As English continues to be the standard of global communication, gaining proficiency in spoken English is increasingly essential for non-native speakers.
Being able to speak English proficiently opens the door to a world of opportunities and is beneficial for career advancement , academic pursuits, and personal enrichment. Achieving fluency and confidence in spoken English requires consistent practice and targeted exercises .
In this article, we will explore 16 of the best English speaking practice exercises to help non-native speakers enhance their English and transform their communication skills.
1. Language Exchange Partners Having people you can practice English with on a consistent basis is a great way to improve your English speaking abilities.
Through local clubs, social groups, and online communities, you can meet different people and find a language exchange partner who is a native English speaker seeking to learn more about your native language and culture.
This reciprocal arrangement fosters mutual learning. For example, you might spend half an hour discussing travel experiences in English before switching to describe traditional cuisine from your country.
If you prefer a more structured approach, explore one-on-one accent coaching opportunities. Discover what's available near you and make some new friends as you improve your language skills!
2. Daily Conversation Journal Keeping a daily conversation journal is an effective way to practice English writing and speaking skills simultaneously.
Set aside time each day to reflect on your experiences, thoughts, and emotions in English. Describe your daily activities, share your opinions on current events, or narrate a recent memorable encounter.
It's especially helpful to reflect on your day and recall any new words, phrases, or pronunciations you encountered in English. Writing those down will help you to commit them to memory, and recording your daily English conversation in this way will eventually give you a comprehensive resource that you can use to guide your English conversation skills.
3. Role-playing Role-playing allows you to simulate real-life scenarios and practice conversational English in a controlled environment, without any stress or pressure.
Act out the dialogue, focusing on natural speech patterns, vocabulary usage, and appropriate responses. Check out BoldVoice's AI Chat feature to get practice engaging in hundreds of common situations like job interviews, networking, and catching up with friends over coffee.
4. Audio and Listening Practice Active listening is crucial for improving comprehension and speaking skills in English. Listening to podcasts, audiobooks, or English-language radio programs on topics that interest you are especially helpful for expanding your formal and informal English vocabulary.
Whether you’re watching movies or listening to podcasts, pay close attention to pronunciation, intonation, and vocabulary usage. Take notes on key points or unfamiliar words and phrases, and practice repeating them aloud. For example, you could listen to a TED Talk on a topic that interests you and try to summarize the speaker's main arguments in your own words.
5. Debates Who doesn't love a good debate?
Engaging in debates hones critical thinking skills and enhances persuasive communication in English. Gather friends or peers and choose some topics or current issues of interest and divide into teams to debate opposing viewpoints.
Research supporting evidence, formulate compelling arguments, and anticipate counterarguments. Present your arguments eloquently, using persuasive language and rhetorical devices. Listen attentively to your opponents' arguments and rebut them respectfully.
6. Book Clubs Joining a book club is a great way to inject regular English conversation practice into your life, with pre-determined subject matter. Plus, you get to read some great books!
Participating in group discussions provides valuable opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations and exchange ideas with peers. Joining a book club is a great way to practice your English and expand your vocabulary, as books expose you to the ways of the world and provide valuable material for you to analyze characters, themes, and plot twists.
After every book club discussion, you can create themed vocabulary lists based on topics from the book and practice using these newly acquired words in sentences to reinforce retention. Since you'll be reading the book before meeting with your group, it's an excellent opportunity to prepare your thoughts ahead of time if you're nervous about fully spontaneous conversation in English.
7. Storytelling Storytelling is an engaging way to practice English conversation skills while honing narrative techniques and descriptive language.
Choose a personal anecdote, a fictional story, or a historical event to narrate in English. Structure your story with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and incorporate vivid details to captivate your audience. For instance, recount a childhood memory of a family vacation and try to vividly describe the sights, sounds, and sensations experienced.
8. Public Speaking Public speaking offers valuable opportunities to showcase your English speaking skills and build confidence in expressing ideas fluently and persuasively.
Volunteer to give presentations, speeches, or toastmasters at work, school, or community events. Practice delivering your speech multiple times, focusing on articulation, voice modulation, and body language.
For more guidance, you can also check out BoldVoice coach Adeola Role's lessons on public speaking. Here's an excerpt about using pitch to convey importance.
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9. Record Yourself Use a voice recorder or smartphone app to record monologues, dialogues, or impromptu speeches. Listen to your recordings critically, focusing on pronunciation, intonation, fluency, and clarity. Take note of recurring mistakes or areas needing refinement and set specific goals for improvement.
Compare your recordings with native speakers' samples to identify differences in pronunciation and speech patterns. For example, record yourself reciting a short passage from a favorite book or delivering a brief presentation.
10. Improv This might not be what you expected, but improv comedy or acting classes are excellent for refining your English conversation skills. You'll need to think quickly on your feet, and come up with banter that works in specific contexts with the scenes.
11. Games Another massively entertaining way to practice your English conversation skills is to play English games that require a lot of creative communication. For example, the classic Taboo will test the way you can describe objects or people, by only using certain words. You'll maximize your English vocabulary and have fun at the same time!
12. Language Immersion Days It might sound intimidating, but try speaking only in English for an entire day - even when you're at home or with friends who speak your native language. Creating an English-only environment for 24 hours will help your think and speak in English much more automatically.
13. Setting Conversation Goals Challenge yourself with English speaking tasks and activities that encourage continuous improvement. Set weekly or monthly goals such as introducing yourself to 3 new people at a networking event. By regularly challenging yourself to step outside your comfort zone, you'll strengthen your English communication skills.
14. Small Talk An easy way to practice conversation is to start small - with small talk. Small talk will also reinforce your knowledge of American idioms and colloquial phrases, which will make your small talk feel natural and casual.
15. Asking Questions Throughout the course of any conversation, you'll likely be asking questions. So, it's a good idea to feel confident in your pronouncing questions. BoldVoice Coach Eliza Simpson explains how to use intonation when asking questions, below:
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16. Pronunciation Apps Language-learning apps and websites provide a convenient and interactive platform for practicing English conversation skills anytime, anywhere.
At BoldVoice, our pronunciation app offers expert pronunciation lessons, targeted exercises, and instant feedback to help you speak English clearly and confidently. Enjoy unlimited interactive multimedia lessons from top speech coaches and advanced AI technologies designed to help you improve your English speaking abilities.
Download BoldVoice today and start your free 7 day trial to supercharge your communication skills!
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