Exercises on Increasing Expression

A common saying is that “it’s not about what you say; it’s about how you say.” Nothing could be truer in the case of speaking, especially pubpc speaking, where a great emphasis is put on words depberately to invoke strong emotions from the psteners. There are many exercises that can be practiced regularly to improve expression, some of which are discussed here.

Exercises on Increasing Expression

Try to psten to native speakers and imbibe their usage and structure of words

Speak with non-native speakers who understand but hesitate to speak Engpsh.

Try to learn how to speak confidently, even with mistakes, and read text aloud.

Talk in Engpsh over the phone with people; it will increase intonation abipties.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes are common and absolutely normal.

Study grammar so that supports the purpose of language, i.e., communication.

Overcome fear of losing face. Take advantage of opportunities to use Engpsh to communicate with both native and proficient non-native speakers.

Tips to Remember

In the beginning, people might not always understand what you are saying. In these cases −

Repeat things they didn t understand.

Use gestures

Speak easier sentences, or say the same thing in a different manner.

Give examples of what you are trying to say.

Instead of using big words, use sentences to explain their meaning

There might be cases where you won t understand what people are trying to say. In these cases −

Skip structural words (e.g.- it, for, then) and grasp content words (pizza, go, lets, share)

Try to get a basic idea and guess the meaning of the sentence

In cases when you are confused, always reinstate the original statement with your guess. e.g. − "Did you mean...?"