How to improve English speaking skills quickly at home
College and university level education requires a number of top skills both at the academic and personal level. Among others, mastering the English language is one of them if speaking from the global context. However, still, there are many students across the globe that struggle to speak the language in a fluent and clear manner, mostly because they might be coming from a rural area where native languages are different, or must not have acquired sufficient exposure of English in preschool and high school years.
As for this discussion, we are going to examine some core tips that are going to hone your English ability. It will also teach you How to improve English speaking skills quickly at home.
- Think in English
Sometimes the most challenging thing about speaking a language is not the language itself, but how we think about it. When you think some words or sentences in your own native language and then try to speak English, you’ll be required to translate the content between the languages. Easier said than done, translating a content into another language is not that easy. The differences in thought-process, sentence structuring, grammar, and other language essentials play a role in making the translation harder than originally thought.
The trick is to think in English.
Let’s make it more clear, whenever you’re pondering over how your day went, what you want to order to eat, which meeting you have next in your slot, etc., think in English. In short, whenever thinking about any routine task you tend to perform in a day, ponder over it in English. This way you are helping yourself speak the language better.
- Talk to yourself
Personally speaking, I feel talking to yourself is one of the most powerful and interesting tips to strengthen your English speaking skills. Speaking in front of the mirror to yourself will help you in this regard.
Try to speak your thoughts and wonderings out loud. Let it be reading from a book, reciting the verses from your favorite tracks, or speaking one-liners from your favorite TV series character, you are actually listening how you sound speaking English. Doesn’t matter if there is no one to correct you, regular practice is already teaching you to become more fluent in your enunciation skills.
- Emphasize on fluency, not grammar
Besides the grammar aspect, one of the essential constituents of speaking English is the rhythm and fluency, or, how often do you stop during your reading and presentation sessions. The more frequently you pause, the more anxious you are going to become in your delivery, hence, affecting your reading performance greatly.
Remember, here we are talking about improving the fluency of speaking, therefore, at the initial phase, speaking nonstop is the key. Fine, we aren’t saying that the student should go on rapping like Eminem does in “Rap God” in a continuous and extremely intense manner, but trying to speak without stopping and taking unnecessary breaks is going to assist you a lot in elevating your speaking skills.
Also, this doesn’t indicate that speaking fluently means your grammar is correct (a completely different thing), and that’s acceptable. Fixing the grammar issues can be done later when you have mastered the art of speaking fluently.
- Go for tongue twisters
Tongue twisters, as we know, is a fun exercise that teaches us to speak a series of words quickly. For example,
“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where is the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?”
You will note that tongue twisters aren’t easy. However, regular practice will help you place each word clearly on your tongue without mixing with other words in the sentence. Even your pronunciation of each word will get better.
- Listen and repeat
Today, most of us are consumed in different TV shows, reality shows, and videos on YouTube. Besides the entertainment aspect, such videos and movies can also be utilized in the educational context. Use them to improve your speaking fluency. Select a short scene containing a number of dialogues, and try to match the tone, pace, and also the accent of the delivery from the character. Do not worry if you’re missing some words in the process, the prime aim is to keep talking. Simply speaking, try to imitate the character on the screen as closely as possible.
Students and professionals can use various language learning apps to help them in this regard.
Author Bio
Lara Hawkins is a professional Speech Therapist and her the experience of working in several health and educational institutions as well. Besides her core job in helping students and professionals hone their speaking skills, Lara also works as an accomplished assignment writing services provider with a number of college and university disciplines’ expertise under her name.