How can I practise my spoken English?

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Don’t have the chance to speak English at work?

Do you find your written English is good and you understand a lot, but when you have to actually say the words you freeze up?

Well, the good news is that you are not alone.

This is a super common problem and it can be difficult to refresh your English knowledge and keep things current.

Keep reading to learn how you can practise your spoken English in a way that works for you.

First, let's discuss why this is happening.

The issue with learning a language is that our brains memorise the way we initially received the information and form pathways or connections as we learn. Because many non-native English speakers first learn English at school, most of this learning is usually book or text-based. Your younger brain probably soaked up English like a sponge and made strong connections, so even years later reading and writing is not a problem.

However, if you didn’t have a lot of practice speaking English, those connections in your brain were not created.

Have you ever thought of a sentence in English and in your mind it is absolutely marvellous, but when you try and actually say it, it comes out like word soup? This is why.

So how can we create those connections and improve our spoken English?

Well, the difficult truth is that you just need to practise actually speaking. The more you speak the more connections you make and the easier it becomes. However, this brings us to the more complicated questions, like, when, where and how can I practise speaking English?

To answer these questions, I’ve put together some useful tips and researched some practical solutions that should help you out.

PRO ADVICE

Speak out loud

This may sound a bit silly, but you need to start talking to yourself. If you are reading something in English, like this article, or watching a video, get in the habit of physically saying the words or repeating what the video just said.

In my lessons, I often get students to talk about the grammar points we are learning. For example, why we really use the perfect tenses or why this sentence is using an ‘+ing’ form. This is because it helps create those mental connections and makes it easier to get an inside idea outside.

One of the best times to speak to yourself is when your brain suddenly gives you one of those intrusive English thoughts. You know what I mean, you are waiting for a bus and suddenly, “I will get on the bus” pops into your head in English. This is essentially your passive English knowledge firing up. If you actually say the words you are thinking in that moment you can start making strong connections between your reading/writing skills and your speaking skills.

Don’t worry about the other people at the bus stop. They will just be jealous of your fantastic dedication to the English language. When you nail that English job interview for the multinational company, you won’t be getting the bus anymore anyhow.

Put time aside for yourself

Like any skill, speaking English needs repetition to improve. Practise makes perfect! You can make this easier on yourself by scheduling a regular time where you are going to speak English.

In the past I worked with a client who was looking to move their family to the UK. They started having an ‘English hour’ at home, where the whole family would only speak English for that hour. Over a very short time, the improvement in their spoken English was incredible.

Something that works well for new learners is labelling things around the house and simply saying the word when you see it. Another way to make time is by committing to an event. As we’ll discuss later in this article, if you are committed to attending an English speaking event, it can be a big motivator to get out there and actually do it. Just find a time that works for you and keep at it.

Don’t be so down on yourself

I know all too well how frustrating it can be to have the words in your head, but feel stupid when you are trying to say them. It takes a lot of practise and patience to get your reading/written level up to your spoken level, but you can do it.

Have you ever had a drink and found your spoken English improves a lot? I can tell you for sure that the booze is not teaching you anything. However, what it is doing is getting you to loosen up and relax.

Spoken English is not the same as written English. We contract things like ‘I’d’ and ‘We’ve’ and we focus more on being understood than creating a grammatically perfect sentence. So don’t be so down on yourself. With practise your spoken English will improve and you won’t need hard liquor to get through business meetings.

PRACTICAL ADVICE

Language exchanges:

If you live in a capital city I can guarantee that there is a native English speaker there who would love to learn your language. Language exchange sites like www.mylanguageexchange.com make it easy to connect with speakers and it is free. If you aren’t living in the capital, you still have the opportunity to connect with people online.

PROS

Chatting with native speakers is the best way to improve your spoken English.
Natural conversation. Getting to know someone means you can talk about the topics you are interested in and will be more useful for you.
You’ll learn a lot. It’s a good excuse to go to that cafe you like on a regular basis and you will almost definitely learn things about your city that you never knew.

CONS

There will probably be a big language level gap. Your English is probably going to be much better than the language they are interested in learning from you.
It can be a little awkward meeting strangers. Expats definitely use language exchanges to hook up with locals, so you should arrange a short meeting in a public place for your first meeting.

