There is no gainsaying the fact that recently English, as a foreign and cosmopolitan language, especially in the post-reform era of globalised world economy, has considerably influenced our life-style, work –culture and job criteria. Who can deny that the mastery over the art of fluent English speaking brings instant charm to the personality of the speakers and makes them more saleable, presentable and suitable vis-a-vis the world citizens.
Have you ever observed how and why children start speaking their mother tongue without having any knowledge of grammar and vocabulary and that, too, so fluently? They simply listen to what their parents speak, what their relatives speak and, most importantly, what people around them speak. They read nothing and nor do they learn anything by rote. So the most important clue to learning to speak a language is listening sincerely and following seriously.
English presently has turned out to be an important lingua franca among the people of different mother tongues across the nations in the world. Therefore, it has become a sine qua non of success in almost all segments of human endeavour.
Don’t Hesitate At All
Hesitation makes what we can say the Achilles’ heel of English speaking. We want to speak English but fear overcomes us, defeats us and ultimately we surrender to it. This is the very stage where we need to instantaneously overcome those fears that discourage us. The hesitation in speaking comes mainly from the fear of getting caught with grammatical mistakes. In this critical situation, what we need to understand is that no one is ever perfect. Everyone commits mistakes and you are no way different from others. You too would definitely commit mistakes, and this is nothing but natural. Be confident and go on speaking English without any such fears and one day you would definitely be reckoned as a good speaker.
Have very good word power
Disraeli once said that with words we govern men. I say that with words we govern language. We tremble with fear or stammer in speaking a language not due to ignorance of grammar but lack of knowledge of words. That is why it is necessary first to master words and phrasal verbs. In fact, words work as the means whereby we express ourselves and communicate with people. We must have a very good dictionary of English language. They say that a dictionary is the grammar of words. So, check the meanings, pronunciation, usage, examples of uses of words that you come across. The faster the learning of words, the faster is the mastery over the art of speaking of English.
Do a lot of general reading
Reading widely is another essential condition to enable you to become a fluent speaker. So, you must develop the habit of reading books, that too, of various faculties and genres. One may start with the reading of books of stories or short novels. Otherwise, starting reading classical novels may discourage you. If you read more, it means you imagine more and if you imagine more it means you would never have any problem to search for ideas which you need at the time of speaking.
Avoid use of high sounding words
Though the use of rhetoric and rarely-used words gives a class and exclusive cult to your language that might put you in some privileged category, but unfortunately they go unnoticed by the people you are in communication with. However, high sounding words may be suitable raw material for writing flowery language of a classical novel but in communication it is always desirable to use the vocabulary that common masses and the targeted audiences comprehend easily and effortlessly.
Do not speak the way you write
As a matter of fact, the art of speaking a language is quite different from the skill or modus operandi of writing a language. In writing we must adhere to a set of rules whereas speaking does not restrict us to rules in the long run. It is just like the story of a child who learns to walk holding the fingers of his parents in his infancy but when he grows up he needs help from none. Speaking English gives us liberty to wander without any need to abide by grammatical rules. However, it does not mean that English speaking does not require knowledge of grammar. You must have a very good command over the basic rules of grammar of the language which you must follow while speaking. Only colloquial language gives the speaker some freedom to deviate from the customary rules and laws of the language.
Don’t speak in words but in idea units
This is one of the most significant clues to make you proficient in speaking English. Basically we always speak English in the form of words woven together. This is not the correct approach and so cannot be recommended for fluent speaking. Here it is not to be forgotten that the art of speaking and skill of writing are two quite different genres of the language and for the mastery of both we need to have different approaches. What is most important is that we must speak English in the form of what we may call the ‘idea units’. It means we must speak in terms of clauses and not in the form of words. For example when we say ‘They came to my house in the evening’ here we should speak ‘They came to my house’ in one breath and then ‘…in the evening’. This is the idea unit which adds to the fluency of the language.
Have no self-guilt
It is of utmost importance that when you fail to speak grammatically correct English, don’t ever be discouraged and feel remorseful. People reaching the pinnacle of success, too, had to pass through these embarrassing moments and suffer rejection and frustration before attaining grand success.
Watch ‘Talk Shows’ on television
In this information technology age, television has proved to be a powerful and entertaining media which can miraculously teach you the art of fluent speech. A host of talk shows are run on different channels of television and the distinguished guests and famous hosts speak standard English and, that too, fluently. Winfrey Oprah, the noted American talk show host, has become a global dramatis persona and a household name due to exemplary professional English speaking quality. From Karan Thapar to Rajdeep Sardesai to Barkha Dutt, in the Indian media, all are well known figures of talk shows. Listening to them would definitely enrich your art of speaking English.
You must have thorough knowledge of the subject
They say that grasp the subject and words will follow. We must prepare very well for the themes which we are going to speak on. Making short notes on the themes and brushing up your thoughts before going to the dais may help you speak without any hesitation before the audience.
Source: http://www.progressiveteacher.in/the-art-of-speaking-english-fluently/
