The Big Idea
Prepare for what a person needs to do. A practical goal becomes useful language when you can turn it into a request.
The Four Finger Rule — Grifter’s Edition
Hair slicked back. Sharp suit. A grin from ear to ear.
That’s how I remember walking into a Japanese executive’s office after passing several security checkpoints. I had a plan, and it wasn’t to make him fall in love with English.
He was preparing for a two-year assignment at a factory in California. As I remember it, he disliked English. His exact responsibilities were confidential.
I didn’t need to know those details. I needed to help him prepare for the situations waiting outside that office.
What happens after the plane lands?
Airport. Immigration. Taxi. Hotel. Restaurant. Meetings and appointments.
Those situations gave us something concrete to work on. What would he want to do? What would he have to explain? What might change? What could he ask if he needed help?
We could prepare the language around those tasks without discussing confidential company business.
A desire is different from a request
We practised short patterns that could be reused:
I am [name].
I am a [job] at [company] in [location].
The brackets are placeholders for practice, not disclosures about the executive.
Then there was this useful pair:
I want to check in early.
Could I check in early, please?
The first tells you my goal. The second asks the person at the desk to help. Being able to make that move—from what you want to something you can ask—is useful well beyond a hotel.
The unusual part
Throughout our arrangement, we never once directly had an English conversation with each other.
That is how I remember the teaching arrangement. It doesn’t mean that no English practice happened. We worked on the patterns as a practical skill, preparing for particular situations.
I wasn’t measuring success by whether he wanted to sit and chat with me in English. I wanted the preparation to be useful when he needed it.
What I remember him being able to do
As I recall, he could handle the practical situations we had prepared for: hotels, restaurants, taxis, airports and changes to appointments.
That’s the claim I can make from my recollection. I’m not claiming fluency, inventing a testimonial or saying he suddenly became enthusiastic about the language.
He still didn’t like English. The work had a practical purpose anyway.
The question that stayed with me
What does this person actually need to be able to do?
That experience helped shape the Four Finger Rule. Prepare for the situation. Find the useful patterns. Practise them. Give yourself something to use when the moment arrives.
Someone once asked what motivated me:
“I just wanted to help cuz either I knew how to help or I would learn how I could.”
That still says it better than a grand theory.
More Better Good.
Prepare your own first conversation.
The executive and company are intentionally anonymous. Exact responsibilities and private business details are omitted. This article recounts Colin’s memories; the outcomes have not been independently verified.
THE FOUR FINGER RULE
Stop memorizing English.
Start using it.
52 weeks. 52 real-world missions.
US$52 once.
Keep Practising
How to Ask “Where Is My Gate?” in English
Professional English: 10 Better Ways to Say “Okay”
Want To, Have To, Need To, Might: Four Ways to Prepare a Conversation
AI-assisted illustrations used for learning.
