How To Improve Speaking Skills In English (With Tips)

Updated 30 September 2022

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Fluent English speaking skills can provide ease of communicating with professionals anywhere in the world. This is why it is essential for candidates to manage their time to enhance their English speaking skills. Incorporating some helpful tips into your learning process can make it easier for you to improve your fluency in the English language. In this article, we discuss how to improve speaking skills in English by discussing some important tips and finding answers to some commonly asked questions related to learning English.

How to improve speaking skills in English

If you are trying to know how to improve speaking skills in English, practicing extensively can be very helpful, as it can help you identify your weaknesses and you can work on those accordingly. With practice, you can improve your vocabulary and understanding of the language. Here are some helpful methods that can help you improve your speaking skills in English:

1. Practice with someone

Communicating with someone in English can be an effective way to improve your English speaking skills. It can help you enhance your English vocabulary and use the grammar concept correctly while communicating. You can also find an online tutor that can help you practice your English speaking skills. When you learn from a tutor, you can know your mistakes and correct them accordingly. Practicing with friends can also be an effective way to improve your English speaking skills.

2. Work on your pronunciation

Learning the pronunciation of basic English words can be helpful in mastering speaking skills. The process of improving pronunciation may require an individual to learn the right way to use intonation and stress. Improving pronunciation can make your English speaking more accurate and help others to understand you better. Try noticing and understanding the intonations that people use and implement them into your conversation. Practice speaking shorter sentences and using words that are easy to comprehend to ensure effective communication. Focus on using formal language, practice spelling, grammar and punctuation extensively.

3. Improve your vocabulary

Learning more words and phrases can make it easier to express your thoughts and ideas in a much more efficient way. Start with learning words and phrases relevant to your field, as this can help you communicate better professionally. It can also make you appear more professional while talking to clients or business partners. Communicate with other professionals at the workplace. Practice the new words you learn by using them in everyday conversation and sentences.

4. Practice active listening

Practicing listening skills can help in improving English speaking skills. Listening is an input that helps in learning new words and increases your vocabulary. It can allow you to understand the correct pronunciation of words and help to construct grammatically accurate sentences. Try listening to podcasts related to your niche as it can help in learning new words and phrases relevant to your field of expertise.

5. Record yourself

Recording yourself while speaking can be helpful into find out the errors you make while speaking. This method can help in tracking your progress and identifying the areas of improvement. It can also show how comfortable and confident you are with the topic. This gives you an opportunity to fix the errors and attend your next training session with more confidence.

6. Stay consistent

Commit yourself to practice your speaking skills every day. Consistency is the key to learning any new skill. Practicing every day can help improve your ability to speak English and make you more confident. Learning a few new words and their pronunciation every day can help you to create a habit. The best way to be consistent with learning English speaking skills is to form a habit and continue the routine.

Importance of learning English speaking skills

Your English speaking proficiency can determine the success in your personal and professional interactions with other people. Here are a few reasons why learning English speaking skills are important:

Helpful to communicate at the workplace: English speaking skills can help professionals to effectively communicate with a broader audience at the workplace. It can help you in conveying your message to clients, team members and stakeholders who are fluent in English.
Helpful to improve career prospects: Great English speaking skills can be helpful in achieving a job role and advancing your career. With the help of English speaking skills, professionals can effectively write a resume and answer the questions during their interviews.
Helpful to learn other skills: Good speaking skills in English can help in learning and acquiring other new skills. You can effectively communicate with your managers, colleagues, other professionals and learn new skills from them.

Additional tips to improve English speaking skills

Here are some additional tips that can help you improve your English speaking skills:

Work on your presentation skills

Technical topics can be interesting and easy to understand if you present them in the right way. With the help of good presentation skills, you can express your thoughts more clearly in the workplace. Work on your body language, vocals and facial expression. Use the right presentation style to make topics more engaging.

Practicing presentation skills can help you gain confidence and improve your speaking skills. Introduce yourself confidently and professionally while starting the presentation. Professionals can also add an interesting story to include some humour while communicating. Working on your presentation style can help you communicate in English without hesitation.

Gain confidence

Gaining confidence can be a crucial factor while learning English speaking skills. Sometimes, even after gaining knowledge of vocabulary and grammar, people may hesitate while communicating in English. Due to lack of confidence, some professionals may feel uncomfortable while addressing a large audience.

Gaining confidence can help you overcome nervousness and stage fright. Many employers prefer hiring candidates who are confident in speaking English, as they can be more likely to share necessary information effectively. The level of confidence of candidates can impact the way you portray yourself while talking to both English and non-English-speaking audiences.

Connect with your audience

Connecting effectively with your audience can help you while conducting a meeting or addressing any issues at the workplace. Assess the requirements of your audience to create a connection with them. Understand whether the professionals you are communicating with are comfortable with technical terms. Assess whether your audience prefers an informal conversation or a professional conversation, and communicate accordingly.

Develop passion

Speaking in English can become easier if you have a passion for the topic. With passion, you may find it easier to educate other professionals effectively. Use your passion to gain a level of expertise in the topic and your speech delivery. Find the topics that may interest you and research them. This can help you look like an expert and address the gathering professionally.

Ways to highlight your English speaking skills

There can be a variety of situations in your workplace where you can use your English speaking skills. If you have excellent English speaking skills, then you can highlight them on your resume and during the interview. Here are the ways to highlight your English public speaking skills:

Add to your resume

Highlight your English speaking skills in your resume. You can add this skill to the job duties section of the resume. Carefully read the job description and find the level of proficiency required for the position. Identify the keywords from the job description and use them in your resume to establish yourself as a potential candidate. You can inspire from the following examples while highlighting your English speaking skills in the resume:

conducted public workshops and corporate meetings
presented research papers at many international conferences
trained over 150 international trainers through online classes and seminars
collaborated with several professionals from different departments
delivered effective sales pitches to international clients

Showcase during interview

Interviews can be a great time to showcase your English speaking skills to the hiring managers. During interviews, you may encounter direct questions relevant to your communication skills. Many hiring managers judge the communication skills of candidates depending on how comfortably, and confidently they can speak and convey their message. Pause and think before answering any question during the interview. Practice the questions you are likely to face to increase your chances of success.