How to Gain Confidence in Your English Speaking
2021-02-24
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1At VOA Learning English, we sometimes get questions like this: "How can I speak English with more confidence?"
2That is a great question.
3No matter what language we are learning, we would all love to speak more confidently.
4Yuliana Vasquez is an English teacher.
5She also trains teachers and is a language researcher at the University of Panama.
6She said lack of confidence can come from having trouble with pronunciation and not having a wide enough vocabulary.
7If you lack confidence when you speak English,
8you may do one or more of these things without realizing it:
9Speak in short phrases
10Speak too softly
11Speak too fast or unclearly
12So today, we have several pieces of advice to help you gain confidence in your English-speaking ability.
13Believe it or not, the most important person you talk to every day is yourself. In other words: Your thoughts matter.
14So our first piece of advice is to use positive self-talk.
15If you lack confidence as an English speaker, you may tell yourself things like, "English is too hard and I will never improve."
16When you talk to other people, you may say things like, "I'm so sorry for my English."
17But if you keep thinking and saying such things, you are sure to start believing them.
18Magdi Saleh is an English teacher and teacher trainer based in Cairo, Egypt.
19Saleh said many English learners need to show themselves more patience because progress takes time:.
20"You have to be patient with yourself and talk positively with yourself."
21He said you can tell yourself something like, "Today, I will learn this thing and tomorrow I will learn other things."
22So the next time you are using your English, pay attention to what you tell yourself or others.
23Be sure to replace unhelpful thoughts or ideas with better ones.
24The next tip is to speak louder and slow down your speech.
25When I taught English at a language school in Washington, D.C., I noticed something about my students:
26Those who lacked confidence spoke too softly.
27And they did not enunciate well.
28Often, I had to ask them to repeat themselves a few times.
29To sound more confident, speak loudly enough that anyone in the same room can easily hear you.
30And try to slow down your speech if you speak too fast.
31Many English learners worry that speaking too slow will make them sound inexperienced.
32But speaking too fast may cause more mistakes.
33So avoid worrying that you are speaking too slow for the people around you.
34Our third tip is to speak in complete sentences and give longer responses when possible.
35If you are not confident in a language, you will likely try to say as little as possible when you speak.
36Trust me: I know! When I visited Brazil, for example, I remember asking a building doorman for the fitness center key.
37In Portuguese, I said just, "Good afternoon. Fitness center key, please."
38Saleh says this is a common problem for language learners.
39For example, if you ask an English learner what their favorite color is, they may give a short, direct response like, "My favorite color is blue."
40But a native English speaker is likely to give a detailed and less direct response, like this:
41"Well, to be quite honest, I don't really have an actual color. I guess that if I were buying clothes, I would go for something like blue or grey."
42Using complete sentences and giving more detail in responses shows listeners that you are not afraid to speak English.
43Now, we move to tip number four: Read out loud.
44Reading out loud can help build confidence in how your English sounds.
45So the next time you are reading a website, book or something else that you enjoy, take a few minutes to read the material aloud.
46Vasquez offers a possible plan of action.
47Before reading aloud, read the story silently first.
48The second time, if there is audio, you can listen to the speaker as you read along silently.
49Then, try to read the story out loud alone.
50Then, try listening to the speaker and reading out loud at the same time.
51List words you have trouble saying and then, later, check their pronunciation on Google Translate or in some other place.
52Saleh adds that learners should read for pleasure and enjoy what they are reading.
53So he advises not stopping to check word meanings in a dictionary while reading.
54One of the biggest barriers to confidence in speaking a second language is the constant worry about making mistakes.
55So our next tip is: Do not worry too much about mistakes.
56Understand that making mistakes is a natural part of the language learning process.
57Yes, you will make mistakes.
58But keep in mind that the purpose of speaking a language is to communicate.
59And many English learners communicate very well, even with mistakes.
60Vasquez notes that mistakes can be a good thing.
61The more experience you get, the more you will know what is and is not correct, she explains.
62Our final tip is to set realistic goals.
63If your English-speaking skills are at the beginner or intermediate level and you try to do something too difficult, you may fail.
64This can harm your confidence.
65But, if you do something that matches your level, you are more likely to do it well.
66As you learn English, it is natural to lack some of the skills you need to communicate well.
67Often, when we lack skills, we lack confidence.
68But remember that, as your skills grow, your confidence will, too.
69Vasquez advises learners to make a plan for daily practice and spend at least 30 minutes each day practicing your English.
70I'm Alice Bryant.
