Improving Spoken English

[2g3g]

Hi All,

First post . A little background information about myself. I'm Ghanaian and a university graduate. English is our official language in Ghana so though we have many local dialects, officially we communicate in English and that has been the default language through school.

My problem is I'm not as fluent as i want to be. When in speech, i often encounter several blank moments where i need to think for the particular word, apt for the moment. Most times, I'll have in mind a certain word but it'll be at the tip of my tongue but will never come out. This leads to several "ummmms" and "what do you call it" in my speech.

The word might inexplicably pop up in my head several moments after and I'll be like aha! there you are.

I'm not as articulate as i want to be and this has an effect on my social and professional life as I'm always nervous about speeches and public speaking. I tend to feel comfortable in the background rather than lead and be assertive.

How do i become more fluent and confident in my speech? What exercises will help me craft better sentences and appear eloquent and well-spoken?

I enjoy reading a lot but that doesn't seem to enhance my vocal prowess as much. Or I'm reading it wrong...:-D

Hope you can point me in the right space and looking forward to learning a lot from this site. Thanks in advance

 

[euncu]

It is shame, but not on you, that in some countries, fluency in English is expected from non-native speakers by their fellow citizens (from employers to university administrations). What a professional should do is trying to be best at their professions, not knowing English as native-speakers do. Being fluent would be an asset for an English teacher or a must for a simultaneous translator, but, for a doctor for instance, being good at medicine should be what really matters, not fluency in English. I am aware that what I think would be of no help to you, because this is neither what you expected to hear nor what the real world conditions require from you to do.

But those real world conditions or those so-called job-requirements are sometimes nothing but hypes. If you are the best or one of the bests at what you are doing, no one's going to question your sufficiency in English.

 

[2g3g]

I somewhat agree to your assertion but not entirely. Obviously there are some professions that wouldn't require a whole lot of dexterity in verbal communication. But in the corporate set-up, you really need to distinguish yourself from the pack if you want to excel and advance further. Who would employ a CEO who cannot adequately represent the company and communicate what the corporation is about? Suffice to say, I'm in a more of a marketing oriented role so i definitely need a very polished and articulate verbal communication skills. I'm still looking forward to some education...Please contribute if you know of any helpful exercises and vocabulary building habits that would reflect in my speech. Thanks

 

[bob 83]

I' m new here but I agree with 2g3g you are right and best wishes for your future education...

 

[youandcorey]

First of all, remember that you can and will achieve your goal.

It's only a matter of time.

Study daily at www.smart.fm . It's free, fast and fun. Next record and listen to your own voice. You should be keeping a daily English diary. Get other native English speakers whom you respect and would like to pattern your speaking style after to review your recordings and to give you daily tips. Keep some of your earlier recordings and judge for yourself after each month about how amazingly well your speaking ability has improved.

Set a concrete goal for your language studies. Just wanting to improve your fluency isn't the clearest goal.

Best of luck!:up:

 

[ackeiyword]

You'd better listen more ,remember more ,and then you can speak fluently.:-D

 

[Tdol]

2g3g, how long does it take you to write your posts? I ask because your written English is fine, so it may simply be a matter of confidence- the more opportunities you have to communicate, the more confident you will be. Your writing suggests that your English is good.

 

[5jj]

When in speech, I often encounter several blank moments where I need to think for the particular word, apt for the moment. Most times, I'll have in mind a certain word but it'll be at the tip of my tongue but will never come out. This leads to several "ummmms" and "what do you call it" in my speech.

Listen to native speakers in normal conversation, not just in prepared speeches or presentations. You'll find that most of us have the same problem.

As Tdol said, your written English is fine. I know it's difficult, but try to worry less about the accuracy of your speech. Concentrating too hard can in itself cause problems. It's often much better to come out with an expression that is not perfect than to hesitate while trying to find the precise thing a fluent native speaker might produce. Once again, listen to native speakers in normal conversation. We often use inappropriate words and ungrammatical sentences. Nobody notices, because they are listening to what we say rather than how we say it.

 

[somera]

As Tdol said, your written English is fine. Firstly your spoken English might now be as bad as it you think it is. Get some feedback from a teacher and see what they say.

A little tip is when reading, read the text out loud. This a good way to practise.

 

[riquecohen]

Some posters on this thread have implied that 2g3g is not a native speaker. He is from a country where English is the official language and the language of instruction in school. To my mind, he is a native speaker who has the same problem that many of us have when speaking.

 

[Johnson_F]

Some posters on this thread have implied that 2g3g is not a native speaker. He is from a country where English is the official language and the language of instruction in school. To my mind, he is a native speaker who has the same problem that many of us have when speaking.

Fair enough, but we can work only on the information we have. When 2g3g states that English is the official language in his/her country and writes, "My problem is I'm not as fluent as i want to be", then it is not unreasonable to assume that English is not 2g3g's native language.

Is it, 2g3g? This is not intended as an intrusively personal question; the answer may result in more effective responses in this thread.

 

[interequip]

How can i improve my spoken english.

