When you don’t live in a country where everyone speaks English, your speaking opportunities can feel limited. Sure, you might use English at work or with the occasional tourist, but you want more practice (and more confidence, don’t we all 🥰).
You don’t need another person to practice speaking.
But I get why you’re hesitant. It feels weird to talk to yourself in the beginning. Still, it works (and it can actually be kind of fun once you get used to it 🥳).
So, stop waiting for a partner. Start creating your own speaking moments.
Here are 5 easy ways you can start practicing today:
Read signs out loud.
If you see signs in English, read them! If they’re in your language, try translating them into English and saying them out loud.
What’s the worst that can happen? You might learn a new word or two. 😉
Narrate what you’re doing.
This might be annoying for other people to hear you do, but trust me it’s great speaking practice, so do it anyway.
“I’m putting the dishes in the dishwasher.” “I’m feeding the cats.” “I’m reading Vickie’s blog post.” Good job, by the way, I’m happy to have you here reading this post.
Talk to your pets or plants.
Ask them questions. Tell them about your day. Just converse. “How are you today, my lovely cactus? It’s sunny. You must be so happy about that!”
Don’t worry when they don’t answer. 🤭 You can trust they’re listening.
Send yourself voice messages.
Create a chat just for yourself on WhatsApp or Telegram or whatever your favorite messaging app is. Record a message, then listen back and reply to yourself.
Look at that! You do have a speaking partner. 😏
Talk to yourself in the mirror.
Okay, this one may feel a bit awkward, especially at first, but it’s powerful. You’ll see how your mouth moves and notice your expressions which can teach you so much about your speaking and boost confidence as well.
Important: Remember to say something kind! ❤️
See? You’ve got options.
You don’t have to be someone who says, “I can’t practice because I don’t have a partner.”
You can be the person who finds all the ways to practice. I bet you’ll think of even more ways once you start trying these. Which one will you try first?
And when you’re ready for real conversation practice, with accountability, feedback, and new topics every week, join me in Voice Message Speaking Practice.
P.S. Do you know someone who wants more English practice, too? Share this post with them so they can start trying these speaking exercises today.
