HOW CAN NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS IMPROVE THEIR LANGUAGE SKILLS?

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HOW CAN NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS IMPROVE THEIR LANGUAGE SKILLS?
by J.A. Gamache Third place Champion at the 2001 Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking

Is English a second language for you? Well, it is for me! I live in Montréal, Canada, and French is my first language. So when I started to compete in speech contests, I had to improve the way I spoke English. To do so, I applied the three following strategies:

1- TAKE DICTION CLASSES
I had to learn how to pronounce English words in the proper way. My French accent was so strong that English speakers had a hard time understanding me even when I used the right words and proper grammar! The goal is not to make you lose your accent but at least to make you easy to understand when you speak.

2- READ ENGLISH BOOKS... OUT LOUD!
Diction classes are useless if you don't practice. I found that I could fast-track my learning when I read English books or newspapers out loud. At the same time, I learned new words, got acquainted with the grammar and started to correct myself when I heard myself mispronounce words.

3- CONVERSE WITH A FRIEND
I became friends with a woman old enough to be my grandmother. I met her once a week for lunch and we would chat for two hours. Every time I made a mistake, she would kindly correct me. It was a win-win situation. She had company and I improved my conversational skills. And, most importantly, we both developed a new friendship! Mastering a new language is a huge task.

You can improve your English skills quickly by simultaneously focusing on these three strategies: taking diction classes, reading books out loud and conversing with someone who has mastered the language.