Speaking skills

This is a difficult skill to improve for many people and it seems imposible to do so, especially by yourself at home and/or alone. Let's see what we can do to practise by using different techniques or activities:

1. Imitating speech: this simple video will explain how to do it and why you should do it: click here.

2. Recording your speech: when you're speaking in English you usually focus on what your doing but almost word by word, not as a whole. If you record yourself with your mobile, your computer or tablet, you'll be able to check problems such as entonation, gaps, repetitions, wrong pauses, the time you spend and  things like that.

3. Using models: such as songs you like, movies, series or shows, the news and so on. This video shows you an example.  But you can also use listening exercises after finishing the task. They can be used as models, especially if they have the tapescript to check (remember what we saw above in the imitating speech). You may use listenings from many websites you already know like elllo, for example.

4. Learn useful expressions: these will help not only you when you're speaking but with other skills such as writing or reading. There are plenty of links on this topic but some examples are : International House in Bristol (it's also in the Interesting links of this blog) or this one to prepare oral exams for FCE (B2) but you can also use it in other levels. You can also make your own list of useful sentencia like I can't agree with you more, that's exactly what I was saying, let me tell you something about that, 

5. Finding conversational partners: starting with your classmates, but if you prefer meeting new people use social networks to talk about your hobbies or interests (video games, movies, music, etc.). There are some webpages for exchanging conversation, although I haven't used them myself like this one or this

6. Improve your pronunciation: this is a link with many lessons about how to pronounce sounds in English so go to the ones you find difficult to correct yourself: click here. Listen and repeat as many times as you need but also record yourself to check you're doing it right.

7. Reading aloud: it's a good way of practising pronunciation so you can use the texts with audios I provided on the Reading post I gave you a few days before.

8. Practise with presentations: this is something really useful because the slides help you with your speech but also because it's what you have to do many times at work, at university, at school... Choose the topic, prepare it and record the result. And share it with the rest of us in Google Classroom!