Are you tired of feeling unsure about how to speak English? Looking for an opportunity to improve your communication skills? Look no further! This blog discusses the rules of speaking English in a fun and interesting way. Learning English doesn't have to be boring. We are here to prove it! From understanding grammar rules to mastering pronunciation, we'll cover it all in a way that's easy to understand and remember. So, put on your dancing shoes, and let's get funky with the rules of speaking English!

Focus on Communication

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. The goal of learning a language is communication. Think about young children learning to communicate. First, we are taught body language, listening, and speaking. Before we learn grammar in school, we learn to talk and share. Think about how we communicate with body language, listening, and speaking. An average child is not concerned about grammar. We start learning to communicate by listening and speaking. We hear and repeat our native language. 

Learn to speak clearly. It is not the grammar that makes it difficult to understand someone. It can be the accent, pronunciation, intonation, or volume. This lesson will focus on your speaking. You will be easier to know when speaking clearly, even if you make grammar mistakes. People will not understand perfect grammar when English is not spoken. Good oral communication requires excellent speaking skills. 

Focus on good communication. Your English may not be perfect, but the goal is to communicate. 

Have fun learning English! 

 “Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple. Double your rate of failure.” 

- Thomas J Watson, founder of IBM

Turn Up the Volume (Speak LOUD !!!)

Surprisingly, the difference between being understood and misunderstood is often the volume. I solve many ESL speaking problems by getting ESL students to speak loudly. When people are nervous or afraid, they often talk with a very soft low voice, typical for all ESL levels, from beginner to advanced. 

Many times, people cannot understand because they cannot hear. It is not because of English mistakes or bad grammar. If no one can hear you, no one can understand you. Speak up! 

Speaking loudly also helps with pronunciation. English students are often taught to “exercise the tongue and mouth muscles for the clear pronunciation”. This is good. However, if you speak loud, your tongue, jaw, and mouth muscles exercise automatically. If you whisper with a bit of mouth, language, and jaw movement, your pronunciation will not be clear, and others may have problems understanding you. Often, speaking louder will help articulation with more mouth movement. 

When people speak loud, they can show confidence. Show people that you are confident in your communication.

ACTIVITY: In Chapter 2, you made a recording. Do not delete the recording! Make a second recording of your voice for 15-30 seconds. This time speaks different volumes. Start talking low, then get louder. Listen to the recording. You will notice your speaking gets easier to understand as you talk louder. 

Check this out Excellent English Speaking Skills and Techniques

K.I.S.S. (Keep It Short and Simple)

Keep It Short and Simple. This allows you to focus on communicating your thoughts. Keeping the grammar simple makes it easier to communicate. 

Simple sentences will allow you to think more about your thoughts and less about the grammar, while complex sentences result in more grammar mistakes and confused ideas. 

When speaking, it is common for native speakers to use basic grammar because short sentences allow for time to pause and think about your next thought quickly. Doing this will make your English more natural, with fewer problems and mistakes in the middle of sentences. Start using short and simple sentences; your sentences will become longer as you practice. 

Short and straightforward sentences also help listeners to understand you. Even with good grammar, your accent and pronunciation can make it difficult to understand. Listeners can focus more on the conversation topic and less on understanding your English. You will have good communication if you have conversations with a clear understanding. Good communication is the objective. 

Sometimes people say, “Speaking with short and simple sentences will make me sound stupid.”. No, it will not. You will make fewer mistakes, and you will sound more natural. If you watch English movies and television, you will notice native speakers using short and simple sentences in conversations. Accents, idioms, slang, and phrasal verbs can pose problems for non-native speakers, but often the results are quick and easy.

It is best for you and the listener when you K.I.S.S. (Keep It Short and Simple). Your English is more accessible, and the listener can better understand. You and the listener can focus more on the conversation topic and less on language problems. Effective communication is the objective. 

ACTIVITY: Find an English conversation in a movie or television show (no news or documentaries). Listen to the English. It is OK if you do not understand all the vocabulary words. The objective is to notice the short and simple English in a conversation.

Relax...Focus on Communication

Relax and have fun learning Business English. Being motivated is easier when we have fun and enjoy the activity. Our memory loves exciting events which make remembering easier. Our confidence then grows. 

