Most of us read newspapers and English books; watch English news, shows, and movies; write short paragraphs or essays and deliver short speeches on given topics. However, we simply forget that to speak, we need to practice speaking in English. We fail to identify and work on this vital aspect of learning the language. Thus, despite spending our valuable time, energy, and money, we can't speak English. This article throws light on some of these vital aspects of learning the language you are most probably missing.
Learn English the right way:
First things first, we need to learn the language the right way. Which means we need to listen to, read, write, and speak English. Here is how it helps:
Listening: It helps you learn different words and their correct pronunciation along with the usage of various words, phrases, and sentences. You can get used to the correct stress patterns, tone, and music of the language which is very important to speak effectively.
Reading: Just like listening, reading too helps in learning different words, phrases, and sentences. Go one step further and read aloud. It trains your speech organs to produce sounds in English, which makes you sound more fluent.
Writing: It allows you to use what you learn through listening and reading. You get to use different words, phrases, and sentences while writing. It trains your mind to think in English. Since you can see what you are writing, you can always rewrite using different words and make better sentences.
Speaking: Listening, Reading and Writing help you learn vocabulary and different sentence structures. Now it's time to speak. This will train your mind and speech organs to speak in English.
What you should or shouldn't do while learning English:
Please stop reading your old grammar books again. That’s all you did in school and college. You have learned enough grammar to be able to speak. If at all you need to learn the practical usage of grammar, you can use - Intermediate English Grammar (Second Edition) by Raymond Murphy. It should be available in nearby bookstores, or you can buy it online.
Identifying the purpose behind learning the language is of paramount importance. Focus on learning the kind of English you would be using or speaking - e.g., Learn to have basic conversations if you are a homemaker. If you are a teacher, learn the words, phrases, and sentences useful for teaching. If you are searching for a job, learn the language for interviews.
Do not waste your time learning fancy words at the initial stages of your learning the language. Knowing different words is necessary, however, it can be learned later when you gain some confidence. You can converse even if you know the basic words in English. No one knows all the words in a language anyway.
Enroll in a training center (Online or Offline) where you can practice speaking along with Listening, Reading, and Writing. Trainers giving you continuous feedback will certainly help you improve.
There are free apps available on the internet that help learn English. However, they are a good resource for learning vocabulary, and grammar, and for listening practice. Use these apps to support your learning along with actual training with the trainers.
Identify the right trainer, training institute, and training program for you:
Hundreds of training institutes claim to be '#1' and people easily fall for their advertisements. Most of these just make money at the cost of people’s lack of knowledge about result-oriented training. Hence identifying the right trainer or training institute is necessary. Here is how you can do it:
Check the trainer’s credentials i.e., Qualification, Background, Experience, and Expertise. Checking their social media or LinkedIn account, Website and reviews might help.
Talk to others who have learned from the same trainer or institute. A telltale sign of their improvement would be their sharing their experience in English.
Classroom training and online training are different. Trainers good at classroom training may not necessarily be good at online training and vice versa. The more skilled and experienced your trainer is, the better you become.
A customized training program that focuses on your skill development is always better than a general "Spoken English Training" program that is offered by most of the training institutes.
Check how your progress will be assessed. You won't know if you have improved or not unless your progress is assessed the right way. Neither the fascinating scores of your written tests nor speaking on a given topic helps as it doesn't guarantee you can converse in English.
I'm sure now you know what you were missing and what you need to do. Make these much-needed changes to the way you are learning English and you will be able to speak fluently.
Hope you found this article of value. If you know someone who might benefit from it, please pass it on. Your comments and suggestions are always appreciated.
Sawan is a Learning/Training consultant with over thirteen years of rich experience in training. He has been associated with companies like Amazon, Various Multinational and Domestic Companies, Leading Training Organizations, and prestigious Educational Institutes. He is a go-to person for setting up and leading training teams, managing training programs, and creating and curating content for online and offline learning. He is passionate about helping companies revive their training interventions and enable their workforce to achieve business goals.