Understanding English - or any second language - is one thing.
Being able to speak it clearly and confidently is another. There are
many great websites to help you learn English; the grammar, sentence
structure and vocabulary. Often, though, when it comes to learning to
SPEAK the language well, it's easy to find yourself feeling alone.
Here are 5 really good ways to improve your spoken English.
Method 1 -
Listen to Native Speakers of English
This
is important for two reasons. The first is that, if you are learning
English with a teacher who is NOT a native speaker, you will be picking
up mistakes as well as valuable information. You will be learning to
speak English with the accent of your teacher, and NOT the accent of a
native speaker.
What usually happens is that non-native speakers
of English actually produce sounds in a different area of the mouth to
native speakers, which his why second language speakers often find
English sounds like 'r', 'n', 'w' and 'th' difficult or even impossible
to say. They will copy their teacher and make a guess at it, often
without getting it right. The second reason that this is important is
that by listening carefully to native speakers, you will hear the flow
and the 'music' of the language. This is something that you HAVE to hear
- you cannot learn it from books and newspapers.
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Method 2 -
Just Say It!
Does
this sound familiar? You've decided you're going to practice speaking
English...you've thought about what you want to say..you wait for your
moment to speak, and when it comes...you say nothing. I've done this,
when learning French and Spanish, and I'm sure you have too. Why do we
do this? Usually we are worried in case we make a mistake, in case we
get it wrong, or in case the other person misunderstands, or laughs.
FEAR prevents us from practice. Just take a deep breath and SAY IT. It
doesn't matter if it doesn't sound perfect, just say it. Speaking out
loud is the only way to improve your spoken English (or my French and
Spanish!). The good news is, the more you do it, the easier it gets, and
the more confident you become.
Method 3 -
Act A Little!
This
one might seem strange, but a good way of improving your English is to
act a little. For example, to learn a British English accent, you might
pretend that you are 'Lord or Lady so-and-so', or another suitable
character. Imagine how they would talk: how clearly and precisely would
they form their words? This isn't as crazy as it sounds. Many people are
nervous about speaking out loud because they are embarrassed or even
surprised by the new sounds that they are making. Putting those sounds
into a 'character' like this can be a useful way of getting over those
nerves. You probably wouldn't want to speak in this voice all the time,
but it's a good way to practice on your own!
Linked to this idea
about acting, is to focus on the mouth positions needed to speak good,
clear English. Make these mouth positions bigger than they need to be
when you practice them. Really get used to how the English sounds are
made, and how they differ from the same sounds made in your own
language. This will go some way towards helping you reduce your accent
and the Mother Tongue Influence (MTI) on your spoken English.
Method 4 -
Ask!
This
is an obvious one...BUT it's one that many people overlook!! How many
times have you had a question about speaking better English, you've
typed it into a search engine, and seen which answers most closely match
your questions? What about using this as a starting point and ASKING
the information provider your own question? It's a good idea to make
sure that your question has a chance of being answered, though - there
are many forums where questions can sit for days or even weeks without
an answer, and you might not want to wait that long.
There are
many people (myself included) with blogs, YouTube channels, twitter and
Facebook pages who can and will answer any questions that you have.
Sometimes it's easier to ask someone over the internet than put your
hand up in class! Perhaps more importantly, we'll either be able to
provide you with specific answers, or your questions can be answered in
way which will help other learners too.
Method 5 -
Sign Up and Subscribe!
I'm
sure many of you may already be doing this. Find those useful websites
and blogs, and subscribe. That way you'll receive ongoing, useful
information to help you improve your spoken English, as well as
invitations to online events...AND the opportunity to connect with other
learners around the world, and swap ideas. You'll find many
opportunities online to hear native speakers speaking in real time in
broadcasts of this sort. Choosing one that's about English speaking is
obviously a good choice: the host will be speaking slowly and clearly so
you can hear and understand as much as possible.
It's also useful
to sign up for podcasts etc that are in English but on any subject
matter of interest. These will probably be more of a challenge, as you
will hear English spoken at a more natural pace. However, if your goal
is to learn business English, then listening in to a call about business
issues will not only be a chance for you to hear the language spoken at
a natural speed, you'll learn some new vocabulary too.
On
international calls, listen carefully to the differences between native
speakers, and those speaking English as a second language. LISTENING, as
you'll already be aware, is a critical part of improving the way you
SPEAK. Above all, use this as an extra opportunity to PRACTICE wherever
you can. Make sure that the knowledge in your head actually comes out of
your mouth!
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