4 Tips For Students To Improve Their Oral Communication Skills

Strong English oral communication skills are essential for a student’s academic success and future career prospects. Since English is the universal language of our modern world – ranking as the language with the most number of speakers globally – being able to communicate effectively in English is becoming increasingly valuable in our globalised world. After all, if you can’t speak the language well, it is difficult for you and the other party to understand each other.

However, some students find communicating and maintaining meaningful conversations with others to be challenging. And that is ok! Everyone develops and learns at their own pace. Naturally, the ideal solution is to sign up for oral communication classes. But beyond that, here are four simple tips you can keep in mind to improve your verbal communication skills. 

Tip #1: Reinforce active listening

Communication is a two-way street and listening is just as important. To enhance this skill, try listening to an audiobook or a podcast and reflecting on its content. You can even have discussions with a friend or family member.

So why is it necessary to reflect on the content? Well, this is because active listening means listening to understand rather than reply. If you cannot fully decipher what you have heard, it defeats the purpose of the exercise.

During our oral communication classes, our teachers aim to hone our students’ active listening skills by reading a selection of text aloud and having the students discuss and reflect on the content. Students are also encouraged to clarify their doubts to fully comprehend the speaker’s intended message.

Tip #2: Mimicry

As the proverb goes, “mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery”. If you consider someone to be a fantastic speaker, pay tribute to them and improve your oral communication skills by mimicking the way they speak.

Whether this person is a teacher or classmate from your oral communication class, you can observe the way they communicate, their body language, and how they engage their audience. By examining and replicating their actions, you will begin to master the art of effective communication.

Tip #3: Strike up conversations with your peers

Practice makes perfect. The best way to enhance your oral communication skills is to keep practising. Always seek out opportunities to practise your communication skills by striking up a conversation with your peers. You can talk about anything under the sun!

Of course, we understand that some people are naturally introverted and may be hesitant to engage in conversations. If you are an introvert, you can consider practising with someone you are comfortable with, like a family member or a friend from your oral communication class.

Tip #4: Listen to music

Music is often cited as an excellent tool for learning a new language. As such, it stands to reason that learning English through music is an effective way to boost your language skills. Furthermore, by studying the lyrics and hearing how the words are structured to accentuate the artist’s feelings and message, you can learn how to convey your thoughts effectively. Besides, learning is a lot more enjoyable when you are having fun!

Do not worry if you find it challenging to converse with others because you are not alone in your struggles. Fortunately, oral communication is an art that can be honed through constant practice. So if you are willing to put in the effort, we are confident that you can transform from a tentative speaker to an effective orator. And our tips can help you get started!

However, if you believe you require guidance, we advise you to enrol in our oral communication class. As one of the leading English tuition centres in Singapore, our team at Writers Studio understands that every student has their own learning style. Therefore, we strive to match our students with their ideal teachers to harness their full potential. Do not hesitate to contact us today to learn more about our programmes.