How to Become a Good English Speaker

As an English teacher, I have the task to make the students like the English language. It's because English is the business language. People in the corporate world use English as their main language. Whether we like it or not, English is here to stay.So here my tips for those who want to be a fluent speaker.

DISCLAIMER: I don't have a perfect grammar. I just want to share with you some tips that I learned from the call center industry and from my friends as well.

1. BE CONFIDENT - Don't be shy in speaking the English language. You should be confident. Even if your grammar is incorrect, talk English anyway.

2. ORGANIZE YOUR THOUGHTS - Of course this is important. This is to avoid stuttering and long time pausing when you speak in English.

3. DO NOT BE CONSCIOUS WITH YOUR GRAMMAR - This is a tip I got from a friend of mine. Being conscious with your grammar makes you stutter. Instead of focusing with your grammar, why not focus more on what you are trying to say? But remember to review your tenses once in a while. Remember, not all Americans speak correct English. :)

4. AVOID THE FILLERS - Ah! The dreadful fillers. So what are those fillers? It's the "Ummm", "ahhhh", "ahmmmm", and "ano". Avoid these fillers as much as possible. It's irritating to listen to a person who have lots of fillers. Seriously. It doesn't make you sound cool too.

5. MAKE IT SIMPLE - Here's another tip that I got from a chatmate a long time ago. Make your language simple. Don't use high-faluting words. You may sound cool if you use difficult words but the point is, does the one you are talking to understands what you are trying to say? Always remember, SIMPLICITY is your friend.

6. READ ALOUD - Another tip that I got from my college professor. Practice to read aloud in your house/room. This way, you can evaluate how you pronounce the words that you are reading. This also promotes confidence when speaking the language.

7. WATCH ENGLISH PROGRAMS - By watching English programs you can imitate how the native speaker pronounce its words. Do not forget how they pronounce each words. You can imitate how they speak their language. It's very good to learn the English language from the native speakers.

8. READ ENGLISH MATERIALS - Of course. I forgot to mention this above. You should read a lot of English journals and newspapers. Try to analyze the sentence construction. Do not also forget to read aloud just like what I have written above.

9. IF YOU ARE A GOOD ENGLISH WRITER, SPEAK IT - There are some people who are good in English when it comes to writing. My tip for this is instead of writing your thoughts down, speak it instead. It's just the same. :)

10. PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE! - Always try to speak English with your friends of classmates for 15 - 30 mins. a day. Sooner or later, you'll get used to it. Someday you'll just notice that your friends will tell you how good of an English speaker you are. :)

11. THE ENGLISH - TAGALOG DICTIONARY IS YOUR FRIEND - Always have this in your bag. No explanations needed about this one. :)

12. AVOID THE MENTALITY "BAKIT AKO MAGSASALITA NG ENGLISH EH PILIPINO AKO?!" - This mentality is stupid. Seriously. Yeah the Japanese progressed because they love their own language but that's for them. They were not aiming for Global Competitiveness before. Plus, they hated America and England so why would they speak their enemies' language? As for our country which is an open country, we should learn the language of the corporate world for us to land a job. Heck, even the janitors and security guards in call centers speak English. Don't also forget that our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, he knows how to speak 4 different languages. "Eh bakit siya, Pilipino, maraming alam na ibang lengguwahe? Sana si Andres Bonifacio na lang ang national hero natin kung ganun!" Think about it.

So there. I hope this will help you a lot. :) Practice speaking English everyday. But don't forget to love our mother tongue. :)


jhay /valcrist /athrun /jhaymagician
March 7, 2010
10:32 PM
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