How to improve your English speaking skills

To improve your English, we recommend you practice all the key skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening in English.

In this article we will focus on some simple ways to improve your spoken English

About speaking English

If you learned English at school, possibly your ability to read and write English are already O.K. What you really need is to be able to speak REAL English in REAL situations. If you want to improve your spoken English skills, the best way is to practice!

Make time to practice with friends

If you have some friends who are learning English, too, why not meet up but agree to speak in English for 1/2 an hour a week, increasing the time to 1 hour as you all get more confident.

Practice on your own

Practice your fluency and begin incorporating new words and phrases into your English.

There are several ways to do this. Here are some suggestions:

a) Talk for a minute on a subject e.g. my family. Try not to hesitate too long or repeat yourself. Afterwards, think about how you did

Did you stumble to find a new word or phrase? Look up the new words and phrases you needed?

Did you need more linking words to make it more fluent? Try rephrasing sentences using linking words and phrases such as: since, at the same time, While, however, despite

Now try speaking again on the same topic. Use the new words/phrases and linking words. The second time should be better. Pick a new topic and start again.

b) Take lessons with a native English teacher

Qualified EFL/ESOL teachers will listen to your English, quickly understand your strengths and weaknesses and will focus lessons on what you need so you can improve. Joining an English class at a local language school is a popular way to learn - but if you want more speaking time and can afford it, try learning 1-1. You will get more speaking practice and individual attention from the teacher and so you should improve quicker.

With cheaper international phone calls, a great alternative is to enjoy English lessons over the phone. You still learn 1-1 but much more cheaply than learning 1-1 in a classroom and neither you nor the teacher needs to travel. Also, learning English over the phone means the lesson is focused entirely on you and your spoken English skills.

Visit: www.phone-english.net for more information on how English lessons by phone work to help you speak better English.

Happy speaking!

Improve your spoken English with 1-1 phone lessons