at work, Valeria recently started co-hosting events for other ladies in the community, where she leads discussions and facilitates conversation between members. 

Having been in the community for just over one year, Valeria is proud to share that she can tick this goal off her list. 

“My fluency has increased enormously and I am able to do things that I was not able to do before, such as giving presentations at work and attending meetings speaking in English. My listening and writing skills have also advanced considerably. All of this increased my confidence in English.”

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When joining our community last year, Harika dreamt of speaking fluently in daily conversations, and similar to Valeria, wanted to improve her professional English for her work as a family and human rights lawyer. 

A bit like other social media platforms, Harika logs onto Hey Lady! once every few days, spending between two and three hours in the community each week. 

Given her goal to improve fluency in daily conversations, Harika uses this time to socialise with her friends in our community. At the start of each week, she checks which events are happening at suitable times for her, and RSVPs to the ones that interest her most.

“I have some events which I regularly join, such as the reading club and the theatre group. I also host events once every two month with lovely ladies. And of course, I join some events and lessons led by the English coaches. I get to practise my English, broaden my worldview, explore new cultures, and enrich my inner world.”

Harika is able to practise and improve her English by speaking about the things that she actually cares about! It’s amazing how quickly you progress when you get to practise speaking when you want, about the things you care about!

In just two hours each week, Harika now feels more comfortable speaking English, both in her personal and professional life.  

“My fluency and vocabulary have hugely improved since I joined this community. It has taught me to enjoy my English journey and not to feel alone! The fantastic teachers, the friendly atmosphere, and the outstanding ladies who are now my friends… All of this has helped me feel more confident and advanced in English.”

Virginija joined our community over two years ago after searching for a way to improve her English fluency that would suit her fast-paced life. When she joined us, her goal was to actually speak English - up until that point, she didn’t have any opportunities to practise speaking with others.

Virginija has a very demanding job, so she manages to squeeze English practice into her schedule late in the evening after work, and on weekends. Despite her busy schedule, she is very motivated to learn and improve, attending two or three community events each week.

“Sometimes when I'm very tired in the evening, I join an event and just chat with ladies from all over the world about very simple things, about our culture or daily life. Usually, we relax and laugh a lot. And even this helps me improve my English.”

Virginija focuses her time on the activities she enjoys the most in the platform - and the ones she knows will help her achieve her goals.  

“I really like the English lessons that are provided here. I attend coach office hours. And the best thing in the world is meetings with ladies from all over the world. I adore them!”

Virginija also uses our platform to learn about different people and cultures, through English. One of her favourite parts of the community is reading the articles written by coaches and other members. 

We’re so proud of Virginija’s progress since she joined us in 2019!

“A couple of years ago, I didn’t speak English at all. I was able to read and understand the text, but even a simple conversation made me nervous and anxious. Now I can speak English on the street, travel without fear wherever I want, and I can boldly ask anything in English.”

When Natalia joined our community, her goal was to speak English fluently with people she met on her travels. She tried improving her English on other apps, which helped her to improve her listening and writing skills. But, she quickly realised that in order to speak fluently, she needed to practise having real conversations! 

That’s when she found our online community!

“For me, this is the only place I can actually speak English, and everyone is so supportive. I can see there are other ladies who speak fluently here, and this gives me motivation to keep going!” 

Natalia has a bit more time to practise English, and spends around 10 hours in the platform each week. Given her desire to meet and learn from people from all over the world, Natalia spends lots of time connecting with other members in the community in one-to-one conversations (via video chat). She also attends approximately five group events each week, which gives her the chance to learn about different cultures and worldviews, while practising her conversation skills. 

For Natalia, this online community isn’t just a tool to improve her English… It’s a place to meet lifelong friends! 

“It’s really fascinating to speak to people from all around the world. I have really close relationships with women everywhere… This community is literally a whole new world for me!”

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When she joined our community, Natalia dreamt of becoming fluent in English. And we’re proud to share that she has turned this dream into a reality! 

“I never thought that I could lead a group conversation. But now, it’s amazing to think that I often lead English study groups with others!” 

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These incredible women are making the most of the time they have and seeing their English goals through! 

Whether you can only practise on the weekends or you can practise everyday, it isn’t about how much time you have to offer that matters… It’s how willing you are to show up and make the most of the time you do have.