Practice, practice, practice
The key to improving your English speaking skills is to practise as much as possible. Make a conscious effort to speak English as often as you can, even if it's just with yourself or with a language exchange partner. The more you practise, the more comfortable you will become with the language and the more confident you will feel.
Surround yourself with English
One effective way to improve your confidence in speaking English is to surround yourself with the language as much as possible. Listen to English music, watch English films or TV shows, and read English books or articles. The more exposure you have to the language, the more natural it will feel to you, and the more confident you will become.Focus on fluency, not perfection
Many language learners put too much pressure on themselves to be perfect when speaking English, which can lead to a lack of confidence and fluency. It's important to remember that fluency is more important than perfection. Don't worry about making mistakes or sounding awkward. Instead, focus on communicating your message clearly and effectively.
Use positive affirmations
Positive affirmations can be a powerful tool for building confidence in speaking English. Before speaking, take a few deep breaths and repeat positive affirmations to yourself, such as "I am a confident English speaker" or "I can communicate effectively in English." This can help to calm your nerves and boost your confidence.
Set achievable goals
Whenever I teach a new class, I like to start with a little chat to get to know my students better. And, of course, I always ask them what their goals are for learning English. Almost every time I ask questions such as "What are your objectives in learning English?" or "What do you hope to achieve by the end of this level?" I often receive responses like "I want to speak fluently" or "I want to speak like a native speaker".While it's great to aim high, it's also important to be realistic about how much time and effort it takes to achieve these goals. Do you think it's possible to speak as fluently as a native speaker if you only study 3 hours/week for 5 months?
Setting achievable goals can be a great way to build your confidence and motivation when learning English. Break down your language learning journey into small, manageable steps, and celebrate your progress along the way. This will help you to stay motivated and confident as you work towards your goals.
Seek feedback and correction
Getting feedback and correction from a teacher or language exchange partner can be incredibly helpful for improving your English speaking skills. Don't be afraid to ask for feedback on your pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. This will help you to identify areas for improvement and work on them to become a more confident English speaker.Embrace your mistakes
Finally, it's important to remember that making mistakes is a natural part of learning any new language. Don't be too hard on yourself when you make mistakes or struggle to find the right words. Instead, embrace your mistakes as opportunities to learn and improve. The more you practise and make mistakes, the more comfortable you will become with the language and the more confident you will feel.
***
In conclusion, gaining confidence in speaking English is a journey that requires patience and dedication. It is important to remember that everyone has to start somewhere and that progress can only be made through consistent practice and exposure to the language. Along the way, it is crucial to give yourself positive affirmations and set achievable goals. Also, don't be afraid to make mistakes, as they are a natural part of the learning process. As a teacher, I am here to support and guide my students through their language learning journey. So, let's work together and approach this challenge with confidence and determination!
How about you? Have you got other strategies to boost your confidence in speaking English?
I have confidence in speaking English since I join couchsurfing and meet traveler from around the world. Sometimes I'm not sure my grammar is correct but the important thing is they understand what I say. Not all bule can fluently speaks English because they are not native so try to confidence with ourselves.
ReplyDeleteSering kali yang bikin maju mundur dalam speaking English adalah takut salah. Mungkin karena cara belajar kita dari awal itu fokus di grammar ya,.dikuatkan dengan di sekolah penilaian ada benar-salah padahal mah guru English di sekolah2 umum juga tidak sedikit yang pronounciation-nya gak fasih, salah malah pernah dapat guru kursus yg berantakan cara.bicaranya hanya saja dia pede.
ReplyDeleteI try to speak English with my boys at home but they say "Aku sudah speak English di sekolah, Mah." Haha
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree with Miss Tya's article.
ReplyDeleteIt feels like if you wanna be a master, you have to practice a lot in the right place. If the environment didn't support, we were bulied by others so that the children had no friends.
Hiks~
So sad but it's true.
Oh dear.. the tips helpable 🫶🫶.. actually I have bad memories with English and also the teacher in high school.. but since join English academy in Pare which is the environment supported us to speak fluently so sedikit sedikit bisa berani..
