English for Shy Engineers

エンジニア英語キャリア Meetup #3にてAkanumaさんが登壇した資料です。
https://pn-developer-lounge.connpass.com/event/397239/

Transcript

1. English for Shy Engineers Making a Base for Conversation — Alone © 2026 UPSIDER.inc
2. Presenter Profile Hiroaki Akanuma (赤沼 寛明) UPSIDER, Inc. （株式会社UPSIDER） CTO of the 支払い.com Business Unit After developing software at M3 and Nubee Tokyo, I joined Unifa in 2015 as a founding member of its Tokyo office. As Board Director & CTO, I led the Product Development Division and launched multiple new products with a multinational team. Since April 2025, I have been the CTO of the "支払い.com" Shiharai.com) business unit at UPSIDER. © 2026 UPSIDER.inc
3. To be honest… I lead multinational teams as a CTO. But… I am a shy engineer. Talking to new people is scary — even in Japanese. © 2026 UPSIDER.inc
4. The advice we always hear Just talk to foreigners! Be more social! Go to more meetups! © 2026 UPSIDER.inc
5. The real problem My problem was not my English level. If you are shy in Japanese, you are shy in English. It's personality, not skill. And that's OK. © 2026 UPSIDER.inc
6. My turning point © 2026 UPSIDER.inc
7. My old morning routine Back then: every morning, 3060 minutes. Alone. In the office — before anyone arrived. - Mainly two book series: 音読パッケージ & 瞬間英作文 - Reading out loud, shadowing, instant composition - Reciting Steve Jobs' Stanford speech — from memory - Repeating the same drills, again and again — just as the guide said Boring? Yes. But no fear, no pressure. © 2026 UPSIDER.inc
8. What I was building: "a base" A stock of phrases I can say without thinking: © 2026 UPSIDER.inc
9. In real conversation Real talks are still scary. But now, I don't start from zero. My base catches me when I panic. © 2026 UPSIDER.inc
10. Where it took me - Leading multinational teams - Hiring and 1-on-1s in English - Building products with global members Started from quiet mornings in an empty office. © 2026 UPSIDER.inc
11. My message You don't have to change your personality. Prepare alone. Then step out — just a little. Being an introvert is not a bug. It can be your strategy. © 2026 UPSIDER.inc
12. Start tomorrow morning © 2026 UPSIDER.inc
13. Thank you! - Contact - X @akanuma UPSIDER Tech Blog: tech.up-sider.com © 2026 UPSIDER.inc