How to Improve Your Spoken English

Jul 4, 2024

How to Improve Your Spoken English

Introduction

  • Aim: To improve spoken English with 6 simple steps
  • Background: The speaker comes from a Hindi-speaking household but learned English through rigorous practice.
  • Factors for improvement pertain to lack of engaging methods and English not being part of everyday life.

Reasons for Struggling in English

  1. Teaching Methods in Schools
  • English taught as a subject, not as a language for real-world use.
  • Material often boring and aimed at achieving grades.
  • Lack of engaging methods to make learning fun.
  1. Lack of Daily Usage
  • Environment plays a crucial role.
  • People generally speak their native language.
  • No reason to push one's comfort zone to speak English.

Steps to Improve Spoken English

  1. Incorporate English into Daily Life
  • Change the medium of content consumption to English.
  • Watch English TV shows, YouTube videos, news, etc.
  • Practice 'exposure therapy' by consuming English content even if it's partially understood.
  1. Reading Books in English
  • Helps in learning 300-400 new words per book.
  • Improves Grammar and sentence structure.
  1. Practice Speaking
  • Avoid avoiding speaking English due to fear of mistakes.
  • Use imitation method: Summarize or speak about English content you've watched.
  • Record yourself to track progress and gain confidence.
  • Exercises: Describe your day, describe an item in your room.
  1. Journaling
  • Daily 10-minute journaling in English.
  • Focus on processing daily events and thoughts.
  • Goals: Gain clarity of thought, process feelings in English.
  • Not aimed at perfect English but natural thought process.
  1. Grammar and Sentence Structure
  • Importance of having a strong command over grammar.
  • Use tools like Hemingway Editor for readability and grammar checks.
  1. Overcome Fear and Ego
  • Don't fear making mistakes or looking foolish.
  • Take criticism as constructive feedback.
  • Separate language fluency from intelligence.

Thinking in English

  • Describe your current moment in English.
  • Think out loud in English.
  • Make English the 'background score' by playing English content while doing daily chores.

Conclusion

  • Recognize that fluency is a skill that needs consistent practice.
  • Be patient with progress and keep practicing.

Final Advice

  • Accept the fact it may take several months to reach your fluency goals.
  • Stay consistent and kind to yourself.
  • Watch related videos for further improvement tips.