Vocabulary practice · Episode 60

Review the useful expressions from the episode

Study the episode’s central expressions with English definitions, nuance and examples, plus reviewed support-language versions where available.

B1–B2Everyday EnglishAbout 14 min + dynamic ads5 PDF versions available
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  1. Choose one expression. Read its definition, nuance and examples.
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Vocabulary from the episode

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Expression 1

to channel your nerves

to redirect nervous energy into something productive — using the adrenaline of anxiety to improve your performance rather than letting it paralyse you

Nuance: Channel your nerves is the advanced speaker's approach to anxiety — not eliminating nerves, but directing them. The same physical state that causes freezing can cause sharpness if you reframe it as excitement.

Channel your nerves into energy — the adrenaline makes your voice clearer and your mind sharper.

The best public speakers don't remove their nerves — they channel them into charisma.

Expression 2

to pause for effect

to deliberately stop speaking for a moment to create emphasis, allow the audience to absorb what was just said, or build suspense

Nuance: The pause is one of the most underused tools in speaking — most nervous speakers fill every silence with words. A well-timed pause creates power, not weakness. It signals confidence and gives the audience space to think.

Pause for effect before your key point — the silence will make the words that follow land harder.

She learned to pause for effect and immediately sounded three times more confident than before.

Expression 3

stage fright

the intense nervousness or fear experienced before or during performing in front of an audience

Nuance: Stage fright is the theatrical word for performance anxiety. Many learners experience it in English presentations, interviews, and meetings. The good news is that stage fright peaks before you begin and then reduces once you start. The trick is to begin — and the fear subsides naturally.

Stage fright is normal before presenting in English — it almost always reduces once you begin speaking.

She had severe stage fright before her first English presentation but pushed through it and it was easier each time.

Expression 4

to steady yourself

to calm yourself down physically and mentally before or during a high-pressure situation

Nuance: Steady yourself is the self-regulation instruction. Before a presentation, interview, or difficult conversation in English, steadying yourself might mean: a deep breath, a slow exhale, a moment of stillness. Physical steadying produces mental steadying — this is physiology, not performance.

Take a moment to steady yourself before a difficult English conversation — breathe, slow down, begin.

She steadied herself before the interview with three deep breaths and noticed that her voice was calmer as a result.

Expression 5

to make eye contact

to look directly at the eyes of the person or people you are speaking to — signalling confidence and engagement

Nuance: Make eye contact is a cultural and communicative act. In most English-speaking contexts, eye contact signals confidence, honesty, and interest. Avoiding it can signal nervousness, discomfort, or dishonesty — even if that is not the intention. For non-native speakers, maintaining eye contact while thinking in a second language is a genuine skill.

Make eye contact when you speak English — it signals confidence even when you do not feel it.

She practised making eye contact in mirror exercises and found it made her appear far more confident.

Expression 6

to keep your composure

to remain calm and controlled on the outside even when you feel anxious or uncertain on the inside

Nuance: Keep your composure is the performance skill of appearing calm. You may feel nervous, but if you keep your composure — slow down, lower your voice, breathe deliberately — your audience perceives confidence. Composure is the outer performance of inner management.

Keep your composure even when you make a mistake — your reaction to the mistake matters more than the mistake.

She lost her place in the presentation but kept her composure, paused, and continued without anyone noticing.

Expression 7

to own the room

to command attention and project confidence so effectively that others naturally focus on you

Nuance: Own the room is the public speaking aspiration. It describes the moment when a speaker has so much presence that all attention naturally falls to them. For English learners presenting or speaking in meetings, this is an achievable goal — it is not about language level, but body language, pace, and eye contact.

You do not need perfect English to own the room — you need confidence, pace, and eye contact.

She walked in nervous but ended up owning the room through her calm delivery and clear eye contact.

Expression 8

delivery

the manner in which you present or communicate content — including pace, tone, volume, clarity, and pausing

Nuance: Delivery is what separates a good message from a great presentation. You can have excellent content in English but poor delivery makes it unmemorable. Conversely, average content with excellent delivery is far more impactful. For English learners, delivery is often the missing piece.

Work on your delivery as much as your content — how you say something in English matters as much as what you say.

Her content was excellent but her delivery needed work — she spoke too fast and paused in the wrong places.

Expression 9

to slow down deliberately

to choose to speak more slowly as a purposeful technique — to give weight to your words and help your listener follow

Nuance: Slow down deliberately is one of the most powerful public speaking techniques, and it is counterintuitive. When nervous, most people speed up. But deliberately slowing down signals confidence, gives you thinking time, and makes every word carry more weight. It is not about being slow — it is about being intentional.

When you feel nervous speaking English, slow down deliberately — it signals confidence, not hesitation.

She trained herself to slow down deliberately before key points and noticed her audience paid closer attention.

Expression 10

to win over an audience

to gain the interest, trust, and approval of the people listening to you

Nuance: Win over an audience is the public speaking aspiration. It does not require perfection — it requires authenticity, clarity, and connection. English learners often believe their accent or grammar prevents them from winning over an audience. In practice, audiences respond to sincerity and preparation, not linguistic perfection.

You can win over any English-speaking audience with preparation, eye contact, and genuine enthusiasm.

She won over the audience in the first two minutes by telling a personal story that made everyone laugh.

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