Students often find themselves in a position were they have mastered the English grammar but they are unable to communicate with native speakers. The reality is , one of the best ways to develop fluency in speaking is by introducing huge amounts of listening, after that practicing what you have learnt is essential. Always remember that the key to improving your speaking skills is listening! Keep reading to find out some more ways on how to improve your English speaking skills.
Firstly, I would recommend to you to connect with some native speakers to practice your conversational skills. If you live in an English speaking area look around and you will find plenty of opportunities to have informal chats, be it with neighbours or people in local businesses. Joining a club or becoming a volunteer are good ways to get to know people informally. If that is not possible for you your best option is to hire a private native teacher. Lots of students are finding tutors on-line simply by googling them and by checking out facebook pages.
When practicing with a native speaker, try to remember to listen and speak. To improve the flow of conversation you could prepare some question beforehand. If your partner asks you a question it is always a good idea to ask their opinion as well.Simply by saying “ What’s your opinion?, “What do you think?” or “How do you feel about it?”.
If the native speaker agrees to it you could record the conversation. It is a very effective way for you to get the maximum benefit from the dialog. The next time you listen to the conversation you will be able to evaluate your pronunciation and review the areas where you need to improve. You can revise the material of the conversation, by taking notes of any new vocabulary or perhaps expressions you misunderstood, and prepare questions for the next meeting.
Another method to improve your English speaking skills is to immerse yourself in English as much as possible. Watch movies or TV in English with subtitles if you need them. Some people find watching the same programs over and over helps them as each time they understand a little more. Listening will help you to familiarise with different rhythms and intonations of English. As soon as the sounds are familiar to you, try imitating them.
Improve your karaoke skills and start sing along to your favourite English songs. Music is a great instruments for learning intonation pronunciation. By singing along you will most start to remember different phrases and you will definitely pick up some new vocabulary. You can always download the lyrics or watch a video on youtube with the subtitles on and write down the new vocabulary.By imitating the singer, you will learn how to pronounce phrases like native speakers do. Movies are also a good option for studying English. You should learn new vocabulary, idioms, slang, pronunciation, and you will improve your listening skills by watching films.
Reading out loud is a fantastic way to practise you're speaking skills if you are unable to practice with someone else. Reading aloud helps you practise pronunciation and conversation flow as you don’t have to think of what words are coming up next. Make sure to use materials that you can understand. Netflix with the subtitles on can be a good way as well. Youtube videos such as TED talks, include word-for word transcripts of the speakers conversation. By reading aloud the transcripts and recording yourself, you should be able to improve your pronunciation by comparing how the speaker says something.
Yes believe it or not saying your thoughts out loud in English can help you or maybe you could try narrating your actions. For example ,“I’m drinking a cup of tea, and now I’m reading an email”. Granted at first it might feel a bit strange talking to yourself out loud, however the purpose of this exercise is it will help you to become more fluent in translating your thoughts into spoken words. Doing it alone will reduce the pressure for you as nobody will hear your mistakes.
So remember if you need a native tutor why not sign up with us for your private lessons and start speaking more English today!
