Top 15 Secrets to Mastering English Speaking

1. Use Words Immediately

Experts suggest that speaking is the easiest skill to learn when studying a foreign language. Create an environment where you can speak a lot of English. Once you start speaking, you gain confidence in this second language. When encountering and learning new vocabulary, don't just stop at knowing and memorizing them; use the words immediately. Practice will help you remember longer and improve your proficiency. Besides speaking skills, this method also enhances your writing skills.

No need for any super advanced skills; this is a basic, easy-to-use, and highly effective method for learning English vocabulary for complete beginners. With any newly learned vocabulary, use listening, speaking, reading, and writing immediately. You can use them for posting on Facebook, texting with friends, and more. You'll be surprised how easily you can master those words.

2. Set Learning Goals

Not forcing yourself to learn words doesn't mean you're not setting learning goals. Your learning goals must be big enough and inspiring enough to motivate you. If you learn 5 new words a day, after 1 month you'll have 150 words. But if you set a goal of 30 words, then after 1 month the number is 900 words.

Initially, you can set a small target for the number of words to learn, and if you're comfortable with memorization methods, you can increase the number. I've seen many people set a goal of learning 50 words a day, so after 1 month they have a total of 1500 words. Achieving quick English memorization requires a specific plan and method.

Let's recall the first time you encountered a lemon. You held a greenish fruit, felt the sour taste on your tongue, and your natural reaction was to grimace and say that it's a lemon. The next time you see that fruit, you immediately recognize it as a lemon, or even just think about it, and you'll automatically remember how sour it was and salivate.

You easily remember words because there's a string of information about color, shape, size, smell, taste,... attached to them. The brain remembers much better with interconnected information. How do you remember the word 'helmet'? But imagine you're carrying a tired pig to the vet without wearing a helmet and being stopped by the police for a roadside check. It's easier to remember, right? So when we study, we need some kind of connection to help us remember better.

Don't be shy to read English aloud because you can do this whenever you are alone. Grab a magazine, a newspaper, and read the whole article out loud. Even if you have a favorite TV show or reality show, you can search for its dialogue and read it out loud. When alone, just focus on learning English so that your reading is accurate and expressive! And you don't have to worry too much about word structure or grammar because the material is considered as a 'sample essay'.

You can practice reading skills at the same time as speaking skills if you often read silently in your head when practicing reading, you should change this habit from today. You can read aloud anything from newspaper articles, reading passages in test prep books, a short story,... without paying too much attention to intonation, grammar, the goal of this method is to make your mouth more flexible, also known as 'mouth agility'. Note, don't let this affect the people around you.

If you list every new word you encounter as words to learn, surely you won't be able to remember because you don't encounter all of those words frequently. When starting out, focus on learning vocabulary in the A1-A2 range to get the best sense of which words to learn, one of the primary ways to easily memorize English.

Don't force yourself to memorize a word; instead, make vocabulary become familiar and natural, seeing it every day without effort. You can collect vocabulary based on topics you enjoy such as movies, music, books, newspapers, or gather vocabulary from signals in daily life, everyday needs.

For aiding in English word lookups, online dictionaries are commonly used and are familiar to everyone in different countries. With an online dictionary, you can easily find the word you need, pronunciation guides, and lively audio instructions. Some online dictionaries that can assist in improving your English include Oxford Dictionaries, Cambridge Dictionary, The Free Dictionary, Dictionary.com, and more.

Every online dictionary provides audio for word pronunciation. The voices you hear are standard and scientifically pronounced; learning from these standard voices will help you absorb information faster. You can review the pronunciation of a word if you forget it. Repeat this process several times, and you'll remember the pronunciation without even realizing it.

Have you ever chatted in English with a group of close friends at a coffee shop? Have you sent well wishes, a message, or posted a status update in English on social media? Have you video called in English with a close friend studying abroad or distant acquaintances? Engaging in discussions on various topics is also a way to help you speak English with confidence and fluency. Give it a try to see how fluent you can communicate, regardless of whether your vocabulary is small or large.

With a friend learning English alongside you, pick a topic and debate, discuss it. Use as much vocabulary as possible to argue your point of view and remember to listen to the other person's opinion. You'll learn more than just English speaking skills from this.

With the advancement of information technology, a plethora of products serving work, study, and entertainment needs on computers and the internet are being developed more and more. To improve your English speaking skills, you can also seek help from software.

A smartphone can be very helpful for speaking practice. You can record your voice and listen back to know how you sound. Many other apps help you schedule practice sessions or jot down new words to learn throughout the day. Make the most of the high-tech gadgets around you.