1At VOA Learning English, we sometimes get questions like this: "How can I speak English with more confidence?" 2That is a great question. No matter what language we are learning, we would all love to speak more confidently. 3Yuliana Vasquez is an English teacher. She also trains teachers and is a language researcher at the University of Panama. She said lack of confidence can come from having trouble with pronunciation and not having a wide enough vocabulary. 4If you lack confidence when you speak English, you may do one or more of these things without realizing it: 5Speak in short phrases 6Speak too softly 7Speak too fast or unclearly 8So today, we have several pieces of advice to help you gain confidence in your English-speaking ability. 9Use positive self-talk 10Believe it or not, the most important person you talk to every day is yourself. In other words: Your thoughts matter. 11So our first piece of advice is to use positive self-talk. 12If you lack confidence as an English speaker, you may tell yourself things like, "English is too hard and I will never improve." When you talk to other people, you may say things like, "I'm so sorry for my English." 13But if you keep thinking and saying such things, you are sure to start believing them. 14Magdi Saleh is an English teacher and teacher trainer based in Cairo, Egypt. 15Saleh said many English learners need to show themselves more patience because progress takes time:. 16"You have to be patient with yourself and talk positively with yourself." 17He said you can tell yourself something like, "Today, I will learn this thing and tomorrow I will learn other things." 18So the next time you are using your English, pay attention to what you tell yourself or others. Be sure to replace unhelpful thoughts or ideas with better ones. 19Speak louder, slower 20The next tip is to speak louder and slow down your speech. 21When I taught English at a language school in Washington, D.C., I noticed something about my students: Those who lacked confidence spoke too softly. And they did not enunciate well. Often, I had to ask them to repeat themselves a few times. 22To sound more confident, speak loudly enough that anyone in the same room can easily hear you. 23And try to slow down your speech if you speak too fast. Many English learners worry that speaking too slow will make them sound inexperienced. But speaking too fast may cause more mistakes. So avoid worrying that you are speaking too slow for the people around you. 24Speak in full sentences 25Our third tip is to speak in complete sentences and give longer responses when possible. 26If you are not confident in a language, you will likely try to say as little as possible when you speak. Trust me: I know! When I visited Brazil, for example, I remember asking a building doorman for the fitness center key. In Portuguese, I said just, "Good afternoon. Fitness center key, please." 27Saleh says this is a common problem for language learners. For example, if you ask an English learner what their favorite color is, they may give a short, direct response like, "My favorite color is blue." But a native English speaker is likely to give a detailed and less direct response, like this: 28"Well, to be quite honest, I don't really have an actual color. I guess that if I were buying clothes, I would go for something like blue or grey." 29Using complete sentences and giving more detail in responses shows listeners that you are not afraid to speak English. 30Read out loud 31Now, we move to tip number four: Read out loud. 32Reading out loud can help build confidence in how your English sounds. So the next time you are reading a website, book or something else that you enjoy, take a few minutes to read the material aloud. 33Vasquez offers a possible plan of action. 34Before reading aloud, read the story silently first. The second time, if there is audio, you can listen to the speaker as you read along silently. Then, try to read the story out loud alone. Then, try listening to the speaker and reading out loud at the same time. 35List words you have trouble saying and then, later, check their pronunciation on Google Translate or in some other place. 36Saleh adds that learners should read for pleasure and enjoy what they are reading. So he advises not stopping to check word meanings in a dictionary while reading. 37Don't worry too much 38One of the biggest barriers to confidence in speaking a second language is the constant worry about making mistakes. 39So our next tip is: Do not worry too much about mistakes. 40Understand that making mistakes is a natural part of the language learning process. Yes, you will make mistakes. But keep in mind that the purpose of speaking a language is to communicate. And many English learners communicate very well, even with mistakes. 41Vasquez notes that mistakes can be a good thing. The more experience you get, the more you will know what is and is not correct, she explains. 42Set realistic goals 43Our final tip is to set realistic goals. 44If your English-speaking skills are at the beginner or intermediate level and you try to do something too difficult, you may fail. This can harm your confidence. But, if you do something that matches your level, you are more likely to do it well. 45As you learn English, it is natural to lack some of the skills you need to communicate well. Often, when we lack skills, we lack confidence. But remember that, as your skills grow, your confidence will, too. 46Vasquez advises learners to make a plan for daily practice and spend at least 30 minutes each day practicing your English. 47I'm Alice Bryant. 48Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 49______________________________________________________________ 50Words in This Story 51confidence -n. the feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed 52pronunciation -n. the way in which a word is spoken 53vocabulary -n. the set of words that a person knows 54phrase -n. a group of words that express an idea but do not form a sentence 55positive -adj. good or useful 56enunciate -v. to pronounce words clearly and understandably 57key -n. a special piece of metal used to open a lock 58guess -v. to suppose, to think that something might be the case 59silently -adv. quietly, without sound 60intermediate -adj. relating to a level of knowledge that is not of a beginner or of an expert