For English language learners, speaking will surely be the most nerve-wracking and challenging aspect of achieving fluency. Given their lack of total and unshakeable confidence, most students will be sweating bullets just thinking about having to put their thoughts into words, especially in English.
However, as no growth is possible without effort, speaking English aloud is something you must practice if you want to improve. Here are three low-pressure techniques you can start today to enhance your spoken English. They will even help you gain some much-needed confidence.
Speak While You Study
You may have noticed that when you study by yourself outside of your English classes in Singapore, you tend to keep silent the entire time. Although there’s nothing wrong with this, it’s always a good idea to get some speaking practice in whenever you can.
It’s pretty simple to do so; read your assignments and drills aloud in some fashion. For example, if you’re dealing with an open-ended question, speak your ideas and replies out loud while writing them down. Say new vocabulary out loud if you need to remember it.
Record Yourself Pronouncing Difficult Sounds
The fear of mispronouncing complicated sounds is one of the main reasons it might be intimidating to speak in English, whether in a casual context or during an English course in Singapore. Regardless of your fear of humiliation, you must speak up and practice. Otherwise, you will not be able to conquer similar challenges any time soon.
Begin by chatting to yourself and recording your words. Listen to yourself talk, and figure out which sounds are the most bothersome for you. Look up how native English speakers pronounce those words online once you’ve figured out where you’re having trouble. Set the audio to repeat and try to emulate them until you succeed.
Find a Study Partner (Even If They Can’t Talk Back)
It’s time to progress to making yourself comfortable in a conversational context once you’ve gained enough confidence and corrected most of your pronunciation issues. You’ll need to find a study partner for this. This practice no longer requires a human study partner, as even stuffed toys or dolls that cannot respond to you are sufficient.
What’s important is that you get to chat and focus on talking a lot, whether it’s with your favorite pets, plushies, or in front of the mirror. If you make a mistake in this activity, you will not be ashamed, since you will be the only one who notices it for educational purposes. It’s much better to talk a lot and make a few mistakes than to speak only when you’re sure you’ve got everything correct.
Conclusion
For students learning the language, communicating in English with others will always be a source of worry.
However, with a bit of self-practice and assistance from friends and loved ones, you’ll be able to gain enough experience and confidence in no time. If you need any assistance, our English courses in Singapore can help with your language needs!