Along with the aforementioned tips, you can further enhance your overall English proficiency and speaking skills by making friends to boost your English communication abilities. Seek out a few native speakers if possible or proficient English speakers around you. You'll learn a lot from conversing with them in English. Be bold and you'll speak English better.

You can go further with a companion. Pursue your goals with a friend or a group of friends who share the same direction. This will help you stay focused on your goals, and your friends will surely help you stay on track for the group's common goals. A companion can help you practice speaking and communicating in English every day. Your friend can correct your mistakes and help you fix them. This is something you can't do when learning English alone.

Watch English movies without subtitles to learn expression and vocabulary usage from the actors. Then, you can review the subtitles and test your listening skills. Re-watch multiple times to mimic the pronunciation like the actors. You'll find it enjoyable and never get bored.

Sitcoms are the right choice if you want to improve your English proficiency. You can choose sitcoms like Extra, Friends, How I Met Your Mother... These are all humorous shows with concise, memorable dialogues, easy to understand, and especially, you can enhance your pronunciation daily by repeating the lines spoken by the characters. Remember that 'Learning must go hand in hand with action.' If you only listen, listen, listen to everything the characters say in the movie, you're still just like a recording device, your speaking ability is still 'stuck in place.'

Nowadays, there are numerous English clubs nationwide where you can hone your English skills. Simply pay a small fee and you'll have the environment to practice English. You can choose clubs affiliated with English centers, ones organized by English enthusiasts, or those initiated by foreign students volunteering in Vietnam.

Joining English clubs, participating in English debating competitions, and engaging in various activities will equip you with valuable skills for public speaking or performing in front of an audience. Do what you love and do it now! You'll find joy and accelerate your learning process like never before.

12. Enhance English Pronunciation through Listening Practice

The rule for developing language skills follows this sequence: Listening - Speaking - Reading - Writing. Among these four skills, Listening and Reading serve as input or receptive skills, while Speaking and Writing are output or productive skills. To speak well, you must listen a lot; to write well, you must read a lot. Therefore, if you want to speak English fluently, practice listening to English frequently. Through regular listening practice, you'll learn the pronunciation and intonation of native speakers, which is a great way to improve pronunciation.

Regularly listening to English songs and news broadcasts is highly beneficial for pronunciation skills. Additionally, expanding your vocabulary will enhance your language proficiency. You'll learn a lot by listening daily. Try to mimic what you hear, including pronunciation, word stress, and sentence intonation.

13. Read Everything in English to Improve Pronunciation

One of the crucial factors in achieving anything is perseverance and diligence. If you desire quick results, fluent speaking, or wish to overcome regional accents or speech stiffness, don't worry. Practice, practice, and correct pronunciation mistakes repeatedly for a month, two months... You'll surprise yourself with the improvement. Enhance your skills by reading everything in English. Record your voice while reading to identify errors and improve fluency for the next time.

You can do this alone without any hesitation. Read everything written in English around you, such as newspapers or magazines. It's an excellent way to practice pronunciation. Focus on reading accurately and expressively.

14. Learn a New English Word Every Day to Expand Vocabulary

Every day, endeavor to learn a new word. But learning here isn't just about memorization alone; instead, grasp how to use the word, find its synonyms and antonyms, along with related terms. With each passing day, you'll notice a significant increase in your vocabulary. This will help you have a broad vocabulary to express yourself better. You'll no longer feel hesitant in finding words to convey your ideas in a conversation.

Many English learners memorize individual words, and when they speak, they utter them one by one, often pausing unnaturally, disrupting the flow. This makes both the native speakers and the learners feel disheartened. Hence, always carry a notebook to jot down 'word clusters' whenever you encounter or hear a phrase from a song, a movie, or a newspaper, for instance.

Even with poor pronunciation and a limited vocabulary, you should still appear confident and speak as much as possible when given the chance. Don't hesitate to make mistakes because that's the only way you'll improve. Practice as much as possible; you'll enhance fluency and expand your vocabulary. Speaking skills are like playing sports; the only way to get better is to dive in and start.

Just like in Vietnamese, before learning reading and writing skills, we must have basic listening and speaking skills. Learning English is the same way; speaking is the easiest skill to learn and imitate. Therefore, to improve your English proficiency, speaking English frequently, speaking as much as possible, is one of the most effective methods. Through speaking English, you'll also learn how to express yourself, stress words, and no longer feel hesitant about speaking another language when you're just getting started.