Think in English
Many of us are in the habit of talking to ourselves. When we are alone and don’t have anything important to do, various random thoughts drift in and out of our minds. Now if we are asked in which language we think or talk to ourselves, most of us will say that we think in our mother tongues. Even in response to a question in English, we think about the reply in our mother tongues and try to translate it into English. However, sometimes we find that we do not have/ know English equivalents for all the words in our regional languages which constitute our reply.
In professional lives, this might lead to the serious problem of being unable to express ourselves. You cannot always rehearse your speech while making presentations or explaining the nuances of a project to your clients or colleagues. You have no way of knowing what questions might be thrown at you or what new ideas you might get out of interactions. In order to be proficient in a language it is extremely important that you think in that language. So if you are learning English, make sure you also think in it. You will figure alternate ways of expressing certain concepts or words in your language for which there are no exact English equivalents. In addition to gaining confidence while communicating, this will add a lot of flexibility to your thinking.
Beware of the Accelerator While Speaking
There seems to be a general misconception that speaking fast makes you a good speaker. While you might be able to impress people who are not proficient in a language by speaking fast,your efforts will surely fall flat while addressing speakers of that language. Besides making your speech difficult to follow, speaking fast might also lead you to making mistakes. You are not giving yourself enough time to organize your thoughts and at the end of your speech you might realize that you have missed important points and have not managed to convince your audience. One of the keys to effective speaking is to deliver your message loud and clear and to ensure that this happens, you need to maintain an even pace which is neither very fast, nor too slow.
In addition to your message not getting conveyed owing to you talking too fast, this video brings out another negative aspect of express pace. Keep in mind that you stand a much better chance of impressing your audience by showing them how WELL you speak English rather than how FAST.
Are You Listening?
Listening to conversations and commentaries can help you a lot in learning English. Not only do you learn a lot of new words and expressions, you also come to know how to respond appropriately under different circumstances. When you are asked a question, you usually have a choice of various replies but depending upon the situation and the people you are speaking to, you have to choose a reply that is apt.A lot of things are to be considered here- the choice of words, the tone, the body-language etc. Listening to conversations will help you to get an idea about the possible retorts or answers to a statement.
Many of us watch cricket and listen to commentators and just like cricketers, we have our favourite commentators too. What makes certain commentators more popular than others? Apart from a good knowledge of the game, it’s also the way they speak that decides their popularity. Someone speaking in a flat monotone and going on and on about drab technicalities will not impress many listeners, but someone bringing in the excitement of the game in his/her voice, choosing different words to describe similar happenings, cracking an occassional joke and so on will undoubtedly be keenly listened to. I am sure cricket wouldn’t be as much fun without good commentary.Listen carefully to the way such people speak, pay careful attention to their selection of words and changes in tone and you will learn a thing or two about attracting listeners to hear you speak.
Tier 2 Woes
With increasing demand for space and manpower, the industry is gradually expanding into the Tier 2 cities in India. While there are reasons to be happy, the expansion is not without it’s fair share of problems. Earlier I had posted on the advantages metros have in terms of there being more opportunity for training and picking up required skills.Now with the rapid growth of the industry in Tier 2 cities, it is time for us to think about providing proper training to the aspirants of these cities. Otherwise, the decision to expand might just backfire on several companies. Here is a video that enunciates the issue.
Say it Right in English
Giving proper importance to correct pronunciation forms a very important part of learning a language. Especially when you know you are going to speak to people from all over the globe. The first thought that comes to my mind as I come across a new word is what its exact pronunciation is. The English language has a lot of tricky words like “diarrhoea”, “lacklusture”, “charlatan” etc which can easily baffle learners of English. You should always remember while learning English that letters are often rendered silent or can take on different sounds in certain words.
Knowing a lot of words but not knowing how to pronounce them properly will definitely be considered a serious flaw. So whenever you come across a new word while reading, make sure you look up that word in a good dictionary and find out how to pronounce it. A good storehouse of words coupled with the knowledge of right articulation is the way to go to become an impressive speaker of a language.