Speak Up! Improving Your Spoken English by Pete Mann

Speaking is one of the most important language skills. However, it can also be one of the most difficult to improve and master. But don't let a fear of making mistakes or a lack of confidence hold you back!

Here are five simple things you can do every day to improve your spoken English.

1. Learn speaking by listening

In the past, there was little access to a native speaker's voice. Humans have been speaking for far longer than they have been writing, yet people still mostly use books to learn to speak!

Learning by listening means you learn natural spoken English. You can also improve your pronunciation and understand how the language is used in context. Today we are surrounded by spoken English on video, streaming services and YouTube, available at the click of a button, so make good use of it!

2. Automate your vocabulary: repeat and juggle

How can you use vocabulary automatically, without thinking? Repeat and juggle! Find something to listen to and repeat a useful phrase or collocation, for example "I love London!" Then change a word in the phrase: "I love New York!", "I love Rome!" You can also change the tense: "I loved London!", "I'm going to love London!" It's a simple formula: listen, repeat and juggle. It gets you using vocabulary automatically and makes speaking more active.

3. Increase your fluency with chunks

Chunks are pieces of language, two, three or four words that typically go together: a collocation like "a small village", an idiom like "out of the blue" or a phrase like "in addition to that". Because you learn them as a whole, you don't have to think before using them, which speeds up your fluency.

For example, "shopping" goes with "weekly shopping", "online shopping" and "late-night shopping". When somebody asks "What did you do this weekend?", you can simply answer, "I did my weekly shopping on Saturday morning." Instead of putting individual words together, you just put the chunks together, so you become more accurate and more fluent.

4. Build your confidence: leave your comfort zone

Watching a film or reading a book is inside your comfort zone. Why not record yourself speaking about a topic for two minutes? Find a speaking partner online, or start a conversation with a new student at break time. Being nervous and making mistakes is perfectly normal. The only way to build confidence is to practise speaking, especially with other people.

5. Get used to natural spoken English

The real world is a bit different from the classroom. People won't correct you, they will speak quickly and they will expect you to understand. You can get used to natural spoken English by listening to podcasts, the news, chat shows, interviews, TED talks and films. There's plenty of choice!

To finish

With these tips, you will begin to speak more fluently and confidently in English every day. Remember that it's fine to make mistakes: the only way to improve is to practise. Find some new speaking partners and enjoy improving your spoken English today! For lots of speaking practice with expert teachers, explore our English courses in the UK.