Hi, I’m Jennifer. Certified English teacher and Communications expert. In today’s video, I’m going to share with you 3 tips on how to develop spoken English. At the end of the video, I’ll share with you a bonus tip, that I know will really help you. Ok, let’s get started. Tip 1 Practice Speaking Ok I know this seems obvious. To develop spoken English, practice speaking. Hum. But, unfortunately, students don’t do this. They spend 90% of their time reading English, listening to English, writing English. But they don’t speak English. So if you only spend 10% or less of your time practicing spoken English, why would you expect to be good at it.

Now, what you need to do is start speaking. The best time to start developing your spoken English was the minute you decided to learn English. The next best time is right now. This is a ukulele. It’s a musical instrument. And I’m learning to play it. Now, imagine I was telling my friend. I’m learning to play the ukulele. And I told her. I spend 30 minutes a day watching YouTube videos on how to play the ukulele. I bought lots of different books. I have a few apps. And I listen to ukulele music all the time. And then, my friend asks me. Oh, how often do you play the ukulele. And I tell my friend. Oh, I’m not ready to play yet. I’m still just learning, but I’m not ready to play.

What do you think my friend’s reaction would be? I imagine she would start laughing or she would be extremely confused because, in reality, I will not learn to play the ukulele unless I play the ukulele. And yeah. Now, the same for you. If you want to practice speaking English, you need to speak English. Tip 2 Expect to Make mistakes. A lot of students allow their fear of making mistakes to prevent them from speaking English. So, what you can do, is don’t be afraid of mistakes. If you expect to make mistakes, it will instantly take that fear away. Because in reality, perfection is not realistic. And why? Because I make mistakes speaking English. My friends, my native English speaking friends, make mistakes speaking English. So, if we, as native English speakers, and myself specifically as a teacher that’s devoted my life to studying English, how can you expect to speak English perfectly if we don’t. So don’t make your goal perfection. It’s ok to make mistakes.

In fact, making mistakes means you’re getting out of your comfort zone. You’re trying new things. You’re pushing yourself. When you’re making mistakes, you’re learning. And making mistakes is the best thing you can do. Because we learn so much from our mistakes. So expect to make mistakes and don’t be afraid of them. Mistakes are beneficial. Change your perspective and it will really help you develop that confidence speaking English. Tip 3 Start listening to English. OK, I know I just told you that you can’t spend all your time listening to English. Which is true. But you should still listen to English often. And have that as part of your learning routine.

And why? Because listening to English will teach you so many useful things that you can apply to your spoken skills. You’ll learn natural pronunciation changes. You’ll learn reductions, contractions, linking sentences, new expressions, body language, intonation. But you’ll learn all of these things naturally. Subconsciously. Because as you’re watching TV your brain is processing the information. Your brain is learning pronunciation, expressions. And you don’t even realize it. You’re just enjoying the TV program. But, the key here is to listen to natural English. So here’s a great way to do it. Just join my Facebook page. Every single day I go live and I speak to you naturally.

And I explain the expressions I’m using as well. So every single day you can be exposed to natural English but in very small portions so it’s manageable. It’s not overwhelming like watching a 2-hour movie. It’s just watching a 4-minute video. Bonus Tip Become a Great Listener Now if you want to develop spoken English it means you’re going to be having a conversation with someone. But speaking is only half of the conversation. The other half of the conversation is listening. And when you listen you’ll know what to say next. Because in that conversation you should be tailoring your message, what you’re communicating, based on what you’re hearing. And if you’re not a confident listener, if you’re still making mistakes listening, you won’t know how to respond.

You won’t know what to say. So, if you are confident listening, and you know exactly what questions you’re being asked, or what topic is being discussed, then you’re already one step closer to being able to participate in the conversation and speak in the conversation as well. So now you have 4 easy things you can do to develop your spoken English. First, practice speaking all the time. And expect to make mistakes. Focus on your listening skills, and become a great listener. Alright, now, let me know in the comments. What’s one thing that you’re going to do to develop your spoken English. I’d love to hear about it. If you found this video useful, please hit the like button, share it with your friends, and of course subscribe. Thank you so much for watching, and until next week, happy studying.