Learning English can be a bit of a roller coaster ride, right?
You have moments of "I can't believe I finally did it!" and "Oh man I'm so over this right now!!"
"I'm going to give up!"
The longer you've been studying, the tougher it gets!
Can you remember the last time you got excited about practicing English?
Probably not. Today we're going to find that enthusiasm again.
How? We are going
to change the ways that you learn and practice English, to help you get through
the dull, warring times and have more WOO-HOO moments!
Now, with all of that in mind,
here are my seven steps to English confidence.
The first one, love your mistakes.
Get things wrong. You need to start feeling comfortable making
mistakes because it's the fastest and most efficient way to improve your English.
You need to LOVE your mistakes - when you make one you need to celebrate it!
Because there is nothing else in the world, no grammar book, no smartphone app
no podcast or video that can teach you better than your own mistakes can.
The second step. Find a buddy.
This might be an obvious one but it's often difficult to do.
So I want you to make a list of everyone that you know who speaks
English or is learning English.
If you don't know anyone, it's okay!
Look for someone online. So there are heaps of Google+ groups that are so supportive
and full of people learning English and want to practice. You can also use places
like Craigslist or even some Facebook groups, as well.
But there are so many students out there looking for a buddy to practice with!
Now this can't just be anyone, you need to find someone who can meet with you
regularly - once a week or once a month - whatever it is.
But you also need to find someone who you can trust and who you can relax with and have a good time with.
It's kind of like a date, you have to find the right person - a good fit.
And you need to work on this relationship because what you need is someone that
you feel comfortable making mistakes with and you want that person to feel
comfortable telling you that you've made mistakes. The purpose is to find someone
who can help you.
The third step is body language.
Your body language says a lot about you
even before you've spoken a single word.
If you're worried that you won't be understood when you speak English,
start with a smile and really great eye contact. The worst thing that you can do is
"Excuse me.. umm.. do you know where the bathroom is?"
But if you use great body language, great eye contact and a smile, then the person that you're talking to
will probably be more polite, more willing to help and more willing to
listen, which will make you feel more comfortable.
Now, your own body language
plays an extremely important role in your own feelings of confidence. You can
actually make yourself feel more confident with positive body language
The fourth step is speak out loud! Do this as often as you can.
Get your mouth and your mind familiar with English sounds, stress and intonation.
Have conversations with yourself in the shower or when you're walking to work or
after you brush your teeth at night. Having conversations with yourself is so
great because you get to practice asking the questions, answering the questions
and thinking of ways to keep the conversation going!
Pronounce it right. Pronunciation mistakes can be frustrating and annoying
or they can be really awkward and humiliating.
Making them is a great way to lose confidence speaking English, right?
Your English pronunciation is affected by your first language or your native language
and the English sounds that you find most difficult to pronounce are sounds that don't exist or
are uncommon in your native language.
To improve your English confidence, you
should take the time to understand the sounds that you have trouble with and to
regularly practice them.
Step number six is watch English movies, listen to
podcasts or audiobooks. I know you've probably been told this a thousand times before!
But there's more to it than just watching the movie. Make sure you choose
an audio or a video that is at your level of English.
The worst thing that you could possibly do is go and find an audio or a video text that is too
difficult for you to understand. It makes learning hard work, it ruins your
confidence because you can't understand much of it at all. You need to grade your
videos or your text to your level of English so it would be more fun and more
interesting! You'll be able to understand more of what's going on
and if that means watching kids shows, do it! Who cares?
And make sure that it's something that you're interested in. So, it's easy - way
easier to watch stuff that you're interested in rather than things that
you feel like you have to or you should watch to practice your English. So choose
things to do with hobbies that you like and skills that you have or maybe to do
with your workplace.
And lastly, plan your practice.
And remember to keep things interesting by mixing them up!
Practice pronunciation for a few days then do
some imitation exercises, then practice with your buddy. Make sure that your
English practice is something that you look forward to.
If you need more help with English conversation confidence then I would love you to come and learn
and study with me! I have a new 7-day course that has been created for people
just like you!
Join me for your free 7-day English conversation confidence
course to build your speaking skills and take your English learning to the next level.
It's free to join but you'll need to apply by the 24th of February. Go to
this website for more information. OK well I hope you join me there and if
not I hope you've enjoyed this video. Make sure you implement some of these
steps to feel more confident speaking English.
Bye for now!