スピーキングチャレンジもっと自信が持てるようになる方法

"To be passive is to let others decide for you. To be aggressive is to decide for others. To be assertive is to decide for yourself. And to trust that there is enough, that you are enough." ― Edith Eva Eger

Hello everyone, Hubert back with another episode of the Pronunciation Challenge. Today, we’ll be watching a video about being more assertive (assertive means confident in a bit of a forceful way) Kevin Hart (an American comedian) once had a funny story about his uncle teaching him how to be more confident. His uncle would tell him to speak up and be more assertive. Whenever he spoke, his uncle would say, “Say it with your chest!” What does that mean? Well, Kevin wasn’t sure, and I’m not too entirely sure either but I would have to guess that it means to stand up straight, puff your chest out and speak with confidence. Say it with your chest! Let’s get to the featured sentence and I’ll tell you how I became more assertive as I got older.

Today’s featured sentence:
Don't be passive or aggressive or coy, it's annoying.

I’ll say that again.

Don't be passive or aggressive or coy, it's annoying.

Ok, now time for the Pronunciation Tips.


For the first word, we have
passive
Two syllables.
“Pas” has a short A sound. “Sive” sounds like “live” but with an S in front instead. Passive.

Next up, we have
aggressive
Three syllables
“A” actually has a short U sound. “Ggre” has a short E sound and like the word before, “ssive” sounds like “live” but with an S in front.

Lastly, we have,
coy
One syllable.
This one may seem simple but I wanted to point this one out so that you listeners will know that whenever you see an “oy” or even “oi” combinations, then it usually has the “oy” sound like soy, boy, noise. Coy.


Moving onto Vocabulary!

The first word is:
1. passive
Definition
not acting to influence or change a situation; allowing other people to be in control
Used in a sentence you could say,
“You have to stop being so passive in relationships!”

Next word,
2. aggressive
Definition
behaving in an angry and violent way towards another person
Used in a sentence, you could say:
“Nobody wants to play basketball with Tommy because he’s too aggressive.”

And lastly,
3. coy
Definition:
intentionally keeping something secret
Used in a sentence, you could say:
“That girl just gave me a coy smile just now.”

Ok, here’s a confession. I’m not assertive! I just pretend to be! As a kid, I was too shy to even order from McDonald’s! The thing about fear is that once you confront it and constantly face these fears (willingly of course), you’ll eventually get more comfortable with it. You might not ever get over this fear but it definitely won’t be as bad as it was before.
An important lesson I learned throughout the years was a saying that I’ll never forget. The saying goes, “It never hurts to ask.” Sometimes, it’s good to let others know what your wants and needs are instead of assuming people can read your mind. In fact, some people appreciate this honesty instead! It makes things easier for them. Also, know that you aren’t perfect and that you can’t make everyone like you. There’s always someone who will find any reason to not like you. They’re not important.
So, remember that it never hurts to ask and to say it with your chest! Before you go, make sure to get your recordings in if you haven’t done so already. Give me a follow on Instagram if you haven’t done so yet at hughtran_. Until the next episode, bye!