Hey guys, it's Kritika. Welcome back to my blog.
Today's blog is not something I ever imagined I'll make. But this has probably been the most requested blog. Every time I post a blog, I get so many comments asking me to make a blog on speaking better English and improving my communication skills. And though I don't think I'm an expert on the topic, I thought, why not make a vlog and share whatever tips I have for you guys. I've gotten comments from so many people telling me they read my blog to learn English, which is flattering. So hopefully, you find this blog useful. I'm gonna be sharing six or seven tips that should help you with English or literally any other language for that matter. Also, before I start a couple of disclaimers, this is not a blog where I teach you to speak in English.
So I'm assuming you already know the language, but you're just looking to improve your English or get better at communicating. I don't think I'm qualified to be teaching the language and nor is it possible to just one blog. So this is not a learning English blog. It's more of an improve your English blog. And second, I'm not in any way implying that you need to learn English or you need to speak the way I do. But since I've gotten so many requests figured I'd make this blog. So firstly, let me start by talking about my own journey. I grew up in a Hindi-speaking family, but I was born and brought up in Vellore in Tamil Nadu, and literally, no one around me spoke in Hindi. And I went to an English medium school where it was compulsory to speak in English. So because of all of that and the fact that I was into English literature as a person, I already enjoyed that subject. I used to do many debates and participate in like drama and skits and stuff like that. So all of that put together, I think, helped me in speaking good English and improving my communication skills which are why for the longest time, when people asked me to make this blog, I just felt like I wouldn't have anything to share because this is just something that came naturally to me because of how
I was brought up. But at the start of this lockdown, I actually started learning Spanish by myself. And that's when I realized that I have some tips to share when you're trying to improve a language and stuff. And just in general, be better at communicating. I also think that YouTubers have definitely become better communicators. So the tips that I'm gonna be sharing work for any language no matter which language you're trying to learn but for the sake of this blog, it's gonna be English because that's what I get asked about the most. So the first tip, which I think is probably the best way to learn or improve a language, is to consume as much content as possible and immerse yourself in that language. So there are three different ways in which you can consume content. It could be through watching, reading, listening, also writing. That's not only consuming, but yeah, I feel like these are four ways in which you can learn a language, but because we're focusing more on verbal communication in this blog, I'm gonna stick to the top three. So watching, listening, and reading. So when it comes to watch, which I think is my favorite way of consuming content, there are movies, TV shows, and YouTube blogs, of course, many other options. So my first tip is actually to watch as many English movies and English TV shows and stuff. I really enjoy watching comedy shows. So some of the TV shows I've enjoyed are "Modern Family."How I Met Your Mother."
"Friends." This is just like the usual stuff, but of course, there are so many options now. And so many different platforms to watch shows on. And if you're more of a movie person, that's a great way to consume content as well. The tip here is to leave your subtitles onI to think that's one great way to learn. So when you have your subtitles on, your brain automatically starts to connect what it's listening to what it's reading. And I think that's a great way to learn, but I also feel like over time, when you've watched enough stuff with subtitles on. Start doing it with the subtitles off because obviously, you're not going to have subtitles when you're talking to people in the real world. So start with subtitles on but eventually turn off your subtitles because you'll be understanding the language just based on listening to it rather than reading it. And I think that's a good way to like up-level your language.
The second is listening. So if you're commuting or working out or something like that, you could listen to music, listen to English songs, or there are podcasts and audiobooks. I personally love listening to podcasts, but I think all three are a great way to learn. With music, try to learn the lyrics of the song because I feel like that's effective. And otherwise, listen to as many podcasts and audiobooks. And lastly is reading, which I enjoy so much, but if you're not a fan of reading, maybe you could try reading shorter storybooks and stuff. And if you do enjoy reading or if you're getting into reading, try to find a genre you enjoy so that you actually enjoy the process of reading. And every time you're reading, try to have a dictionary with you. Of course, you don't need a physical dictionary. Now everyone can have dictionary apps on their phones. So have that in hand because you'll probably learn a lot of new words this way.
So you want to make a note of all these words that you are learning. And I think reading is probably one of the best ways to improve your vocabulary. So basically, try to consume as much content as possible and try to do a mix of all three of these. The second tip is to make a vocabulary journal. So you could either have a physical journal where you write down new words that you're learning, or you can do it on your notes app on your phone, but every time you come across a new word, learn what that means. Please write it down in your journal or your notes app, and make it a point to use that word a couple of times during that day in your communication. So this is something I used to do back when I had my GRE. I only studied for it for a week, but in GRE, you have to learn so many different worlds, whichds. So I would try using these complicated words in sentences, and that's how I'd remember them, but this is super effective. Let me show you my notes from when I was learning Spanish. So I have literally made a note of all the words that...
I possibly learned. So, of course, with English, if you know the language already, you won't have to do this for basic words, but for the more difficult words or new words that you come across, this is a beneficial practice. The next tip is actually to make use of websites and apps. We're blessed to be living in this digital age where we can literally learn almost everything online. And I feel like making use of apps to improve your English is very effective.
So I was doing some research and trying out many apps before I could recommend any to you. And I came across this awesome app called Cambly; Cambly is the only app in India that allows one-on-one private English classes with tutors from native English-speaking countries like U.S., Canada, and the UK.
