Hello there, Advanced English Explearners. Have you ever found yourself nodding along to English conversations, understanding every word, but when it's your turn to speak, well, that's a different story. You're not alone. And today we are going to change that. We've got a practical action plan for you, backed by research, to help you leap from understanding English to speaking it confidently.
And remember, You can put these strategies into action at our Explearning Academy, our very own private global community, where we host live workshops every week giving you the opportunity to get instant feedback. So, are you ready? Let's jump right in.
First up, let's explore the speak as you think technique. It's all about letting your thoughts flow naturally, without trying to construct a perfect sentence in your head before speaking. It might feel a bit chaotic at first, but with practice, your fluency will improve. A study by Derwing, T. M., & Rossiter, M. J. in 2003 found that fluency practice can significantly improve speaking skills.
So, give it a go.
Next, we have the shadowing method. This involves finding an English speaker that you admire. It could be anyone from a movie star to a TED Talk speaker to a YouTuber. Listen to their speeches or dialogues and try to shadow them mimicking their pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation. And you can even throw in some non verbals in there, mimicking their behaviors, their mannerisms, their expressions and their non verbal communication. This technique, supported by research from Kadota in 2012, can help you get comfortable with the sound and the rhythm of English. So try it out. I highly encourage you to do so.
Our third strategy is all about mindset. Practice positive affirmations. Tell yourself every day, I can speak English fluently. I can speak English confidently. I am improving my English skills every day. I can reach social fluency. I can express myself clearly in English. A study by Bandura, in 1997 showed that self efficacy can significantly impact language learning. So, these affirmations can actually boost your confidence and help you to overcome language barriers.
Now, let's talk about role playing. This is a fun and effective way to practice English. Pretend you're a character in a movie, a CEO in a meeting, or a tourist asking for directions. This technique, supported by a study from Storch and Wigglesworth in 2003, will not only help you practice different scenarios, but also help you understand different accents and dialects.
Our final strategy, number five, is the daily conversation challenge. Every day, have at least one conversation in English. It could be with a friend, a family member, or even with yourself in front of a mirror. Why not? The goal is to get comfortable when speaking in English in a variety of contexts. A study by Boers et al. in 2006, found that frequent interaction in a new language can significantly improve speaking skills.
You can also join our community and practice your English communication there, in a stress free, risk free way. Also, did I mention, it's really fun in our community.
And there you have it, Advanced English Explearners five research backed strategies to help you transition from understanding English to speaking it fluently.
Remember, the key to mastering any language and boosting your communication is practice, practice, and more practice. And what better place than to practice in our Explearning Academy. You can join us for our live workshops and our web courses, and interacting with the community, as well as myself.
And let's conquer this language learning journey together. Until next time, keep up the awesome work, keep on learning, keep on exploring, and of course, keep on Explearning. I'll see you in the next one.
References
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.
Boers, F., Eyckmans, J., Kappel, J., Stengers, H., & Demecheleer, M. (2006). Formulaic sequences and perceived oral proficiency: Putting a lexical approach to the test. Language Teaching Research, 10(3), 245-261.
Derwing, T. M., & Rossiter, M. J. (2003). The effects of pronunciation instruction on the accuracy, fluency, and complexity of L2 accented speech. Applied Language Learning, 13(1), 1-17.
Kadota, S. (2012). The roles of shadowing and dictation in learning English: A study of Japanese college students. The Language Teacher, 36(3), 5-10.
Storch, N., & Wigglesworth, G. (2003). Is there a role for the use of the L1 in an L2 setting? TESOL Quarterly, 37(4), 760-770.
Kaur, D., & Aziz, A. (2020). The Use of Language Game in Enhancing Students’ Speaking Skills. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 10(12). DOI: 10.6007/IJARBSS/V10-I12/8369
