How To Improve Your English Communication and Speak with Clarity In 4 Easy Steps

What is Diction? Diction is the style of enunciation in speaking or singing.  The way we enunciate words.  Everyone that is learning a new language strives to communicate clearly and efficiently.  

I have my challenges on pronouncing some English words.  But, I have found a couple of ways to improve my communication.  

And, I want to share with you what I have learned in the process and help you develop your communication skills.  

Have you ever felt stuck when trying to pronounce a new English word?  It’s ok, and it’s normal.  With these steps, you will have fun and in the process learn.  It’s simple, 1. control your breathing 2.  don’t rush.  3. read aloud.  4.  Practice tongue twisters.  

1. Control Your Breathing

Everything is on the breathing.  When you master your breathing, it will help you reduce your anxiety and allow you to be calmer.  Therefore you will pay attention to the trivial details that every word has, and you will begin to notice the tone, the rhythm and the way the word sounds clear.  

2. Don’t Rush

Time is on your side.  Take your time and practice a slower pace to learn the word.  This step goes hand in hand with controlling your breathing.  By staying calm, you will accomplish more.

3. Read Aloud

Take your favorite magazine or book and read one page aloud.  Listen to your voice, your tone your rhythm.  Record yourself and practice with a native speaker.  By listening to yourself, you will find the areas that you need improvement.  

4. Practice Tongue Twisters

Tongue Twisters are fun.  It’s fun for everyone.  Tongue twisters help you stay focused on individual letters to enhance your ability to pronounce them correctly.  Here is an example of a “P” tongue twister:

Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers.

If Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers,

Where’s the peck of pickled peppers that Peter Piper picked?

Try it; it’s fun and helpful.  Remember, practice tongue twisters.

In summary, by keeping an absolute commitment every day and exercising you will reach your goal.  Stay focused, and you will soon be speaking English with clarity.  

What has helped you with your English Communication? Share with me by leaving a comment below.  

Have Fun,

Coach Barb

Before you forget how to pronounce a word, use these 3 Tips To Perfect it

How exciting, you are learning new words, you are communicating, but realizing that sometimes you forget.  Don’t worry, just keep going.  The plan here is to continue to learn and grow.  You won't remember a couple of things, but that is normal.

It happens to me all the time.  That is why I have a system to help me with new things that I’m learning.  And, it will apply for you to use with your study methods.  

Let’s first see why we forget things.  Research show that we can only retain a certain amount of information with short term memory.  The objective here is, we need to take the information and put it into our long term memory.  How do we do it?

It’s simple, we take our time to know the information well and repeat it several times.  You must relate to the word and have familiarity with it.  What you do is, repeat the word several times, refer to the concept to become familiar with it, and lastly tell a story.  Come up with something bizarre, something unforgettable.  For Example, the word Design.  My kitchen is outdated, and I need to come up with a better Design for a more modern look.

1. Repeat Several times

By repeating the word, and store it into your long term memory. By applying repetition, it will make it easier for you to remember when you need it.  So, repeat and repeat the word often.  

2. Relate With The Word

Find similarity.  What is the word?  Look up the meaning and get familiar with it.  Take the time to know what the word means.  How are people using it? Ask yourself these questions, and you will understand the word.  Chances are, you will recall it when you most need it.  

3. Tell A Story

Now you know the word, you know the definition it’s time to give it life.  Make up a story.  Have fun with it.  Say it out loud.  For Example, my brother told me that my kitchen is terrible and hideous.  Since I agree with him, I want it to be more modern and not outdated.  The architect gave us an idea of a new Design, and it is beautiful.  

In summary,  learning is an everyday thing for all of us.  Have fun with your English and practice daily.  Don’t give up.  

How do you learn new words?  Share with me by leaving a comment below.  

Coach Barb

3 Powerful Tips on Improving your English Communication

It’s exciting to learn a new language and what comes with learning is practice.  Everything we do needs some form of practice to develop.  It’s ok to make mistakes, but if you are not trying and working towards on communication and how to speak fluently with native speakers.

I can relate to learning and practice.  Anything new is terrifying, but how you look at it makes a difference.  Take my blogging, for example, if I don’t continually practice, study different bloggers and writers I won’t learn.  Take time to continue to learn and take what you learn and practice.  Incorporate what you have learned into your daily routine.  Soon, before you know it, you will be able to speak fluently.  That is an accomplishment worth living.

