4 Effective Techniques You Can Do At Home and Online To Speak English Fluently
How to improve your conversation skills online and become a fluent communicator of the English language without depending on a teacher.
Do We Need To Speak English? Who Cares ║How To Improve Your English Fluency At Home or Online Without a Teacher? ║Conclusion ║Come and Join Us!
Are you struggling to communicate in English fluently?
Have you been floundering around trying to translate phrases from your native language?
Do you feel frustrated when you hear yourself sounding like a robot when you try to communicate your thoughts in English?
While it’s good to hear from many English teachers that it’s normal to feel discouraged when we’re in the process of learning to converse with someone in English fluently, we can’t still deny the fear of getting embarrassed intuitively.
I’m sure you don’t feel comfortable telling somebody implicitly or explicitly when you mess up “Oh I’m still learning but they said it’s okay”, do you?
Don’t get me wrong. Indeed, learning to speak in English fluently as a second or third language is no joke at all. They’re right when they say “It’s okay to feel frustrated. We’re in the process of learning”.
But the unspoken questions that are burning inside of us are,
“How long should I feel embarrassed?”
“How long should I excuse myself for being a dummy?”(So to speak).
“How long should I take to overcome this process?”
Well, the answer depends upon your English language acquisition strategies and practice habits.
So, read ‘til the end to discover the techniques that REALLY WORK! – even for me.
Do we need to speak English? Who cares?
It’s a well-known fact that English is the world’s most studied language by far. Specifically, 20% percent of the world speaks this language [1].
Though some people are trying to speak English to sound cool and smart, there are more valuable and noble reasons for acquiring this language.
Excellent command of the English language can open so many doors of opportunities for non-native speakers. As the Senior International Educator at Arizona State University, Dr. Shane Dixon says “English Language is a Passport”. It is a passport to travel to new possibilities without borders.
Some of the opportunities include but not limited to the following:
traveling more easily;
making you more desirable to employers [2];
getting higher education at the world’s top institutions;
allowing you to access wider knowledge.
Speaking about career, speaking English will tremendously boost your employability.
According to a survey presented by Cambridge English and QS, they found out based on the data from over 5,300 employers in 38 countries/territories that:
there is a gap between the English language skills required at work and the English skills that employees have in every industry;
and half of the employers in countries where English is not the primary language - are willing to offer job candidates with good English skills a better starting package [3].
As you can see, it doesn’t hurt to spend some time on building good practice habits and using strategies to improve our English communication skills that REALLY WORK, right?
How To Improve Your English Fluency At Home or Online Without a Teacher?
"Practice and application make all the difference"
When you master any skill, it’s important to know its theory to understand the rules that govern a subject. By doing so, it'll help you learn, perform, appreciate, and enjoy a particular skill deeply.
However, don’t forget that practice and application make all the difference.
Here are the 4 effective techniques you can do right away at home and online to speak English fluently:
Technique #1: Don’t get stuck on Grammar. Focus on Improving your Fluency.
“You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.” — Lee Iacocca.
Learning grammar is part of the basic rules of the English language that we have to keep in mind. But you will never enhance your fluency if your priority is to be grammatically correct than to express yourself and communicate your thoughts in English.
You have to allow yourself to make grammatical mistakes.
Technique #2: Try to Imitate Native Speakers of English
“The way we learn to write is the way we learn to talk: We listen to others and start mimicking speech, and that's how we come to become speakers. Writers you admire, you admire the way they plot, you admire the way they create a character, you admire the way they put a sentence together, those are the writers you should be reading.” - Rick Yancey
While you don’t need to hire a personal tutor to perform this technique, it’s not that as easy as 1, 2, 3.
But you’ll be surprised by the smoothness of your English speaking skills when you keep on doing this.
The good thing about this technique is that you can perform it by simply watching movies or videos.
First, find a video, on Youtube, for example, that is recorded by a native speaker with subtitles.
Then, listen to every phrase the native speaker says. Pause the video after the speaker says a phrase and repeat the phrase including the intonation.
Lastly, pay attention to the stressed sounds in both words and sentences when the speaker says something.
Technique #3: Talk with Somebody who Speaks English Online
“Take risks. Ask big questions. Don't be afraid to make mistakes; if you don't make mistakes, you're not reaching far enough.” - David Packard
Many years ago, it’s virtually impossible to find conversation buddies who speak English if you live in a country where English is not an official language.
Today, you can do it at your fingertips.
If you’re considering finding a personal tutor online, go for it. But this is not the only way to speak with somebody who speaks English online to enhance your fluency.
You don’t even have to restrict yourself to joining English-speaking clubs only.
You can improve your fluency by talking with real people online who speak English about any subject.
In doing so, you’ll not only enhance your English conversation skills, but you will also gain new friends, have fun, acquire new information, discover interesting things, and express yourself in English freely without getting corrected by grammar nerds. Familiar?
You can join Virtual-World-SNS platforms where real people share their time to connect and have fun learning about different cultures and having friendships around the world like Teretere.
Technique #4: Surround Yourself with People Who Speak English Online
“When you walk with trash, you end up smelling the same.”
– Anthony Liccione
This is definitely a no-brainer!
When you immerse yourself and hang out with people who constantly speak English, it forces you to express yourself and think in English, especially those people who cannot understand your native language because it drives you out of your comfort zone to respond using your native language.
Conclusion
There you go, folks!
Applying these techniques will dramatically improve your English speaking skills by which you can travel the world more easily, broaden your access to get higher education and good career options, and connect with people around the world.
Don’t forget to have fun while practicing :)
Come and Join Us!
If you want to improve your English conversation skills and fluency by sharing your thoughts and ideas with both native and non-native speakers while:
having fun;
gaining new friends around the world;
expressing yourself freely without getting corrected by annoying grammar nerds;
and without showing yourself on camera uncomfortably,
YOU are more than welcome to have some friendly chitchat with us on our Teretere sessions.
We’ll be glad to see you on board!
References
[1] K. Lewison, “How to improve English speaking skills and become a great communicator,” Uopeople.edu, 27-Mar-2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/how-to-improve-english-speaking-skills/. [Accessed: 03-Jul-2021].
[2] O. Royale, “‘why should I learn English?’ - 10 compelling reasons for EFL learners - oxford Royale academy,” Oxford-royale.com, 14-Aug-2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.oxford-royale.com/articles/reasons-learn-english/. [Accessed: 03-Jul-2021].
[3] “English language skills in the workplace,” Cambridgeenglish.org. [Online]. Available: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/why-choose-us/english-at-work/. [Accessed: 03-Jul-2021].