How do they do it?
I’m sure it’s happened to you at least once in your life.
Someone you thought had an average level of English suddenly shows great confidence speaking English.
You wonder: How did they do it? Why not me?
Today, I want to share with you the best practices to improve your English speaking. If you follow these best practices, I can guarantee that your English will move up one, two, or three notches.
Let’s dig into them!
1. Surround yourself with English
Put in place daily habits that give you as much exposure to English as possible. From the morning skimming of the news to entertainment in English, it’s so easy nowadays to read anything in English and watch any program in English. Just make it a habit to do it in English and you will see a huge effect on your English skills.
HINT: we can’t always leave our country and move to an English-speaking country. Just change your phone language setting and start the day on the right foot!
2. Keep an English vocabulary notebook
Expanding your English vocabulary is a key component of English fluency. Keeping an English vocabulary notebook will bring awareness to all your efforts to get exposed to English. When you come up with a word or an expression you don’t know, write it down in your notebook and, if possible, add a sentence or some explanation next to it. But this is not enough. To be effective, you should follow these 2 rules:
– don’t add more than 5 words a day to your English vocabulary notebook
– make a conscious effort to actively use these words and expressions for the next 3 days.
HINT: every article and video from the Study Box comes with a small list of vocabulary. Pay attention to it and try to use these words in your English conversations.
3. Learn different ways to say the same thing in English
It’s important to train your brain to use a variety of words and expressions in English. To do so, make the effort to change the way you say things. For example, there are many ways to say “how are you?”, you probably know some of them, so use them! That’s another way to bring more awareness to your learning.
HINT: context is everything! Learn when one expression is more suitable than the other in a specific situation. It could be because one is too formal, too informal, not exactly suitable for context, etc.
4. Be active in your English learning
It’s true, improving your English requires a little effort. Take responsibility for your learning, you’re the only one who can do it! The key is to enjoy the learning process. When it is fun and engaging, it’s so much easier. So look for opportunities to enjoy the process of learning.
HINT: when, at Live-English, we offer you to take part in a conversation Club session, in a Workshop, go for it, you won’t regret it!
5. Focus on fluency in English
Some people are not comfortable making mistakes. They feel bad about it. They prefer to be quiet and prepare perfect sentences before they can talk. They are missing the point. Making mistakes and jumping in the water is much more profitable to your English.
HINT: corrections are super-important. However, correcting students is an art! If not getting corrected at all is a waste of time for the student, getting corrected too much is as damaging.
6. Keep 10% of your English learning for accuracy
Formal English learning is still very useful and will make a difference in the long run. Polishing grammar should be every student’s goal. Devote 10% of your learning time to English grammar. The more you understand how the English language works, the more accurate you will be when you speak English.
HINT: in your free time, check out the English Grammar Reviews here or in Study Box and do some of the exercises we offer you, you can get your score instantly!
7. Practice English with someone you trust
Talking to a friend in English can be helpful to a certain extent. However, if you want to fast-track your progress, an English teacher is key to guiding you and to focusing on your specific goals and objectives.
HINT: our online English teachers at Live-English will motivate you and help you increase your confidence when you speak English. Just give it a try and trust the process!
So now you know what the best practices are to improve your English speaking skills. Pick one and decide today to adopt it!