So you ask me, how?  How do I improve my English communication?  Remember always to keep it simple, learn something new every day and practice. Why not make it fun?  Try incorporating fun into your learning, and it will resonate more, and it becomes something enjoyable and not an annoying task.

Keep It Simple

There is something about keeping things simple. Your tasks become manageable, and by being manageable, it all becomes easier.  Focus on what you are stuck with and start with that, for example, you have gone to a restaurant, and the waiter doesn’t speak your mother tongue.  You are hungry, and the menu doesn’t have pictures, now you are forced to speak English.  Take the opportunity and learn from it.  Keep it simple.  Always practice phrases that have to do with restaurant conversations and meal conversations handy.  Practice daily how to order a meal and when the time comes to order, you will feel confident and order with ease.  Practice every day.

Learn Something New

Make it a daily habit.  Learn something new.  I subscribed to TheFreeDictionary.com, and I get daily a new word of the day, a new idiom and a brief article on what happened in the past on that date.  It is a fun way to learn something new every day.  I enjoy learning new things, and knowing that you are learning a new language, it helps to make it fun and exciting.

Practice

Everything that you learn, practice.  It is the only way that you will get ahead.  Why are you learning the English language? Is it to improve in your new position at work? Maybe you just want to be able to communicate with your friends fluently.  Whatever your case is, it is imperative to practice your new skill.  Create a routine daily to incorporate new material that will help you get to your desired level.  Have fun; it’s best when you are doing something that you enjoy.

In summary,  this is a long journey, and the better you make it for yourself, the better you will feel.  By applying the suggested tips above, you will improve your English communication skills. Don’t be afraid and take chances learn something new every day and do not forget to practice.

How disciplined are you with your English practice?

Everyone wants to feel as if they are pronouncing the English language the right way.  Listen, there is no right or wrong way.  There is a thing called practice that will allow you as the learner to improve on how others understand you.  That’s all.  Don’t feel embarrassed, do not let others give you the anxiety that you don’t need.  Let’s work together and focus on improving your pronunciation.

I gave myself the homework of learning a new language myself.  I started learning Portuguese a couple of years ago.  Now, I probably would be completely fluent if I would practice on a daily basis how to communicate and speak Portuguese.   Guess what? I don't practice, so I am not fluent.  If your goal is to be fluent, then you must practice.

Do you practice English with native speakers?  If you feel embarrassed or scared, stop.  There is no improving if you are not doing it.  Have fun and find ways to practice that will get you closer to your goal, and that is speaking fluently with a native speaker and when you go on vacation.

I’m going to share with you three simple rules that will help you improve.  I gathered these rules by doing my research and helping those that needed the help; I realized that everyone learns differently so, I understand if you don’t feel if one of these rules doesn’t apply to you.  But, take the time to evaluate it and give it a try.  The rules are 1. Learn complete phrases, not single words, 2. practice listening 3. Speak English often, don’t be afraid of making mistakes.

1. Learn Complete Phrases
We are all used to hearing a vocabulary word and the definition.  How about trying to learn an entire phrase instead? Yes, you can listen to a phrase and capture the meaning of the sentence depending on the situation.  Pretend you are in a restaurant and you want to eat a cheeseburger, you would learn the entire phrase, “I will have the cheeseburger.”  Instead of learning just the word cheeseburger, you just learned the full phrase.  It saves you time and helps you speak with fluency.


2.  Practice Listening
Learn how to listen to different rhythms, every language has its rhythm.  Notice that British English has a different rhythm than American English.  Just like your mother tongue, you have your rhythm.  If you are listening to individuals speaking English, look for new vocabulary and different phrases.  Always carry a notebook with you to jot things down.  It’s fun and very useful.

3.  Speak English Often
Now you have picked up some new phrases, and you are practicing your listening skills.  Now it’s time to speak English.  Just go for it, do not worry about making mistakes.  It is rewarding when you start to speak English and people are understanding you.  Practice, practice, practice.

In summary, speaking English will help you with many things, like eating out, your job and dealing with clients.  Have fun and don’t forget to practice.

Are you currently practicing speaking English in public?  Let me know by commenting below.