ReplyDeletePractice makes perfect. Coincidentally, I studied English. The focus is on language and literature. Only in semester 3 did I get the 'Speaking' course. I'm just confident only. Sometimes the grammar is wrong, but the lecturer said let it be corrected. The important thing is that the lack doesn't make you stop speaking English.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking english is an important skill to have. but Im still learning untill now
ReplyDeleteJujur aku masih blibet banget buat ngomong Bahasa Inggris. Pertama karena gak ada lawannya. Jadi bingung kan mau ngomong sama siapa. Paling ngajari Bocil satu dua kata sih biar mereka juga tahu bahasa asing selain bahasa Ibu
ReplyDeleteConsistent, salah satu yang sulit dan menantang dalam belajar bahasa, sama nentuin target juga hehe.
ReplyDeleteSet achievable goals, that's my concern now. I agree with miss Tya, speak fluently is more important than perfectly. Actually, the aim of speaking is how to communicate and deliver our thought clearly/effectively. For daily usage, as long as people get the message, its enough i think
ReplyDeleteJadi dalam berbicara ini intinya sih praktik ya. Jadi ingat waktu SMP. Saat itu pertama ngalamin belajar bahasa inggris. Guru English mengajak kami praktik di Kampung Naga, karena saya itu banyak turis datang ke sana. Nah di sana kami disuruh ngomong dengan turis. Malu, lucu, tapi emang banyak pemasukan terbaik untuk grammar dan nambah wawasan
ReplyDeleteSo grateful to find this post while I dream of speaking English fluently. Well, we have to practice more often then. Glad to know you, btw. :)
ReplyDeleteI do hope able to improve my speaking skill of course by doing Practice, practice, and practice. I wish I hope have a friend for this.
ReplyDeleteSetuju. Belajar bahasa memang harus aktif bicara. Tapi, ya, terkendalanya suka takut salah. Saya pernah merasakan hal seperti itu. Akhirnya memilih pasif aja.
ReplyDeleteSaya setuju dengan afirmasi yang harus selalu digemakan lebih keras, Miss. Bagaimana bisa kita bermimpi tampil percaya diri sedangkan kita tak memberikan kesempatan diri untuk mempercayai dirinya bahwa ia mampu.
ReplyDeletesaya dulu pernah ngerasain mau ga mau kudu ngomong bahasa inggris itu pas pertama kali ke luar negeri.. disitu jadi ngerasa lebih lancar dan pede pas bicara bahasa inggris hehehe
ReplyDeleteTotally agree! You have to practice a lot like a child who is just learning to speak, it's okay to be wrong, the most important thing is to always try your best.
ReplyDeleteNamanya bahasa ya, kalau sering digunakan akan menjadi lebih baik. Demikian pula dengan bahasa inggris. Makanya dulu saya niat banget harus chatting sama orang asing biar skill bahasa inggrisnya gak hilang.
ReplyDeleteBtw, Bahasa inggris saya dari dulu lemah di grammar nih, selalu salah kalau mesti harus ubah kata ke berbagai jenis tensesnya. Bagaimana ya caranya grammarku bisa lebih baik ya?
Walau katanya ada aplikasi translate, tetap aja, Bahasa Inggris memang harus terus diasah.
ReplyDeleteGak bisa diem setelah belajar.
Makin terus dipraktikkan, makin jadi lancar.
If we are in the right place, learning a language really feels like it is a common. I really want to English to be mastered as an active language of communication so that Indonesian's children can read more widely or gain knowledge from literacy from foreign languages.
ReplyDeleteIt's the last point that usually makes everyone (including me) less convidence in speaking English. Also, our surrounding sometimes laughing at us when we make mistakes. :(
ReplyDeleteBut yes, without practicing, our tongue will just gonna freezze when we talking with native.
Thank you for your tips Ms Tya.. :) I want to improve my English skill but sometimes I just fear to make mistakes.. :')
ReplyDeleteThankyou for the tips Miss Tya, I learn and improve my English with Duolingo, songs and practice in my family. Sometimes I mixed English and Bahasa for kids, but if we got a mistake we'll learn again. Our english isnt perfect but I feel more confidence now.
ReplyDelete