How to Improve Your English Communication Skills

The need for communication is the reason that languages exist. When people learn languages, they focus so much on grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. But very often, they forget to hone and refine their communication skills.

The aforementioned skills are divided into four categories: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

They’re all very important. Yes, the first two are indispensable, and many people invest their time in learning to express themselves orally but they loathe the idea of having to write so much as a single line.

However, if you want to expand your horizons and have better opportunities in life, you would focus on all of these skills.

Listening:

Communication requires that all sides understand each other well. This means that you, as a learner of English, need to practice listening as frequently as possible.

Documentaries are a great way to do this, and songs as well. They not only provide authentic content but are also a great way to learn about the culture, which is essential for good communication.

If there is a part that you do not understand, try to repeat it until you do. You can also use captions at first until you’re ready to drop them.

Practice until you can understand what people are saying without relying on subtitles; real-life situations are not going to have any.

You can also watch Youtube videos in English about anything that interests you. Many of them have captions, and they are not long. You will find many dialects as well.

But don’t expect to have native-like proficiency in months. This process takes time and you have to be patient.

Of course, there will be moments when you cannot understand a word or phrase even though you have spent hundreds of hours practicing. It’s okay.

When this happens while conversing with someone, you can simply ask them what they meant. Remember that such issues exist even between native speakers.

Here you can find a very useful video for English conversations with subtitles.

The best 5 YouTube channels to learn English:

• Speak English With Mr. Duncan
• Easy English
• Canal de la BBC
• Jennifer ESL
• EnglishClass101

The best apps to learn English:

• Aprende Inglés (Android)
• Tandem (Android | IOS).
• Babbel (Android | IOS).
• Voxy (Android | IOS).
• Busuu (Android | IOS).

Speaking:

When you speak, you have to be clear so that the other person understands you. Therefore, you should speak at a comfortable pace and not try to be as quick as if you are speaking in your native language, at least not if you are uncomfortable with the same pace in English. Another thing you should do is to practice pronunciation as you build your vocabulary; listen and repeat phrases and new words.

A big part of learning to speak is through listening. But you do have to practice speaking in real-life situations at some point.

The best way to practice this skill is by finding a partner, preferably a native speaker, and talking to them. Many apps, such as HelloTalk and Tandem, can help you find partners.

Reading:

Reading is important, particularly in the work environment, for understanding correspondence, documents, and various written materials.

The best way to improve this skill is by practicing it. Start by reading easier texts like short stories. You can also read online articles aimed at a younger audience. The BBC website has many materials to practice reading, such as short stories and news for intermediate-level learners.

Writing:

Writing can be intimidating. Many people dread the idea of writing. But contrary to popular belief, our writing skill is not decided and fixed from the moment we are born. It’s something you can learn to master.

Reading a lot as well as writing a lot is the only way to improve. You can ask someone else to read your writing and give you feedback. If you don’t have anybody who could do it for you, you can proofread and critique your own writing. But don’t start rereading it immediately. Wait a few days. This way, you will create some distance from what you wrote, and you will catch more errors.

Also read: Best Spanish-English Translation Apps