English Speaking Practice: Tips, Tricks, and Examples

English is a tricky language. And that’s putting it mildly. 

If one of your goals is to learn English, try not to get discouraged or frustrated. It can be a bit difficult, but learning English is a great goal to have. For English speaking practice, including tips, tricks, and examples, read on. 

How to Improve with English Speaking Practice

If speaking English is a goal of yours, English speaking practice should be on your to-do list. 

Here are our top three tips to improve your skills. 

Don’t Let Mistakes Hold You Back

For many people learning English, the thought of speaking in front of other people is terrifying. Not only are you speaking a language you’re still learning, but you’ve also got an audience. 

If this rings true for you, don’t worry. Lots of new English speakers forget, but your goal with English speaking practice isn’t to talk in perfect sentences — it’s to communicate. Successful communication doesn’t necessarily mean textbook English without any errors. 

Mistakes make us human, and changes are, if you’re learning a new language, you’re going to make a mistake. Don’t let this discourage you. Instead, own it!

If you get too caught up in the “what ifs” of language learning, they can really start to hold you back. The anxiety of not speaking perfect English can hurt your confidence and make you less likely to want to practice, which leads us to our next tip. 

Practice

Easier said than done, right? Depending on where you are in your English speaking practice, you might feel too overwhelmed or nervous to practice in front of other people. If that’s the case, try a speech coach like Yoodli. 

Yoodli is an AI-powered speech coach that provides users with valuable, personalized insights. All you have to do is upload or record yourself speaking, and Yoodli does the rest. You’ll be able to see exactly what pace you’re speaking at, what filler words you use, and even what your body language looks like based on the analytics you’ll receive. 

For example, maybe one of your insights is that you use filler words too often. If that’s the case, consider pausing to think before you get into your next sentence. This is a great tool for budding English speakers especially. To learn more about the power of pause, check out one of Yoodli’s crash courses below:

Using a free speech coach like Yoodli also allows you to get some English speaking practice in without fear of judgment. It’s a safe space that you can take advantage of — anytime, anywhere. 

Even if you’re the best English speaker around, you can always improve. Native English speakers can use Yoodli too, to up their compelling communication game. 

Build Up Your Listening Skills

Although it’s often overlooked in English speaking practice, working on your listening skills can do wonders. Hearing and understanding English is half the battle. 

To build up your listening skills, try: 

• Exploring English language podcasts, like “The English We Speak” and “Podcasts in English”
• Watching your favorite television shows in English
• Listening to music in English
• Checking out English language audiobooks at your local library

English Speaking Practice Examples

For English speaking practice, check out these examples for easy exercises you can practice. Whether you’re practicing on Yoodli to get specific insights or just practicing with a friend, these should help your language learning journey.

1. Memorize a speech.

Memorizing a short speech makes for great English speaking practice. All you’ll do is memorize the speech and recite it. Some short speech examples could include: 

• Maya Angelou’s “On the Pulse of Morning”
• The speech Neil Armstrong gave when he first landed on the moon
• “The Gettysburg Address” given by Abraham Lincoln 

2. Imitate conversations you see on television.

If you have a streaming service like Netflix or Hulu, pick your favorite show and choose a scene to practice with. You don’t need to memorize anything. Just listen to the lines in the scene, pause the show, and repeat them. Putting on the English captions can help you make sure you’ve got the idea.

3. Practice with an English-speaking friend.

For some of the best English speaking practice, find a friend who’s fluent in English and willing to help. Have them interview you with simple questions. Then, you’ll respond to the best of your ability. Don’t worry about messing up — it’s the practice that matters.

Why Is English Speaking Practice Important?

English speaking practice is important for anyone trying to learn the language, since it’s the only way you’ll learn how to speak it. 

Unfortunately, you can’t just passively learn a language. It takes hard work, dedication, and — you guessed it — lots of practice. 

Bringing your English speaking practice to Yoodli can help you learn and improve your English without any judgment or fear of making mistakes. You’ll also get individualistic analytics, so you can skip the guesswork and see exactly what you need to work on. 

Key Takeaways

Learning English isn’t exactly easy. You need dedicated English speaking practice to make strides in your communication skills, as well as your listening skills. 

Even though it can be tough at times, learning English is a great goal and it’s certainly attainable with committed time to practice.