The Best Way to Improve English Language Skills -A Step by Step Guide

Welcome to the 1st edition of my Newsletter. I made this Newsletter to do 2 things for you:

1. Help you understand various aspects of English Communication.

2. Help you improve your English Language Skills to boost your productivity and accelerate your career/business.

In today's issue, I want to walk you through an important question that nags a number of English learners. "What is the best way to improve English language skills?"

Honestly, I can’t say which among the numerous strategies and techniques is the best, as it varies from person to person.

Each individual is unique, so the ability to learn a language depends on their particular capabilities. For some, reading is effective, while others may find listening—such as through movies and videos—more beneficial. I personally prefer listening over reading.

Regardless of whether you favour reading or listening, here is what I recommend.

Have the following 4 key principles in your life:

4 Key principles

1. Passion for Learning:

No matter how hard others try to teach you, if you are not passionate about learning or if you don’t have the genuine requirement, then there is no point in spending time and money.

The key to improving language skills is genuine passion. Your personal commitment is crucial. If you’re not engaged, progress can be slow or non-existent. Your progress hinges on your enthusiasm and dedication.

Two ways to enhance passion:

# Find Personal Motivation: Understand why you want to learn the language. This could be for a presentation, travel, career, cultural appreciation, or communicating with friends or family. Personal motivation can greatly fuel your passion.

# Engage with Content You Love: Use the language to enjoy activities you already like, such as reading books, watching films, or following social media. Never force yourself to engage in language learning activities that are not in accord with your liking or taste.

2. Self-Awareness:

Understanding your specific needs is vital. For example, if you comprehend a language well but struggle with oral communication, it’s time to adopt a new method targeting this area. Continuously doing what hasn’t worked so far is a waste of time and energy.

How does this help?

# Enables to identify Strengths and Weaknesses: Do a self-analysis. Assess your skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening by giving an online test which assesses your language skills. This will help you focus your efforts where they are most needed. Some of the resources for you to start with:

Listening - https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening

Reading Tests - https://test-english.com/reading/

Writing Tests - https://test-english.com/writing/a1/

Speaking Tests - https://ielts-up.com/ielts-speaking-simulator.html

General English - https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/test-your-english/

# Helps to Choose Appropriate Learning Strategies: Once you are aware of your issue, it is easy to choose a technique to improve your weak area. Nobody knows well what works for you except you. Search for methods that are aiming at improving the area you require improvement.

For example, if you’re a visual learner, try methods that incorporate more written and visual materials. If you learn better by listening, lean towards audio and spoken methods.

3. Self-Discipline:

After recognising your need, the next crucial step is self-discipline. Language learning, like any skill, requires consistent effort. Self-discipline means setting aside time for language learning with clear goals and deadlines.

What can be done?

# Set ONLY Realistic Goals and Establish a Routine.

Create short-term and long-term goals that are achievable and measurable. Also, dedicate a specific time of day for language learning. For instance, aim to learn a certain number of new words daily or watch a short video daily of your interest in your free time, and try to do shadowing or summarising it in your own words.

Remember, consistency is key in language acquisition.

# Announce Your Goals/Aims:

Sharing your goals with others places a positive pressure on yourself. The act of announcing your goals makes you more accountable, enhancing your sense of responsibility. Your commitment to achieving these goals becomes a matter of personal prestige, motivating you to prove your capabilities.

4. Practice:

Mastery of any skill, including language, comes with practice. Regularly practicing what you’ve learned is essential for improvement.

How to Practice?

# Listening and Repetition: Regularly listen to native speakers, whether in movies, TV shows, podcasts, or music. Try to repeat or mimic the pronunciation and intonation. This practice not only improves listening skills but also aids in speaking more naturally.

# Record and Review: Record your own speech and listen to it. This self-review helps in identifying areas of improvement, be it pronunciation, fluency, or grammar. If you are comfortable, seek feedback from others and work on it.

# Regular Speaking and writing exercises: Practice speaking the language daily. This could be through self-talk or simple conversations with people you are comfortable. Consistent speaking helps in gaining fluency and confidence.

Make a habit of writing something every day. It could be a diary entry, a short story, or even summarizing a recent experience or article read. This practice enhances writing skills and helps in expressing thoughts more clearly.

Is there a one-size-fits-all approach?

The path to improving language skills is a highly individualized journey. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and the effectiveness of strategies varies from person to person.

Recognizing your unique needs, passions and learning style is crucial.

Whether it’s finding personal motivation, taking online assessments to identify areas for improvement, setting realistic goals, or engaging in regular speaking and writing exercises, the key lies in a tailored and committed approach.

Embrace what resonates with you, stay dedicated, and make language learning a personalized and fulfilling experience.

Have a great Sunday…See you in February!

Dr Manjusha Susan George