hOW TO IMPROVE SPEAKING?

[soklanghorn]

Hi I am Soklang called Ellen.
I just would like you to discuss with me about how to improve English speaking ?

Tks
Lang

[Sou Vongvisal]

Dear Lang

I'm glad to see you in this amazing forum. :wink:
What do you want to discuss about?
Speaking right?
By the way, I think if we want to get high score in ielts exam we should:

1.Be careful with the pronunciation.
2.Be aware with the right grammar.
3.Global knowledge is what examiner want us to describe about.
4.while you're speaking you should combine with academic vocabulary.

these are some strategies that i would like to share with you as well. If you have some concept about speaking please show me too.

have fun

[jupiter]

Hi Ellen,

Welcome to the site and nice to have you here.

I think in order to speak fluently, we have to practise speaking as much as possible. We can speak to our friends, teachers, foreigners or whoever who can speak English and wanna improve their own speaking skill. Also, we can speak to ourselves loudly or silently in order to build our self-confidence in speaking and make us get used to speaking English.

The serious problem is shyness, some students/people are afraid to speak because they may be afraid of making mistakes with their speaking and they'll feel embarrassed or something when making such mistakes.

The solution is don't be afraid of making mistakes and try to learn from our mistakes and get it of them gradually 'cause speaking requires much time and effort. We can not be an excellent speaker over night whatsoever.

Await your reaction.

Jupiter

[Tdol]

I agree with Jupiter- in speaking, if you get your message across, then you are communicating successfully.  If you worry too much about getting things grammatically correct, then you will inhibit yourself and this will restrict your progress.  :wink:

[Amom]

Hi Ellen,
I'm so new in this and it's the first time for me to write in it, my English still poor so any mistakes plz forget me. Anyways I agree with Jupiter, Vongvisal and Tdol  but i wanna share my idea with you, the way that we can improve speaking English is we should talk and talk, and try to speak English whatever....................... although it a simple sentence or words.............

Cheers,
Amom

Hi I am Soklang called Ellen.
I just would like you to discuss with me about how to improve English speaking ?

Tks
Lang

[dany]

Hi All...

My name is Dany. I am a new member of this website. Moreover, it is my first time to join the discussion. I strongly agree with Mr. Jupiter and Visal; what's more, I experienced in practicing that ways as well. It work effectively... but now my speaking becomes poorer coz I don't practice it    .

Some people say speaking english, you don't have to care much about grammar so that you can speak fluently but I don't think so. Because while you can speak fluently with wrong grammar, the listener might not understand or misunderstand.. 

Happy.. 

[Paul Brown (MA CELTA)]

 Hey Dany, 

 Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing some of your ideas with us! I agree that you need to practice speaking English a lot in order for you to become better at it. Practice does make you perfect and it is also said that "if you don't use it, then you lose it!' 
 
  It is true that grammar is important in Speaking and it is better when you are practising if you can always speak the full sentence answer. That helps to develop the right grammar structures in speech over a period of practice. If you can develop the good habits when you speak of speaking more and not less, and never speaking short form answers, then the grammar will surely follow.

 However, I wouldn't worry about grammar too much as this could make you nervous when you speak and worry about using only the correct words. Speaking English is about communication and I agree if your grammar is very poor you will not be understood. But, if you are making the effort to speak English to a native speaker, they will try to understand and you will gain confidence and therefore improve quicker.

For 5steps, confidence is a very important skill in speaking and in order to gain confidence, it is better not to worry about grammar too much. A child learns to speak quickly because they are not afraid to make mistakes and the grammar comes later. 

The new news is that the 5steps team are currently developing a new exciting method of 'Speaking Grammar' whereby students will learn to speak and gain confidence through a series of graded grammar exercises and drills.

So, for me, grammar IS important to develop the 'Accuracy' of speaking, but should NOT come before confidence, which develops the 'Fluency' of speaking.