So I feel like this is especially effective if you know how to read and write the language, but you struggle with speaking the language confidently. They also have classes for specific goals. So they have classes for business English personal development, exam preps for IELTS, and stuff like that. And the best part is they have classes 24x7they have thousands of tutors. So you can look at the tutor's profile and pick whichever one you want. I actually, just for fun, tried out a tutoring session as well to see what it's like. Active and watch your favorite TV shows, maybe Netflix or YouTube. Yeah, YouTube - Right? I've been watching a lot of Netflix during the last few months, lots of shows. And the tutor was beneficial and friendly. So I feel like this is worth trying. If you want to improve your
Communication skills. If you are interested in trying out the app, I leave a link to it in the description box below. And if you use the code kg25, you'll get a 25% discount on any of the three-month plans. So be sure to check that out. The next tip, which kind of sounds counterintuitive, is to communicate in English. So I feel like if you want to improve your communication skills, you need to start communicating with other people in English because you only get better with practice. So if you're not very confident yet, you can start by talking to someone with who you're comfortable. It could be like someone in your family or a friend, or in fact, if any of your friends also want to improve their English, then you can be each other's, accountability buddies. And you can just like practice with each other and send voice notes on WhatsApp to each other. I actually used to do this for Spanish. And if you don't have anyone, then you can talk to the mirror. Think of it as a topic and just like talking for a minute or five minutes in front of the mirror. I feel like that's good practice as well.
Something else you could also do which is similar to this is to talk to a camera. I know that may be awkward, but use your phone camera and decide like a topic and talk for like a minute or two minutes or whatever duration you want and do this every day and look back at the clip and evaluate yourself and see where you feel like you need to improve. If you have someone you're comfortable with, you could also show it to them and ask for their feedback. So that's a great way to start feeling more confident. In fact, if you're trying to get into public speaking, I think all of these things help as well. So if you want to be a public speaker or even, for that matter, like give a speech in your school or college or address a bunch of people at work in a meeting, then doing these things will make you feel a lot more confident. Another thing that you can do is actually communicate with yourself in English. So basically, try to think in English. And I feel like anytime you want to get better at a language, you automatically get better at it if you consciously choose to start thinking thoughts in that language. So try doing that as well. And over time, when you're a little more confident, you can start communicating with others in English. I know it can be
Intimidating, but honestly, English is just a language at the end of the day. And the whole purpose of a language is to communicate your thoughts and ideas. Each one of us is comfortable in some language or the other. So for me, it's English for you with maybe some other language and no one language is better than the other. So if you're talking to other people, I know it's natural to feel intimidated, but there's really no need to be. And if at any point in the conversation you don't understand what someone is saying or use a word that you've never heard of before. You can honestly stop them and tell them to explain what they're saying. You could say something like, sorry, I missed that. Could you please repeat what you said? Or you could be like, sorry, I don't understand that word. Could you please explain what you're trying to say? There's literally no shame in that. And that's how you learn and improve your language. Next, let's talk about pronunciation and accent.
So I feel like I'm the kind of person who, if I talk to someone for a couple of hours, I'll start talking like them. It could be an accent. I've spoken to people with a Tamil accent. And suddenly, my thoughts are in like a Tamil accent. I've watched shows with a British accent. And my thoughts are suddenly in like a British accent. I don't think it affects how I speak, but my thoughts automatically start in that accent. And in fact, I think when I moved to Delhi first for college, I remember the first time I came back home, my mom was just like, what happened to your Hindi? Suddenly my Hindi improved so much. So the whole point of this rant was that if you want to pick up a certain accent or if you like the way someone talks, listening to the way they talk really makes a difference. So if you enjoy someone's way of talking and how they communicate, not just the accent, just like the kind of words they say and how they communicate. Just keep listening to them over and over again. And I feel like subconsciously, you'll start adopting some of those things.
I know this kind of sounds like an imitation, but I'm not exactly asking you to imitate, but just by listening to someone, I feel like you'll have your own version of their way of speaking. If that makes sense. And there's honestly no harm in imitating. I don't think anyone can perfectly imitate someone. So you'll end up with your own version of whatever you're trying to aim for. So make a list of people whose way of talking you admire and start watching like most of their blogs; if they're podcasters, try listening to more of them, and you don't need to change the way you talk to match theirs consciously. But I feel like subconsciously, it will sort of start happening. And talking about pronunciation, I feel like that's an essential thing in a language because obviously, you want to pronounce words the way it's meant to be pronounced. So for that, thankfully, we have access to the internet on our phones and stuff. So Google it. Or if you have a dictionary app. Usually, dictionary apps have a pronunciation as well. So if you don't know how a certain word is pronounced, then just Google; it's as easy as that. And the final tip is to have fun with it.
At the end of the day, as I said, this is just a language; it's just to communicate your thoughts and ideas better. And the whole process can either be fun or intimidating, depending on how you approach it. So rather than making it a very daunting process and feeling like, oh my God, I'm not good enough because my English isn't good. You can have a more positive approach and think of this whole process as a fun new thing that you're trying to learn. And I think that will make for a much better experience. And as with anything, you can't expect to change overnight. So focus on learning new things every day, little by little, and I'm sure like a year or even a few months from now, your English or whatever language you're learning will be much better. So keep at it, focus on learning something new each day, and keep practicing and talking to other people or talking to the mirror or the camera. And over time, I'm sure you will improve. So I hope you found this blog useful. These were my tips.
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