In the twenty-first century, we are living in, English speaking skills are the need of the hour. It is the most used language for working and communicating all across the globe. From elementary, secondary, senior secondary, to higher learning, students always have to study English as an academic subject. But along with memorizing and writing from books, speaking skills are equally important. Today all professions demand employees who are effective at speaking English. Some of its benefits are
- Better academic performance
- More job opportunities
- increase in personality development
- Effective communication skills
- Better chances of cracking interviews and getting recruited.
- increase in interpersonal and collaboration skills.
By reading these pointers, we can make out how important English speaking skills are for all of us. But one thing to remember is that command over English speaking cannot be had overnight or in a short period. Students need to work for it every single day. Let us discuss some useful tips that students can follow to enhance their English speaking. We will also be discussing a few tips that teachers can do to help students in this regard.
Tips for students to improve their English speaking
- Try to communicate in English as much as possible
We all know that English speaking skills cannot be grown in a couple of days. The more one will speak in this language, the better their English speaking will get. Many students feel that only conversing in English in the classroom will serve this purpose. But this is a wrong assumption.
Along with speaking in the classes, whenever talking with your friends, going out to shopping, malls, and cafes, try to speak in English as much as you can. If at home, your parents are not good at this language, no worries, you can teach them the words, everyday sentences too. Also, communicate in English only with your siblings. This will surely be very helpful in this regard.
- Don’t be afraid of speaking errors
Many students hesitate to speak in English because they fear making mistakes and errors. We all know that to get command over English speaking we need time and practice. And among all this, making some speaking errors can be common with all. Students must develop a mindset of learning from their mistakes and keep trying. Stay positive and don’t let your fears stop you from growing.
- Focus on improving your vocabulary and grammar
English words have no end. There are so many phrases, idioms, synonyms, and antonyms. A limited vocabulary knowledge may limit your English speaking too. And hence all students must focus on improving their vocabulary. By using an online classroom app, students can learn new words every day.
Reading newspapers, articles, blogs published online can also help students in this regard. Also to speak the sentences and convey messages properly, English grammar understanding is important too. Learn the present, past, and future tense properly. Active voice, passive voice, direct and indirect speech are also important to understand for good and correct English speaking.
How can teachers help?
- Have more participatory activities
The teacher-centered method of teaching, where a teacher speaks and explains whereas students sit as mere listeners, won’t allow students to speak up. And this way of teaching is not suitable for students’ English speaking growth. To avoid this from happening, by using ERP, all teachers must organize more participatory activities and must avoid monotonous ways of teaching.
When students are given the chance to participate, they will speak and interact more in the classes which will help to foster their English speaking skills. Recitations, open-ended question rounds are a few such examples.
- Have group activities in the class
When students work in groups, they tend to listen more to each other’s views and ideas. Also, all students speak up and discuss to make the conclusions, complete the work and achieve their common or shared goal. And therefore group activities are the best to enhance the English speaking skills of the students. A few such examples are group discussions, pair, and present, dialogue exchange, project making, model making, etc.
- Make English compulsory for communication in the class
Many students might not communicate in English and use their comfortable language, Hindi, to communicate only. But when teachers will make English speaking compulsory in the classes, all students will have to follow it. Students have to follow the classroom rules and regulations to stay disciplined. And this English-speaking communication rule will do wonders to make students better and more effective in this regard.
Conclusion
For academic success as well as success in future jobs and professions, English speaking skills are important for all of us. By following the above-mentioned tips, students can improve their English speaking gradually. We also discussed a few tips that teachers can follow in the classroom to foster the English speaking skills of the learners. This way, students will become better, more confident, and more effective at English speaking.