Have fun and stay confident, 

Paul



 

[acrizorm]

I think speaking is the most discussed topic and concerned....i think if u wanna be a gd speaker, try listening to more english songs or news...it helps improve u in some way or another...and of coz build up ur confident and trust urself at the least....dun be shy as said. Lastly practices!! practices!! practices and practices.... am new to the site too...

[dany]

Hi Paul and other members 

Thanks a lot for you recommendation. Your recommendation really wakes me up ! After I think again of what you commended me, I found that is pretty true and I will try that way. Sometimes, It really make me stuck in the sentences when I try to think about grammar 'cause I'm worry that the listener might not understand what I'm speaking.

Anyway, tell you something. I really enjoy speaking with the partners who always correct me of what I spoke incorrectly. I don't mind their correcting at all 

Having fun with you all 

[Suy Prasoeur]

Hello mates here,

That does sound interesting! Confidence is really important in speaking, so it is a good idea to build up a good confidence before speaking. But how to build confidence? I think to be confident is to be friendly and to be friendly is to be funny ... So why not be funny? If you are ready to be funny then you are either ready for the laughers for anything you do. Take a chance to speak at this time and you'll end up building a good confidence in speaking English!

Sorry, I'll be back!

[Paul Brown (MA CELTA)]

 Hey Suy Prasoeur, 

 Good advice there dude! I completely agree that making English fun is the key to success. Confidence comes through enjoying your learning and having lots of fun at the same time! At 5steps we believe that if you are not having fun, then it is not worth doing. Be positive, confident, and friendly and you will be surprised how much you can improve simply by 'using English' at every opportunity you get! 

 Have fun, 

 Paul

[Suy Prasoeur]

Hi there,

It's nearly two months I said I would be back .. , but I really didn't get a chance.

I don't have much more for that, just after being more confident, you have to improve your pronunciation, intonation .. because all those will make your speaking sound natural. That's all.

Be a good speaker,
Prasoeur

[smsilu]

allo every body

I've found so much of good advices here about practising how to speak well in public but i still have so much problem when i am on the stage, mostly when i try to take the attention of the audiences. Actually i am still finding what was my problem when i was on the stage. i wasn't nervous, i wasn't scared of no body and they did listen to me, most of them but the bad thing is that they listened and they forget it. Some of my friends came to me and said my speech was good but it sounded funny even it has lots of good ideas. I used to like this comment when people said my speech was funny but i don't like it any more. i want them to feel that i am serious with what i am doing. Can you help me with some good ideas how to be a professional speaker? I'm a 4 year student of civil engineering.

some additional ideas for those who want to improve their speaking. the first step is to build a good relationship with those who can communicate with you in english only. then you try to learn each other like and dislike. after that it's the time for us to speed up our communication skill. we fight with them in english, we argue with them in english. we don't always agree with them and give them reason why you don't like that idea even some time you like it. People become clever and strong when they are fighting (verbally my dear  ). then you will see that you know a lot of words but you never us it.

all the best
smsilu

P.s always fight with a good relationship

[Suy Prasoeur]

Hi Smsilu,

Well, I think you should find out the reason why your speech is funny, I mean you probably ask any of your close friends, they'll be honest to tell you. You yourself also have to notice whether there's something wrong with gesture. Or are you too friendly when doing the speech? I mean maybe you give the audences too much smile ...

Friends are the ones that know you better than somebody else. To see you doing something serious might be funny for them as you are normally friendly or joking, so you'd better ask other people about that, not your friends!

Just my thought,
Prasoeur

[lim chamroeun]

Hi I am Soklang called Ellen.
I just would like you to discuss with me about how to improve English speaking ?

Tks
Lang

Hi! i agree with Jupiter too. what's more to improve ur speaking try to read a lot. it's a good way as well to make u mouth move quickly if u can read fast. by the way Jupiter could u tell me where do u study english? n a u cambodia? n how long have u been studying english?