Many deserving candidates often lose out on jobs because they
might be a bit difficult to understand. The better you communicate
with those your work with, the more effective and successful you
will be at your job and in your daily life interacting with
people!
But how do you train yourself to do so?
Through practice, you can soon learn to speak English as
comfortably and easily as your native tongue. Incorporate these
tips into your daily life. As with anything in life, the more you
practice something the proper way, the better you will become at
it. Here are several tips to improve your English speaking
skills.
1.
Observe the mouth movements of those who speak English well and try
to imitate them.
When you are watching television or watching people in real life
converse, observe the mouth movements of the speakers. Repeat what
they are saying, while imitating the intonation and rhythm of their
speech. Great television shows which reflect everyday English
conversation are Friends, Seinfeld and The
Simpsons.
2.
Listen to English music, television and movies to get familiar with
the language sounds.
This is an extremely helpful and fun way to improve your English.
Also listen to the volume of their voices depending on the
situation. Remember that loud volume can sometimes indicate
aggressiveness or anger in certain situations. Watch the English
news on television channels like CNN (for
American English) or the BBC (If you wish
to study British English). The news is very helpful because their
speech must be clear, concise and objective - however, keep in mind
they do not hold a great amount of emotion in their voices because
of this.
3.
Use the dictionary.
Try and familiarise yourself with the phonetic symbols of your
dictionary. Look up the correct pronunciation of words that are
hard for you to say. Write down words and their definitions in a
notebook for future reference - it may come in handy!
4.
Make a list of frequently used words that you find difficult to
pronounce and ask someone who speaks the language well to pronounce
them for you.
Record these words, listen to them and practice saying them. Listen
and read at the same time.
5.
Buy books on tape.
Record yourself reading some sections of the book. Compare the
sound of your English with that of the person reading the book on
the tape.
6.
Pronounce the ending of each word.
Pay special attention to '-s' and '-ed' endings. This will help you
strengthen the mouth muscles that you use when you speak
English.
7.
Read aloud in English for at least 15 minutes every day.
Research has shown it takes about three months of daily practice to
develop strong mouth muscles for speaking a new language. Find
something you enjoy reading - especially if it has a lot of
dialogue, and read it aloud. Even if you don't speak aloud,
reading as many English books as possible will increase
your vocabulary and knowledge of sentence structure. Make sure when
you read these books that you understand what the author is trying
to say.
8.
Record your own voice and listen for pronunciation
mistakes.
Many people hate to hear the sound of their voice and avoid
listening to themselves speak. However, this is a very important
exercise because doing it will help you become conscious of the
mistakes you are making.
9.
Be patient.
You can change the way you speak but it won't happen overnight.
People often expect instant results and give up too soon. You can
change the way you sound if you are willing to put some effort into
it.
10.
Know which version of English you intend to speak.
Various versions of the English language exist. Begin by
identifying the category you fall into and start by improving the
clarity of your speech.
What else?
As a overall and final note, I would recommend for you to simply
practice and repeat. Having conversations with others in English is
quite helpful because you refresh your memory on what you know, and
you learn new things as well. When my mother didn't know what a
word meant or how it was pronounced, she would ask me the meaning
and to pronounce it. Then she would whisper it to herself
repeatedly after this. This helps to strengthen your memory.
Immersing yourself in English-speaking culture is a good way to
appreciate the understand the English language without losing a
sense of your own identity and culture. Don't forget that you can
embrace both!
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