 

[Neha Iyengar]

Hello folks,

Is it really important to be very very articulate. I do undersatnd that it creates impression, But that just lasts for a while. I know a person who is a CEo of a multinational company. He is brilliant with English however he stammers while speaking. & yet he is successful. So if you are having blank spots, its natural, you must be thinking something else...Or as Mr. Moderator said you must be lacking confidence. In fact you do write English quite well.

Though I would like to tell you my experience: I studied in Marathi medium, a language in India. I was even a timid person. Though I had a burning desire to learn English. I tried many methods to learn it since I was 20years old. But to not progress..The only way that I found uniquely effective is 'Espoir Smart Communication'. I used the Smarten your English through Movies.

I started thinking in English from day 1.
Not magical enough, but It gave me ideas to think & to talk to people. I love movies so I learnt to communicate & in English through it.

You can find themes of your interest on their website.

Yes, so people will believe in you, if you gain trust & people will hardly judge you based on your blank spots. Though try this software I told you. You will start thinking in a new way.

All the Best. Keep Learning.

 

[devonpham1998]

2g3g, how long does it take you to write your posts? I ask because your written English is fine, so it may simply be a matter of confidence- the more opportunities you have to communicate, the more confident you will be. Your writing suggests that your English is good.

I agree with Tdol, your written English in the posts was very good. I really admire it. I am not good in both writing and speaking. You seems to be easier to speak English well than me because you seems not to have any problems with writing.
Good luck, anyway!

Devon Pham

 

[schatzman]

If you are in a more of a marketing oriented role so i definitely need a very polished and articulate verbal communication skills. I'm still looking forward to some education...Please contribute if you know of any helpful exercises and vocabulary building habits that would reflect in my speech.

 

[Steve5]

Here are some tips which helps in improving your spoken English:

i. Observe the mouth movements of those who speak English well and try to imitate them.
When you are watching television, observe the mouth movements of the speakers. Repeat what they are saying, while imitating the intonation and rhythm of their speech.



ii. Until you learn the correct intonation and rhythm of English, slow your speech down.
If you speak too quickly, and with the wrong intonation and rhythm, native speakers will have a hard time understanding you.
Don't worry about your listener getting impatient with your slow speech -- it is more important that everything you say be understood.

iii. Listen to the 'music' of English.

Do not use the 'music' of your native language when you speak English. Each language has its own way of 'singing'.

iv. Use the dictionary.
Try and familiarize yourself with the phonetic symbols of your dictionary. Look up the correct pronunciation of words that are hard for you to say.



v. Make a list of frequently used words that you find difficult to pronounce and ask someone who speaks the language well to pronounce them for you.
Record these words, listen to them and practice saying them. Listen and read at the same time.

vi. Buy books on tape.
Record yourself reading some sections of the book. Compare the sound of your English with that of the person reading the book on the tape.

vii. Pronounce the ending of each word.
Pay special attention to 'S' and 'ED' endings. This will help you strengthen the mouth muscles that you use when you speak English.

viii. Read aloud in English for 15-20 minutes every day.

Research has shown it takes about three months of daily practice to develop strong mouth muscles for speaking a new language.

ix. Record your own voice and listen for pronunciation mistakes.
Many people hate to hear the sound of their voice and avoid listening to themselves speak. However, this is a very important exercise because doing it will help you become conscious of the mistakes you are making.


x. Be patient.
You can change the way you speak but it won't happen overnight. People often expect instant results and give up too soon. You can change the way you sound if you are willing to put some effort into it.

 

[2g3g]

Hi All,

Sincere apologies for my lack of response. I'm back now...:-D. To address a few of the questions that have echoed through the replies; I'm from Ghana in West Africa. Whilst English is our official language, we tend to communicate more in the native dialects in informal settings.

In most cases therefore, especially during childhood and formative years, English is spoken only in the school setting and that's it. Obviously the lack of constant and continual practice affects your skill as compared to a native English speaker who uses the language in all aspects of life.

A couple of posters have commended my writing proficiency; very much appreciated. However, the issue is in my opinion, well constructed and articulate sentences should come to me more easily than they do. I tend to think for a while before i write. Most times, i revisit the sentences and construct them differently. With writing I can afford these revisions but when I'm speaking I don't have that luxury.

Taking into consideration some of the replies, I concede somewhat that I may be too conscious when i speak and chase after those 'articulate' sounding words. But how then do i make them spring into my mind easily and not require extra thought?

I admire it when someone puts together a very nice sounding sentence. I've started to note down nicely constructed phrases when i encounter them. I may end up repeating them during my own conversation, but how do I construct 'sweet' sentences of my own? I think too much during speech yet still, words elude me. Thanks in advance for responses.

PS: To sum up the above perfectly, I think some may consider the above nicely written. If I had to speak rather than write, no way would it have come out as it did......at all

 

[2g3g]

CASE IN POINT: Just now, I was communicating to a colleague and in the middle of the sentence where the word 'pursue' was apt, the world totally eluded me. All that came to mind was 'proceed'....after a couple of uummmmms.....ummmmmms..... i said 'chase' instead.

Now i sat and racked my brain for a while and 'proceed' just kept flashing, until i pulled a thesaurus, looked up 'chase' and voila....i found it, PURSUE was the word...:-( I do know the word i want to use, but the recollection process totally fails me.