Five Methods to Improve Your Spoken English

English is now the most widely learned second language in the world. English is used in many sectors, including the movie and music industry, broadcasting, science, information technology, and all over the Internet.

And with some 380 million native English speakers and 700 million EFL learners, it is only natural for you, as an ESL student, to want to improve your spoken English communication skills. Here are five things you can do to help you reach your goal.

Think in English

Thinking in English allows you to practice even before you actually have to speak. It can also help save you time by eliminating the need to translate your ideas from your native tongue to English.

It takes discipline to do this, however. But it’s something you can do anytime, anywhere, and for whatever purpose — be it for deciding where to eat, what to wear, how to present your speech in class, and so on.

Develop fluency first, then grammar

Grammar is very important. But when it comes to spoken English, perfect grammar should be your second priority — fluency should come first. Watch recordings of public speeches by famous politicians, or go see movies and focus on character dialogues. Listen to your native English-speaking peers and you will notice that their grammar might not be 100% correct, but nobody really minds in day-to-day conversation.

In the age of offshore shared services and business process outsourcing companies, the IT sector is just one of the industries that are taking full advantage of globalization.

To enter this industry, English proficiency isn't just recommended, it is a requirement. For those in the IT industry, collaborating with your peers, colleagues, and clients from all over the world requires that they speak the language considered the international lingua franca. English is not just the official language of America. It is the second and preferred language by those in the IT field as their means of global communication. It allows them to speak with client and colleagues about their profession and technology across borders.

Focusing on correcting your grammar every time you speak makes you less confident, and therefore, less comfortable with speaking in English. Focus on fluency instead. Be spontaneous. People will understand you. And most of all, you will sound better and more natural. You can work on your grammar lapses later.

Read short stories out loud, in English.

Get a book of collected short stories in English. Read them out loud to yourself or with your learning group. This is a great way to sound better by practicing your pronunciation. This will also help expand your vocabulary and improve your grammar because these published materials have already gone through editing and proofreading, so the grammar and sentence structures are correct.

Learn the phonetic alphabets

To improve your speaking skills, you should learn the phonetic alphabets (which you can see in dictionaries) to help you with correct pronunciation. By learning the phonetic alphabets, you will learn the difference between “sick” and “seek,” “bit” and “beat,” and so on.

About ESL Global Institute

ESL Global Institute (ESLGI) is an English Language Institute, where classes are taught by professionals with diverse expertise from different fields such as business and the academe. ESLGI believes that communication is integral to the immigrant’s journey into the United States and offers English classes for beginners, intermediate, and advanced adult students. ESLGI helps its students gain more confidence in the English language so they can perform better at school or in the workplace.