How to Improve on Speaking Correctly

Practice can help you improve your speaking skills.

You don't have to be an actor or a politician to be concerned with speaking correctly. Whether you're making a speech at a PTA meeting or instructing a new coworker how to operate a piece of machinery, communicating with other people through speech is an important part of everyday life. By improving on your speaking abilities through regular practice, you can express your thoughts and ideas more fluently and keep your audience -- whether it is your 10-year-old daughter or a room full of business executives -- hanging on your every word.

Things You'll Need

• Audio recorder
• Reading material
• Paper and pencil

Instructions

1. Make an audio recording of yourself reading aloud an article from a newspaper or magazine. Read through the entire article without stopping, even if you make mistakes. Play back the recording and write down words you mispronounced or enunciated wrong. Ask a friend to listen to the recording and provide you with feedback on pronunciation. This will help you find mistakes you might have missed.

2. Repeat the words you had trouble with in the recording ten times. After that, find the sentences in the article where the words occurred and read aloud the full sentence. If you are still not satisfied with your pronunciation, continue to repeat the sentence until you can recite it without any problems.

3. Read and record a different article from the same source, this time with an ear to diction instead of pronunciation. Start slowly and say each word crisply, so that no two words run together. Try to match the tone of your voice to the tone of the writing as much as possible. Listen to the recording, and make mental notes of any problems. Reread the article again, only instead of recording it, ask a friend to listen and provide you with feedback on your diction. This will also help you become more comfortable with speaking in front of an audience.

4. Practice reading aloud different articles on a regular basis. While you do not need to continue making recordings, keep your ears open for mistakes you make in pronunciation or diction. This will help you identify problem areas so you can specifically target them them when you practice.

5. Incorporate tongue twisters into your regular exercises when you feel you have made significant progress toward improving your speaking abilities. For example, try saying "Six thick thistle sticks" five times without stumbling. Tongue twisters make excellent diction and pronunciation exercises because they are inherently difficult even for skilled speakers and because doing them regularly strengthens vocal muscles.

References

• Write-Out-Loud: Diction Exercises to Make Sure They Get Your Message