2455 WAYS TO IMPROVE ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS Quan Chi Kien, Nguyen Le Diem Quynh, Ngo Thanh Tien Faculty of English, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH) Supervisor Do Thi Song Tuyen (MA[.]
WAYS TO IMPROVE ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS Quan Chi Kien, Nguyen Le Diem Quynh, Ngo Thanh Tien Faculty of English, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH) Supervisor: Do Thi Song Tuyen (MA) ABSTRACT Speaking English is the most essential and fundamental aspects toward both communication in real life and business Therefore, the number of students attending English speaking courses is currently in a significant increase During their studying process, most of them find it difficult to learn and practice speaking English correctly and fluently Numerous studies have been done by researchers to determine the major causes for these invisible barriers, which prevent learners from succeeding This paper aims to indicate some prominent problems that are hindering students and then provide some methods to improve their speaking skills Furthermore, tips and examples are also included Keywords: English speaking skills, problems, study methods INTRODUCTION Speaking is one of the most important skills of all the four language skills because individuals who learn a language are referred to as the speakers of that language (Ur, 1996) Speaking English fluently and effortlessly can be challenging, but once you mastered your spoken English, it could easily provide you with some extremely practical benefits However, according to Bueno, Madrid and McLaren (2006), many learners state that they have spent so many years studying English as a second language but cannot speak it appropriately and understandably Nowadays, a colossal number of youngsters or even adults all around the world have found themselves in this similar situation with no proper guidance or solution COMMON PROBLEMS RELATED TO LEARNING SPEAKING According to Shanya (2019), a teacher from Espresso English.net, most of her pupils admit their struggle is through the lack of these four principal abilities: listening, vocabulary, pronunciation and confidence Furthermore, learners also find it difficult to controlling the function of the language (transaction and interaction) and understanding the social cultural norm (such as turn-taking, about what, and for what reason, etc ) (Hendra, 2012) Another research conducted in 1995 by Taiqin showed that ninety-five percent of students said that they had difficulty in speaking because they were afraid of making errors 2455 WAYS TO IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILLS 3.1 Posture Moving your body while studying not only helps you leap faster in your speaking process, but it can also be applied in all other learning processes A research by Asher (2003) (a language teaching expert) about the role of the body language on learning showed that students who physically moved and smiled while learning could shorten their process by four to five times For example, you stand up when you encounter the word ‚stand up‛ Therefore, by combining physical movement, you push English deep into your memories This is the first step to improve and really carve English far down into your brain The body is a powerful energy source By using each of these simple techniques, you can increase your energy while learning The more you it, the more energy you have When you have more energy, your will learn faster and remember more So not forget to use strong posture and smile 3.2 Mindset Hoge (2018) once said that our beliefs strongly influence our results and abilities If we believe, we will succeed If we not, we will fail Therefore, mastering our beliefs and ideas is another way that will bring you to the next level in term of speaking English For example, adult learners are commonly believe that English is not easy, while children believe otherwise This is why youngsters are more efficient in learning than adults One simple way to dispose and destroy these negative beliefs is by telling yourself everyday ‚These beliefs are wrong, I am good at English‛ and ‚English is easy‛ So, destroy your negative beliefs, choose and practice positive beliefs Remind yourself every day that negative beliefs are bad These are the keys to master your mind to be a successful English speaker 3.3 Self-study First, learning through your eyes is important, but to enhance your speaking abilities you would also need to focus on listening According to Shaya (2019), a conversation takes about fifty percent speaking and fifty percent listening Vocabulary and grammar improvement are also sharpened by listening to the audio such as music, movie, talk show, etc You should dedicate thirty minutes each day practice your listening skills either by watching movies or interacting with native English speakers Another way is to take online courses This method of convenience has been verified to be extremely useful for those who not have much free time During those courses English is widely used, thus, the teacher could immediately spot your pronunciation mistakes Finally, this solution for improving spoken English will require you to ask yourself questions and answer them through your life experience Tell mini-stories is the name of this method, you need to constantly asking yourself questions and give short answers or sentences and try using different 2456 sentences Many repetitions during this practice will speed up your learning and remembering abilities For example, ask yourself what you and how you feel when anticipating the spoken English course 3.4 Attending classes Taking direct English classes is an essential action for those who are willing to spend time and aiming for a faster completion Following your instructors and apply some of the postures and mindset from the section above, you will soon notice a positive change in your spoken English Speaking English like a native speaker are no longer for away CONCLUSION In conclusion, the methods mentioned earlier are some of the best ways that I think will really help you achieve you goal of communicating like indigenous English speakers A strong posture, smile, positive thinking and appropriate method are the recipe for your outstanding improvement not just in English speaking but also in learning the other English skills REFERENCES [1] Asher, J J (2003) Learning Another Language through Actions (6th edition) Los Gatos, CA: Sky Oaks Productions, Inc [2] Bueno, A., Madrid, D., & McLaren, N (2006) TEFL in Secondary Education Granada: Editorial Universidad de Granada [3] Hendra, H (2012) Speaking Problems Faced by the English Department Students of Syiah Kuala University Lingua Didaktika Vol (1): 37-38 [4] Hoge, A J (2018) ‚Powerful English Speaking‛ Retrieved from http://effortlessenglishclub.com/podcast/Powerful%20English%20Speaking.pdf [5] Hopkins, D (1993) A Teacher’s Guide to Classroom Research Philadelphia: Open University Press [6] Shanya, M (2019) ‚English Speaking Tips For Common Difficulties‛ Retrieved from https://www.espressoenglish.net/speaking-english-10-ways-to-improve/ [7] Taiqin, Dong (1995) ‚I can try it at least‛: A strategy for Effective Inter-Class Oral Communication‛ English Teaching Forum 33 (1): 28-29 [8] Ur, P (1996) A Course in Language Teaching Practice Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2457 ... University Press [6] Shanya, M (2019) ? ?English Speaking Tips For Common Difficulties‛ Retrieved from https://www.espressoenglish.net /speaking -english- 10 -ways- to- improve/ [7] Taiqin, Dong (1995) ‚I... the keys to master your mind to be a successful English speaker 3.3 Self-study First, learning through your eyes is important, but to enhance your speaking abilities you would also need to focus... A J (2018) ‚Powerful English Speaking? ?? Retrieved from http://effortlessenglishclub.com/podcast/Powerful%2 0English% 2 0Speaking. pdf [5] Hopkins, D (1993) A Teacher’s Guide to Classroom Research