English is the world’s most widely spoken language. Globally, people speak English for multiple reasons, including education, business, jobs, etc. Learning a new skill or conveying business ideas with partners are examples of uses of English for educational, professional, and business purposes. But, if you are not a native speaker, you might struggle to speak English fluently with other people or in a team. However, it is time to be confident since, in this article, I will walk through some simple tips for learners to learn and improve their English speaking skills.
Start thinking in English
Whenever you want to have any form of conversation in English, you may tend to frame your thoughts in your native language first and then translate them into English. Unfortunately, this is why you might find it tough to convey your thoughts, and the whole process often becomes slower.
So to improve your English, the first thing you should consider is starting to think in English. In the beginning, you may encounter difficulties, but practicing every day will make you much more confident when talking or writing in English.
One useful exercise is to recap your day from early morning to bedtime at night in English.
Work on your English vocabulary
Reading
Make a habit of reading every day to improve your English vocabulary. It might be novels, poetry, literature, short stories, news, magazines, or any other medium you are interested in.
At first, you choose an easy and simple page for reading. Choose topics that you are interested in reading about, such as sports, entertainment, technology, biographies, or anything else you find interesting. Keep a note of any new words or phrases you find while reading and look them up in the dictionary.
Gradually increase the level of difficulty of your reading. It will help with the development of your vocabulary and phrases. You will also learn to combine them into sentences to make them more appealing.
Listening
In childhood, we always learn our words by listening to our parents or other people around us. First, we learn words, and then, as we grow older, we acquire knowledge of how to construct sentences.
So, listening is an excellent way to learn and practice the English language. Podcasts are the best way to listen to your favorite topics in English. After that, try repeating the words from the podcasts on your own. If you have any doubts or confusion, listen to it again and try to understand the meaning of the sentences, the structure, words, and the pronunciation.
To build your confidence, repeat this task every day and incorporate it into your daily interactions. You will get a lot of helpful content from YouTube on podcasts.
Watch English movies or web series
Yes, you heard it right. If you like English movies or web series, pick some of your favorites and watch them for fun and accent practice. Use English subtitles for greater understanding. Keep an eye on their pronunciation of words while watching them.
Practice every day
Now, it is time to practice everything you have learned so far. There are different ways to practice. For example,
- Use your phone, open your audio recorder, pick a subject, speak English for at least 10–15 minutes, and record it. After that, listen to your audio voice and make sure you understand what you have recorded and how you have spoken it. Your goal should be to increase your speaking duration as you do this every day.
- You can compete in debate competitions, give presentations, etc. Make a list of the points you’ll be making and practice your speech in advance. Once you speak in front of some people, your hesitancy will be over.
- You can practice your English speaking skills with coworkers or friends. It is normal to make mistakes while speaking, so you don’t have to be too shy about it.
- Take the help of apps and Youtube videos to learn more advanced words or phrases and use them in your conversation.
- If you encounter a problem with a service, you call customer service and explain your issue in your native language. You can also select English as your language and speak in English to see if the listener understands you.
Conclusion
While communicating in English with others, you should show restraint, be quiet, and be confident. Even if you make a few mistakes at first, constant practice will help you enhance your English pronunciation and communication abilities.
I hope this article with examples will help you learn how to improve your English speaking skills. Nothing is impossible to achieve if you put in the time and effort.