We have great news for introverts and shy people! In order to develop communication skills, it is not always necessary to talk to people. To learn any language, you need to have more than just speaking skills. You also need to be able to perceive speech by ear, read and write. We suggest the best ways to help you improve your communication without an interlocutor.
Write down what you want to say
Replace speaking with writing. Anything you want to say, write it down first. In this way, you will learn to formulate. Write directly as you would speak. Then re-read meticulously and reformulate more beautifully. Where to get inspiration from? From the internet, of course. Don’t try to write “For Whom the Bell Tolls” right away; just search a few questions on Google for “conversation questions” and answer them.
You may set yourself a task: 10 written sentences in response to questions like “What’s the best pizza?” or “Which is more important: family or career.” If you are stuck with your writing, you can always get help. You can use a speech writing service like essayshark.com. A writer will write you a speech sample so that you can understand how to deal with writing yourself.
If you have nowhere to put your ideas, try keeping a diary or blog in English.
Listen to native speakers
Watch YouTube videos and movies with simple dialogues. Pick out what you understand. Repeat what you hear in your head. Just listening is useless. It still needs to be repeated. Imitate your favorite character, their intonations, their “erm…”, “well…”
For those who get bored with just repeating, there is Shadowing (shadow repeat method). This is another interesting technique where you repeat after the audio, gradually reducing the time between the cue and its imitation. After a while, as simultaneous interpreters, you will be able to speak a word for word with the actors!
Read aloud and retell
If you have small children, read children’s books in English to them – often, a lot, and with expression! If you have no children, read to the cat. Children’s books usually have very colloquial expressions, natural, and in context, with illustrations – just what you need. If you think only children should read fairy tales, take chick flicks (female romantic prose) or short detective stories with a lot of suspects.
At the same time, you should not just read aloud without knowing how to speak correctly – you can get used to the wrong pronunciation, and it will be difficult to correct. If you watch TED talks, watch them on the official website: there each video has a transcripts tab, the text of the entire speech with timecodes, and easy navigation. If you listen to podcasts, you can also find texts for them.
Talk to yourself
It is very important to get used to the sound of your own voice in another language. And yes, it’s not strange if no one sees you. And if they see you, you can pretend that you are talking on the phone.
What to talk about? Describe what you see at the moment or comment on your actions: “I am leaving the house. Did I take an umbrella? If I don’t take it, it will rain, it’s always like this. Bye, cat! Is the elevator not working? I need to start working on my dissertation, but I don’t know where to start. Fortunately, I can get PhD dissertation help and forget about my worries.”
You can also talk in the shower. The noise of the water will hide your embarrassment, and you can finally talk about the day: about how you missed the bus, how great the day was, how you ate ramen for lunch, but it was not good. And in the morning, in the shower, you can practice the future tense and think over a plan for the day: do not forget to send a letter, do so many things, and have time to meet friends.
Express emotions in English
Imagine you are Chandler from Friends or Dr. House or anyone whose words often go to your heart. They were rude at the grocery store, your boss unfairly scolded you, but you seemed to be dumb, and only at home were you able to express indignation. Resent in English! Use the snarky and witty words of Chandler, House, or Mrs. Maisel. Wash dishes and chastise your enemies! Emotional context is good for your English.
You can also host an imaginary talk show. Imagine that you are your own Jimmy Kimmel, or you participate in the morning radio show. On the way to work in the car or at home at breakfast, greet the “spectators,” joke, tell about the weather and the news, and finally interview your guest.