Confidence allows the speaker to be more relaxed and effectively communicate with others. This is so essential in learning and improving language skills. If the speaker is nervous and afraid of making mistakes, the result can be poor communication. 

“62% of the students said that confidence affected their speaking performance. 70% of the teachers thought that confidence to perform well affected their students’ speaking performance.” (Asian Journal of Educational Research, 2015)  

Students often say, “I cannot speak because I’m afraid I will make mistakes”. Thus, students become shy and afraid to speak because of the fear of making mistakes. The focus of learning English should be on effective communication, not perfect grammar. 

How many years have you practised speaking your native language? 

Do you always speak perfect grammar in your native language? 

After many years of practising our native language, native English speakers do not always speak perfect grammar. Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes it's intentional.

However, many students are taught that grammar is the most important part of learning English and that perfect grammar is necessary for communication. They feel that if their grammar is imperfect, they will not be understood.

Grammar is an important part of learning English, but don't let the fear of grammatical mistakes keep you from speaking. It is important, and it is the way our sentences are structured. 

However, as children, we start learning our native language by listening and speaking before learning the grammar rules. Children speak with sentences for 3 or 4 years before taking grammar in school. By listening, then speaking and repeating, we learn our native language. 

Many adult native speakers still do not know the grammar rules, but it is repeated after hearing the correct grammar. Learning grammar rules are important but should not be the top priority for speaking. 

Focus on effective communication. You are going to make grammar mistakes. Accept the mistakes as a learning experience. 

Some English scholars say that if students do not think about grammar, they will make more mistakes and their English will worsen. However, people make more mistakes when they are nervous. Students are nervous because they are expected to speak perfect English grammar. 

I always hear, “I know English (grammar) but can’t speak.” Students must relax and practice, or their English will not improve. In teaching all grammar levels, I never had any student’s speaking become worse. When students are relaxed and not thinking about grammar, they make mistakes, but their English improves from learning from their mistakes. 

Learn from your mistakes and keep improving your English. Effective Communication is the main goal. RELAX and focus on the conversation, not on the grammar. More speaking practice equals more grammar practice. Practice, practice, practice.

Express Yourself –Show

Intonation is a complex subject that uses several types of intonation in English. In this section, we will only focus on two primary ways to use tone to show your emotions and emphasis (stress). 

Importance of Intonation 

In English class, intonation is often problematic when a student's speaking is limited to book exercises. Speaking with little or no changes in tone is called monotone. 

Grammar exercises can sometimes be annoying for the students and the teachers but are necessary for learning English. However, this lack of excitement can result in monotone speaking. When the teacher and book audio files speak monotone, the students will copy this tone. Listening to a monotone voice is boring. Students find it challenging to understand and stay focused. 

If you speak all words in a neutral tone (monotone), it can be difficult for someone to listen and understand your English. If you want people to enjoy a conversation, you must show emotion when speaking English. 

IMPORTANT: Showing your emotion using a tone will improve your communication skills. 

Communication Theory 

Quit thinking only about grammar and focus on communicating. Emotions can be expressed through words, tone of voice, and body language.

Communication has been researched for many years. The most common theory is known as the Mehrabian's communication rule. Mehrabian's theory is widespread and quoted in many studies and is known as the 7 / 38 / 55 rule. 

The 7 / 38 / 55 Rule (Mehrabian, 1967) 

This rule says face-to-face communication has three elements: 

Words Spoken, Tone, and Body Language 

When different emotions are being communicated between the elements:  

• Body language is 55?fective (most trusting). 
• The tone is 38?fective (over five times more trusting than words spoken). 
• Words spoken are only 7?fective (least counting). 

Body language is the most depending, and tone is five times more effective than spoken words. 

In conclusion, learning English doesn't have to be a dull and boring experience. Following some of the fun and funky rules we've shared in this blog can make the process more enjoyable and effective. Whether using language games, unconventional learning techniques, or learning slang and idioms, these tips and tricks can help you speak Spoken English like a pro in no time. So don't be afraid to spice up your language-learning journey by adding some funk to your vocabulary. With the right mindset and approach, you can master the English language and impress your friends and colleagues with your newfound skills.