Possessing the quality of conversing in English with confidence has become essential to function in today’s world. From job interviews to standardized testing, the preferred language of instruction for most of them is English. However, people whose first language isn’t English or those who live in a region where English is seldom spoken find this skill more challenging to master than those who speak English primarily. Here are a few techniques you can practice to learn English and strengthen your conversational skills, even if your first language isn’t English.
- Speak in front of a mirror: Talking to yourself in front of a mirror can be an effective technique to gain confidence as an English speaker. It doesn’t have to be an essay or anything you’ll have to memorize. If you find it difficult to initiate conversations in English, It is the right time to take up the challenge. Talk with yourself about things you would discuss with a friend. You could talk about your favorite show, song, or anything else. Not only is this method an efficient way of relieving stress, but you can practice speaking in English without the fear of getting judged.
- Listen to audiobooks: It is an activity you can do no matter how busy you are in your daily life. You can find audiobooks on almost any topic of interest on various English learning app or music apps. This technique is powerful because your mind subconsciously starts recognizing the patterns and variations in the style and tone of the audiobooks you listen to. It will enhance your ability to speak English as your mind automatically starts imitating the learnings recorded subconsciously.
- Listen to English music or watch shows in English: This can be fun and easier to follow than the previous two methods. You’ll need good taste in music, movies, or shows. That’s it. Leave the rest of the work on your brain. The more you listen to people talking in English, the more quickly you’ll pick up new words and improve your vocabulary and English grammar.
- Talk to other learners in real life: Depending on your learning style, you can join in-person or online English classes to interact with other learners. Since everybody is a learner, language learning is everybody’s goal. It’s unlikely that you would fear getting judged. Even though you may be hesitant or nervous to begin talking in English, you should never let the fear stop you. It will help if you acknowledge that it’s okay to make mistakes, stammer, or feel confused while inventing sentences in your brain and bringing them to your mouth. Realizing there’s a need for improvement is the first step toward improvement.
- Hire a tutor: If you find it challenging to stay disciplined on a routine, you can try hiring a native or fluent English speaker to assist you in your journey of self-improvement. A trained English tutor will plan out a customized study plan, provide feedback, and will help you strengthen the skills that you think you’re weak at. Moreover, you may also request writing assignments from your tutor and ask them to hold you accountable if you cannot complete the tasks successfully. Having somebody supervising your learning can help you tremendously.
- Get an English learning app: If you’re frequently caught up in the busy work schedule, you can take up a self-paced course on the English language online. This benefit is that you can choose a schedule at your convenience. Additionally, most of such courses are free to take, so you won’t have to invest anything except your time. Ideally, you must set daily goals for yourself if you go ahead with this method to ensure that you stay consistent.
Being a confident English speaker is crucial to becoming an influential person. It gives you a clear perspective of the world you interact with and helps you assert your opinions firmly in front of people.