Steps to Enhance English Fluency

Last week, I received an e-mail, requesting me to share some tips on improving fluency in English. Fluency in English is much desired and sought after to establish one’s control in the world of communication. Here are some skills to develop fluency.

LISTENING: It is advisable to listen to news, talk shows, discussions and other related programmes in English. Watching journalists speak on TV is a good way of improving your language. Mark their lip movement, expressions and diction carefully.

THINKING: Our brain is always active in thinking, but in our mother tongue. As a result, at the time of conversation, the brain takes time to translate the information from the mother tongue to English, thus delaying the speech. This delay shakes one’s confidence, resulting in broken speech. On the contrary, if one practises thinking in English, then the response will be spontaneous. So plan your day in English, talk to yourself in English and think in English.

READING: Reading is that input device which feeds the brain with vocabulary and information. To be fluent in speech, good articulation is required, which in turn needs word power as the weapon. Extensive reading provides word power, which comes in use instantly while speaking and writing, thus reducing the time lapse. Therefore, read English dailies, magazines, books, journals and try to get acquainted with the words in use.

SPEAKING: The more one speaks in English, the more fluent the speaker becomes. Speak in English at every available opportunity. Never hesitate or inhibit yourself from speaking even if you’re prone to errors, it will help you improve.

WRITING: A daily habit of writing something either in the form of a diary or a blog definitely provides an edge to climb the ladder of fluency. Therefore, feel free to pen down your thoughts and ideas as they come, and read them at intervals.   

Paramita Mishra holds a PhD in Environmental Biology, and has been associated with teaching Communicative English and Personality Development for nine years. She can be contacted at mishra.paramita@gmail.com