Chat Sites:

If you are feeling brave, you could try a chat site like www.omegle.com. More often than not you will get a native English speaker and Omegle is one of the better chat sites. It isn’t as focused on super weird sex stuff as other chat sites and you can skip around until you land on a normal conversation.

PROS

It is super convenient. You can jump on for 15 minutes, practise a little English then drop out whenever you like.
It will massively improve your confidence in speaking English. If you can handle random questions from super random people on the internet, you will be fine in a job interview situation.

CONS

The internet. Even though Omegle is monitored, you are definitely going to see some very very weird stuff, meet some … interesting people and see more of their bodies than you probably want.
The internet again. Most of the users will be younger, so there is a high chance you end up talking to teenagers who are acting up for their live stream.
Did I mention it’s on the internet? People tend to be pretty rude on the internet and you are going to get a lot of people cutting the chat very quickly.

Meetups:

Meeting a group of strangers in a local bar or cafe might sound intimidating, but once you’ve tried it, you’ll definitely want to do it again. www.meetup.com is an excellent way to find local events and very reliable. Just type “English” into the search bar and see what is happening near you.

PROS

There is less pressure. A one-to-one language exchange can be quite intense, but when you are in a group you have more options and don’t have to carry the whole conversation.
More focused. The nice thing about meetups is that everyone is gathered for the same reason.
More welcoming. If everyone is meeting up to practise English, then you’ll find people are very welcoming and happy to adapt to your English level.
More variety. You don’t just need to focus on “English”. If you search for your interests in English, like “Fitness”, “Board Games” or “Movies” you’ll probably find international meetups about those subjects in your area.

CONS

Make sure it is free. Unfortunately, a lot of people use Meetup.com to sell their services. Sometimes they say it is free, but expect money on arrival. If the meetup has ‘lesson’ in the title, it almost definitely won’t be free.
Be prepared to leave early. It completely depends on the organiser, but things can often become a bit disorganised and you may arrive only to find there is no one there.
Big events can be intimidating. With big meetups, it is usual that you get lots of regulars going every week and they form cliques. It can be hard to get into a large group conversation when everyone already knows each other.

Do it with Machines:

If you are not ready for human connection just yet, why not talk to a machine? Open up a google document and turn on Voice Typing in the tools menu. If you go to File > Language you can change your language to English and the machine will give you feedback on your English pronunciation and accuracy. If you want to take things to the next level, why not try copying and pasting your spoken sentences into a chatbot site? Currently, www.chat.openai.com is by far the best.

PROS

Convenient. You can do it whenever and wherever you want.
Practical. Voice-to-type functions are actually quite good at highlighting issues with your pronunciation and if you set language settings to English, you’ll get real-time feedback on mistakes with your grammar.
Innovative. If you chat with Chatbots you have a very low-pressure way of practising conversation.

CONS

People Vs Machines. English is a two-directional language and we often speak in a way that encourages others to ask questions or engage with us. You are unlikely to get this from a robot.
Error. Does not compute. Unfortunately, most chatbots are just plain broken. I have experimented with a few and most of them just don’t make any sense. ChatGPT is by far the best, but at the moment it is very hard to get access.

English Lessons:

What kind of English teacher would I be if I didn’t at least suggest taking English lessons?

Elevator English offers online English lessons that are fully customisable and can develop the skills that you need to improve. If you are interested, click here to find out more: Study with Mike

PROS

Flexible. You don’t need to commit to a full course. Sometimes all you need is one or two lessons before an important meeting or interview.
Professional. English teachers will be able to give clear practical advice on how to improve your English. It’s our job.
Fun. The days of working through a textbook and repeating what the teacher just said are over. Modern English lessons should be practical, interesting and most importantly, enjoyable.

CONS

It’s not free. Many of the options we’ve listed above are free.
It requires focus. To get the most out of the lesson, you need to be focused and ready to practise your English.

So which option works for you?

Perhaps you have some other recommendations for other English learners? Or maybe you’ve already tried some of these options and would like to share your experience. If so, we’d love you to tell us all about it in the comments.

If you are interested in any of the recommendations mentioned in this article and would like more information, contact us with the link at the bottom of the page.

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My name is Mike O’Malley and I am currently developing Elevator English and teaching Business English professionals like you online.

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