Self-Study Tips for Improving Language Speaking Skills

Improving language speaking skills involves self-study, shadowing, dictation, cooing, conversation with AI, and tutoring.

### Self-Study Guide to Improving English Speaking Skills
* 🗣 "Don't wait for your speech to flow naturally; you have to **push yourself to start speaking fluently**."
* 🎭 Shadowing is a method where you follow along without overthinking, and practicing with **tailored 1-2 minute clips** can be very helpful.
* 👂 Dictation is crucial to **identify and improve misunderstood or missed parts** in shadowing practice.
* 📺 The YouTube channels Easy Spanish, Easy French, and Easy English provide **authentic content and materials for self-study**.
* 🚿 "**Shower Booth Talk**" is a method to practice speaking by **thinking and saying sentences** while taking a shower.
* 📝 Creating a "**one-sentence journal**" to master **one sentence per day** can be an effective way to **learn and remember expressions**.
* 🤖 Having conversation sessions with AI using prompts can help **practice speaking**.
* 👩 When you want to communicate with real people, taking one-on-one classes with native tutors through platforms like Cambly can be **beneficial**.

When it comes to language learning, don't wait for your speech to flow naturally. You have to push yourself to start speaking fluently. Today, I'm back with the highly requested topic: tips for studying languages (especially speaking). Since I'm currently studying abroad in London, the term 'domestic learner' may be a little strange, but since I first entered university, my speaking skills have improved significantly to a certain extent to the point where I can freely converse or debate. Before I came here (to London), I received OPIC AL and IELTS speaking 9.0 on the certification test, and when I went to San Francisco as an exchange student in 2019, I was able to quickly and easily make foreign friends. I'm going to get straight to the point and introduce how you can learn to speak English like a native through self-study. First, it's a method called shadowing, which you've probably heard a lot about. In fact, what's really important in shadowing

is you just follow along without even thinking about it. You don't have to try to copy everything with accurate pronunciation. There are native accents, pronunciation pitch, nuances, intonation, etc. Of course, at first, it's too fast, so the pronunciation becomes muddled, and it's natural that you can't keep up, so don't try to do a lot at once. Record about 1 to 2 minutes there, or make an excerpt. Cut about 1 to 2 minutes from a clip, tailored to your level, and practicing with them can be very helpful. When practicing with Netflix or YouTube content, use this thing called 'Language Reactor.' There's a dual subtitle option available, and for those who are shadowing, there's an automatic pause feature. So when you turn on Auto Pause, it automatically pauses, so you can read a line, shadow it, and then pause it, shadow it... Since it's so user-friendly, I use it frequently.

and it's a Chrome extension program. Despite shadowing practice, our speaking skills sometimes don't see significant improvement. Why do you think that is? I just started shadowing so I have some words to say. What if I go to Spain and speak Spanish? Then when they hear that, Huh? Do you speak Spanish? Now, they start rattling off Spanish at lightning speed. And then I'm like I'm frozen and couldn't think of anything. Can't understand... No hablo español - Can't speak Spanish. In such situations, conversations often come to a sudden halt. To prevent such situations, what's needed is dictation. It's just listening to what you hear and dictating it. But to enhance the effectiveness of this dictation, I use the 1-2 minute clip from my shadowing practice and start the dictation to identify what parts I struggle with, and what parts I understand. Then I compare what I actually wrote down and the original script.

when you compare them, check where you made a mistake with a red pen. If you do that, you'll be able to identify which specific parts you misunderstood or missed, enabling you to focus on improving those areas. I really recommend practicing like this. If you find yourself saying 'I really don't know which material to use for shadowing or dictation,'... Well, I don't really watch series or pop songs.... For these people, I would like to introduce you to the YouTube channel that I found most useful when studying Spanish by myself. I recommend Easy Spanish, Easy French, especially 'Easy English' when I was teaching English in Korea for my students. They actually interview people living in that country, so you can directly listen to the expressions and tone used by locals. Audio files, scripts, and materials on the vocabulary used in the contents are all archived in the drive called Patreon. Rather than buying them individually, you can just pay a one-month subscription fee.

