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Do you feel nervous when you speak English to others, even though you have studied the language since you were young? Don’t worry; you’re not alone.
The fear of speaking English can be overwhelming, whether it’s talking with the incorrect tone and pronunciation or making grammatical mistakes. Like any skill, speaking requires practice and confidence, and we’ll reveal how you can perfect these two combos!
Speak English With More Confidence #1: Practice talking to yourself
If you feel queasy whenever you have the thought of speaking English in public, start small! We recommend you practice talking to yourself in the mirror. It may sound strange at first, but it’s one of the small steps to building your courage to speak in public.
Choose a topic you like; think about your favourite movies, songs or hobbies and practice talking in the mirror. Observe your expressions and how you speak; it’s a good form of practice as it helps you identify areas that need improvement.
Here are some tips you could try:
Record yourself speaking on video: If you enjoy doing reviews about your favourite artists or food, turn on your camera and start recording.
Channel your inner influencer: Take your phone, camera or digital recordings and start vlogging about the day in your life (in English).
Bonus: Ever wondered how Elon Musk (and other great speakers) can present so well in public? Look at their body language, posture, and how they conduct themselves. Having great body language not only makes you appear more confident but also adds credibility when you speak.
Here’s how you can master it:
Sit up (or stand) straight while you’re talking.
Speak with a strong, clear voice.
Observe your expressions and gestures.
Relax, and stay calm.
Speak English With More Confidence #2: Learn the lyrics to your favourite songs
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Get ready with your music playlist, as the next step to speaking English with more confidence is to sing along to your favourite song! To appear and speak more confidently, you must be comfortable with the tone and pronunciation of English.
Here’s a simple test to help you get started!
Level 1: Listen to your favourite song and read the lyrics out loud.
Level 2: Once you’re comfortable, you can try to sing along to the song.
Level 3: Challenge yourself! Pick a different song genre and see how well you do in a slow, medium-to-fast song tempo. (Hats off if you’re a rap pro!)
Learning to speak English confidently through singing is fun! It boosts your mood, energy and self-esteem (and you can do it yourself without fearing being judged). Also, you can practice it anytime and anywhere you like!
We’ve listed some helpful sites for you to jam along:
Genius: A one-stop site where you can listen, interpret and make annotations to song lyrics.
Spotify: One of the largest music streaming sites, Spotify lets you create and share your song playlist and best of all, their collaboration with Musixmatch allows you to sing along to the lyrics!
Finding it hard to sing along to your favourite song? Read here to improve your listening skills!
Speak English With More Confidence #3: Do not depend on your native language
We tend to speak in our native language when we come across a difficult word or stutter in a sentence. It might be difficult to code-switch at first, but you’ll be surprised how fast you will improve if you speak in complete sentences.
Here’s a helpful tip: It’s easy to stumble into a stutter, but most importantly, how you recover. Make a small start, whether a talk with your doctor or a random stranger at the market; every step is valuable to help you speak English more confidently.
If you’re not ready to speak in public (just yet), don’t worry! You can always practice online, as many social platforms like Discord and Roblox help you connect with other people across the globe.
And if you’re looking for tips to start a conversation, click here to read more!
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Speak English With More Confidence #4: Practice, practice and practice
Once you have practised all of the recommendations above, it’s time to show off your skills. Find your closest friends and family, and let them practice along with you! Once you are comfortable speaking to your closest friends and family, you can step out of your comfort zone and chat with other people!
You could practice this anywhere you go, from a simple “thank you” to the cashier or volunteering in class; practice makes perfect! Speak with pride and confidence and you’ll be amazed at how quick your improvement will be!
Extra: Read these essential tips to elevate your confidence in speaking!
Speak clearly
Speaking clearly helps you to articulate your words better. You could try to speak slowly if you tend to hesitate and slip your words. Skip the accent and talk naturally, and you’ll be surprised to see how fluent you speak.
2. Speech exercise
The best way to practice speaking English with confidence is to learn tongue twisters and practice them. This would help you to enunciate words and sentences better.
Test your ‘tongue twister’ skills and see how well you do:
Beginner: “How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?”
Immediate: “Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks.”
Advanced: “Rory the warrior and Roger the worrier were reared wrongly in a rural brewery.”
Speak English With More Confidence #5: Don’t be afraid to receive feedback
Speak English freely, and you’ll be sure to be more confident as time progresses! The best approach is making mistakes and practising without overthinking the grammar rules and pronunciation!
Remember that success in speaking English doesn’t happen overnight. It takes practice (and a sprinkle of confidence) to help you speak like a pro!
