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Have you ever seen an English movie, read an article or simply written your answer in English but when it came to speaking; you were at a loss? You might understand the language, know grammar rules, be able to understand someone speaking but be bad at actually speaking. Well this problem is quite common among college students and freshers.
The reason behind this is that knowing English and being good at oral communication are poles apart. We study English for academics, tests, reading, writing, etc. But speaking needs consistent and deliberate practice!
Students Face These Challenges While Learning Spoken English:
1. Learned English For Academics Not For Communicating:
For years, English has been taught in schools as a subject. Students learn grammar, write essays, answer questions, read comprehension, learn new vocabulary, etc.
However, unless someone has had an incentive to communicate in English, this has not been of much help to them. As such, a student may score A+ in English but be tongue-tied during an interview, presentation, or group discussion.
2. Fear Of Saying Something Wrong:
Students are often so afraid of being wrong that they don’t attempt to speak at all!
They keep thinking, “Well, what if someone laughs at my pronunciation?”, etc. However, the only way to get better at speaking is to practice! Practice makes perfect! So accept the fact that you might stumble a bit while speaking and leave room for improvement.
3. Translating Hindi To English In Their Mind:
A lot of people actually do this; first think of a sentence in Hindi, then translate it to English and check the grammar. It’s a long process and can affect what you want to say.
What you should do is work on thinking in simple English and keep building on to it. Practice describing your surroundings, day to day activities, what you’re going to do, etc.
4. Lack Of Practice:
Practice, practice and repeat! You can’t become good at sports without playing, similarly, you can’t get good at speaking without speaking. Reading is important but only speaking can get you to where you want to be.
If you don’t have an English-speaking environment around you, create one for yourself. Talk to your friends, practice having conversations, join debate clubs, etc.
For students in Agra, Urbantract Education offers a complete spoken English course which helps them learn in an interactive environment. Urbantract Education is a trusted name in Agra for building communication skills and has been around for a long time.
Tips To Improve Spoken English:
Improving spoken English doesn’t require you to read a thick grammar book everyday. These simple tricks will definitely help you:
1. Speak For A Few Minutes Everyday
Pick up a topic of your interest and speak for about 5-10 minutes on it. It could be your college, your hobby, your favorite subject, etc. The main objective is to actually speak and improve everyday.
2. Read Aloud
This is again a very helpful exercise. Read any news article, story or simply something of your choice out loud. By doing this, you not only understand sentence formation better but also practice speaking.
3. Listen To Good English Speakers/Listeners
Listening is very important. You can watch English interviews, lectures, videos, etc. Again, while listening, try to understand what they are saying and how they speak instead of focusing on every word.
4. Learn Important Phrases
Instead of trying to mug up all the big words you know, try to learn commonly used phrases and words. Try to learn phrases that can be used to talk about anything and everything because it’s not just about vocabulary, it’s about effective communication too.
Words like ‘I believe that’, to oppose someone, ask for something, etc.
5. Record Yourself
This one might sound strange but trust us when we say that this works. Record yourself while speaking and listen to yourself afterwards. Listen for mistakes, the way you say certain words, fillers, etc.
Also try to record yourself reading out the same paragraph on two different days and compare.
Communication Goes Beyond Just Knowing English:
It’s important to remember that a good communicator is also a good listener. Listening skills are just as important as speaking skills. Understanding the other person is the key. Knowing how to form sentences, what to say, what not to say, how to present yourself, your body language, etc. all matter.
Communication skills are actually very important when students step out into the corporate world. A fresher might have lots of theoretical knowledge but while presenting or simply explaining something in an interview or during a meeting; they could be terrible at it.
This is why students focus on building communication skills because it’s a skill-set that comes in handy throughout your career. Students in Agra understand this really well and have started looking for spoken English courses outside of academics.
Agra-based Urbantract Education can offer students a platform where they can look to improve their spoken English.
Don’t Wait For The Right Time To Speak:
Many students make the mistake of waiting for their English to be perfect or to get an A+ in English before they start speaking. That’s the wrong way to look at it.
You have to understand that improving spoken English is an ongoing process. It’s not a one-time thing where you study hard for a month, take a test, pass it and move on. Improvement is gradual. You start to speak a little better, use words right, get faster at forming sentences, stop being afraid, etc.
So if you’re someone who knows English but can’t seem to speak it well, start today. You don’t need to have a huge vocabulary or sound super-intelligent. You simply need to start and keep practicing.
For those of you who are still worried about your English, Agra-based Urbantract Education has the perfect communication course for students who want to get good at spoken English.