I downloaded all the materials there and then studied them (got the most bang for my buck). It takes about two weeks to properly study just one episode, and there were over 100 episodes and materials, so I just bought them all at once, downloaded them, and started studying using those materials. It definitely helped me a lot. After the first stage (shadowing and dictation), let's move on to the second stage, 'Cooing.' You know how babies coo like 'um...ma.' That's called cooing or babbling. In fact, babies listen a lot and start babbling by imitating the sounds they hear. However, unless you go to that country and immerse yourself in it, listening to the language all day, don't wait for your speech to flow naturally; you have to push yourself to start speaking fluently. Traditional language learners often hit a wall where you feel confident when you open a book or review vocabulary lists.

and feel like you remember everything. Like, I know it all, right? But the moment you close the book, it's like you can't remember anything. So, when you meet someone from abroad and have to engage in a real conversation, our mind goes blank, and you find yourself at a loss for words. What really you me at this point is something called Shower Booth Talk. When I take a shower, I find that I get a flood of creative ideas and even start talking to myself lol. So, using that time, when all these things I want to say just pop into my head- Oh, I'm so hungry. Maybe I'll have sushi after I shower? I’ve been really craving sushi lately… You know those expressions. How do you say things like ‘I’m hungry and craving sushi’ in English like a local? Just think about this and try combining all the sentences and expressions you know and JUST say it. Just bring it out. Even if it doesn't make sense, just don't worry about it.

I'm hungry. I really wanted to eat sushi. If you claim you're a beginner, you might stick to basic sentences like these. Then you might feel, Ah... I don't think this is it? or Any other way to say this? Then, as soon as you finish showering, just rush over and ask to: Google Translate. Papago is fine, but I use ChatGPT the most. Please translate this into British English in a more natural tone, like a native or throw in some slang and translate this for me. If you request that, it'll give you the answer. Then I do a Google search to see if locals actually use it in real life and make it part of my own vocabulary. To rephrase the earlier expressions in British English - I'm feeling a bit peckish... Should I grab some sushi in a bit? Craving it lately. ... They use expressions like 'craving' or 'peckish', you know?

I collect these expressions and create something called a 'one-sentence journal'. I take what I want to say and turn it into one sentence, then focus on mastering that sentence for the entire day. Archiving them, I keep a one-sentence journal like this. You might wonder how just one sentence a day can help, but if you keep at it, you'll have 365 sentences in a year. That's a much better way to learn English in your own language. If you memorize 200 or 300 sentences, how hard could it be to remember and use them in real conversations? But the expressions I use really often, your language habits, and personal tastes. If you collect these sentences, there is no essence like it. Up to here, the first and second stages are the self-study stages where you study on your own. The third stage is a conversation session with AI. I want to talk. I want to practice something. I wish someone would ask me questions. This is not perfect, but it can be really useful.

Sometimes ChatGPT can be a bit dumb, not understanding what I said - even though I clearly asked it to do something. It can sometimes just go off on its own. But if you use the prompts well, it can be really useful. If you're just starting with these conversation simulations, try using these prompts. Then it'll start the conversation. Hello. Hey there, how's it going? Amazing - because the weather is perfect today. I would like to practice English with you, if that's possible? That sounds fantastic. I'm here to help. What specifically would you like to practice in English today? I'm going to San Francisco next month, so I would like to practice travel English. So could you ask me some questions, and I would answer back. And if you find some grammatical errors, could you correct it and explain why? Absolutely, I'd be happy to help with that. When you arrive in San Francisco, what's the first activity you plan to do? I'd definitely visit the place I used to live - Pedro Arrupe.

and I'd like to go to Maze Hill and see the amazing sunset there. Sounds like a wonderful plan. That's correct. Your sentence was grammatically correct. I'll say a few things wrong on purpose. Umm... I would like to walking around the street and slept back. Find the mistake in the sentence I just said and explain why it is wrong. The 'slept back' part in your sentence is wrong. 'Slept' is in the past tense and should be followed by a verb. As the adverb 'back' follows, the sentence sounds awkward. Instead of 'slept', you can say 'go back to sleep'. So the correct sentence is 'I would like to walk around the street and go back to sleep'. Thank you, bye~ You're welcome, bye! Take care. It's silly but smart and cute. Then here you can see the script remains, so you can study it again. Finally, in the fourth stage, if GPT is no longer enough and you want to communicate

with real people, with a native tutor. When you have this need, I recommend doing video call English or phone English. When I was studying Spanish on my own, I used a site called Preply. With Preply, if you search through it, you can find teachers at an affordable price, about 10,000 won per hour. So, I tried using Preply to save money, but the problem is that some teachers cancel the class just 10 minutes before it starts, and it was really hard to find a good teacher. But this time, I had a great opportunity to collaborate with Cambly, and got the chance to try their one-on-one classes. (ad starts here!) You can start a class immediately without having to make a reservation. I really value my spare time, so if I have 10 or 15 minutes left before a class starts, I write down what I can do during that time and try to get through my to-do list. There were teachers available for immediate classes all listed there.

