EFFECTIVE SPEAKING

Good communication skills and good English help everyone in every way. How to master the art of speaking English?

Last week, I happened to meet an old college-mate who, I recall, was extremely different and reserved in class. She would neither utter a word during lectures and discussions, nor would she ever participate in conversations amongst friends. Each one of us dismissed her as being a very reticent and grumpy person. Some even accused her of being headstrong. But the other day when I met her, I was amazed at the vast difference I could observe in her. She was bubbling with enthusiasm and within 10 minutes she had spoken more than what she had in 3 years!

She noticed my surprise and went on to explain the reason for the change in her. All these years, she apparently always remained in the background due to her fear of being ridiculed for being unable to speak proper and precise English. She was certain that her vocabulary was weak, grammatically she was poor and her pronunciations were incorrect.

But later, after stepping out of college, her fruitless hunt for a job compelled her to improve her English speaking and communication skills. She then went on to enroll in a spoken English class, read some books, practiced speaking and now here she was a totally transformed, confident and cheerful person.

Confidence in oneself indeed results in wonders. This confidence in turn builds good communication and interpersonal skills. Being able to communicate in English effectively is an absolute prerequisite in today’s cut-throat world of competition. So many times have we seen ads in newspapers, which emphasis that good English (written and spoken) is the only required qualification for the job. So many times have we also encountered people who have lost prospective jobs due to their inability to communicate in English.

There are also people who scoff at those who converse in English, calling them snobbish and show-offs. Their stand is that why one should speak in English, which is basically a foreign language when we have so many of our own? I distinctly remember how my father’s own relatives chided him frequently for speaking to me only in English right from my 5th year. Their argument was that a child ought to be taught only to speak his/her mother tongue. English would be picked up later on in school anyway.

But, I shall forever remain grateful to my father for the way he continued to coach me in English. As a result, I developed good English-speaking skills from childhood itself.

COMMAND OF ENGLISH

Speaking good English is the need of the hour. It may be a foreign language, but it is the only language that can help in communicating even internationally. There are still so many graduates all over world, who find it difficult to draft a simple official letter in English properly. This lack of command of the language adversely affects their careers. With their superiors being displeased with their dismal performances, they either resign or are fired.

This process is repeated like a vicious circle. Not only do they lose precious time in this bargain, but also miss out on valuable opportunities. Instead, if a sincere attempt is made to utilize this time in improvement of communication and language skills, it would do a world of good, both professionally and personally.

One can even begin at home by following some simple procedures.

• Start reading more and more books, magazines and newspapers
• Note down new and unfamiliar words that you come across.
• Look up these words in the dictionary and study their meanings.
• Look up the thesaurus too to know the synonyms for the difficult words
• Try to make sentences with the new words.
• Experiment till you are comfortable using the new words,
• Study the dictionary itself.
• Learn 5 new words daily.
• Repeat steps 2-6.
• Speak as far as possible in English.

Try these 10 points and you are sure to improve your English in a few weeks. Begin with this article itself. Note down the unfamiliar words that you come across in this article and proceed from steps 3-6. Building up your vocabulary in turn builds up your self-esteem. Don’t hesitate if you make mistakes. One improves only after making mistakes. After all, no man is infallible.