so I contacted one of them and started the class right away. I'm trying to find out who is available. My first teacher was Jack. He was listening to the explanation of my documentary, and suddenly got immersed in it and started talking about childhood traumas and his family history, and then the session ended with just 2 seconds left. The thing about online lessons with a tutor is when you really have a need and you have specific questions, you get the most out of it. In your One Sentence Journal, you might wonder: 'Do locals actually use this expression?' you can ask sth like: Do you really use these? If you come prepared with questions like this, you can maximize the effect even more. The second feature was finding tutors by theme. Based on my interests, like art for example, I could take classes in Spanish as well. When I selected the Spanish filter, tutors appeared, and I had my second lesson with one of them. I was very satisfied.

And the best part was the recording feature. After a class session ends, the lesson is automatically recorded. In my delusion... lol, I thought 'I did great today!' and listened to my recording, 'What is this...? (shock)' I've had moments like that. It was a blanket kick (cringe moment). Was I really talking like this and being so self-absorbed? Actually, when you keep monitoring like that, you notice which parts are awkward and where you stumble. When you have nothing to say, you might keep going umm, well... I think... I like... I don't know... saying just these things, and sometimes end conversations with just filler words. So, to see where I need to improve, I watch the script and automatic recording videos, which is very appealing for checking my progress. For someone who loves archiving like me, this feature was really convenient. So, in these four stages, I introduced how to improve your English (language) speaking skills.

I hope it was helpful, and instead of just watching this video, I hope you create practical study plans using a simple Notion template and a list of GPT prompts I've prepared. If you need them, leave a comment below and submit the Google form, and I'll send it to you. I really enjoy learning languages because while studying one language, a whole new world that I never knew before opens up to me. It's fascinating and made me happy just looking at the sea from a distance and knowing how to float on water and being able to swim and actually go into the sea and experiencing the underwater world while swimming. It is a completely different experience. When I started learning Spanish and became proficient in English, I could talk about thoughts and values I never knew before. It felt like a blessing to have those conversations. So I hope your time of studying English is filled with happiness and joy. See you next week. Bye. Quando que esse show vai terminar ♩♪♫

Quando é que esse show vai terminar? ♩♪♫

국내파 독학으로 네이티브처럼 말하는 기적의 공부법

Jade Sim

Tips for Improving Language Speaking Skills

Don't wait for your speech to flow naturally, push yourself to start speaking fluently.

Shadowing and using the Language Reactor can help you practice pronunciation and intonation.

Dictation of the shadowing practice can help identify and improve the parts of the language you struggle with.

Recommended Language Learning Channel and Technique

Easy Languages YouTube channel offers valuable resources for learning Spanish, French, and English through interviews with native speakers.

The channel's Patreon drive provides access to audio files, scripts, and vocabulary materials for a one-month subscription fee.

Immersion and "Shower Booth Talk" are recommended for improving fluency and overcoming the challenge of real conversations in a foreign language.

Fancy some sushi soon? Been craving it lately.

Locals use expressions like 'craving' or 'peckish', you know?

I collect these expressions in a one-sentence journal to master and use them in conversations.

Maze Hill offers an amazing sunset view and is a wonderful place to visit.

The sentence "I would like to walking around the street and slept back" is incorrect because "slept back" is not grammatically accurate, and it should be "go back to sleep" instead.

If you want to improve your English, you can try one-on-one classes with tutors, which can be easily accessible through platforms like Cambly, offering immediate lessons without the need for a reservation.

The Benefit of Recording Your Language Practice

Recording your language practice sessions allows you to identify awkward areas and filler words in your speech.

It helps in monitoring your progress and is convenient for self-improvement.

The process of learning a new language can bring happiness and open up a whole new world of experiences and conversations.