How To Speak Fluently In English About ANYTHING!

Have you ever felt stunk in a conversation because  

you couldn't think of the right word  or you didn't know how to respond?

Let's fix that.

Today, you'll learn how to speak  fluently in English about anything.

Welcome back to J.

Forrest English.

Of course, I'm Jennifer.

Now let's get started.

Of course, to speak fluently in  English you need a wide range of  

vocabulary, correct grammar, correct  pronunciation, and listening skills.

I have hundreds of videos on my channel to  help you improve all of these areas every week.

In this video, you'll learn how to speak fluently  

in English about anything with  the language skills you have now.

Step one, active listening.

When people speak to you, do you find yourself  

thinking about what you're going to  say next as the person is speaking?

Maybe you're thinking about what verb  tense you need as the person is speaking,  

or maybe you're even thinking about  some task you need to do later on.

Maybe you're thinking about what to have  for dinner as the person is speaking.

Does that ever happen to you?

Be honest, the answer is probably yes, isn't it?

How can I say this with such certainty?

Because I'm guilty of this too.

So if this ever happens to you, put that's me.

Put that's me in the comments  so I'm not all alone.

Now when this happens, you can  say that your mind wanders.

That's the term in English, your  mind wanders or that you zoned out.

You can say that as well.

But it's very difficult to speak  confidently in response to what  

someone said if you weren't even  listening in the 1st place, right?

To improve your speaking skills, you  need to become an active listener.

Not only will this help you with your  English fluency, it will also improve all  

your relationships because listening to someone,  truly listening to someone, is a sign of respect.

When someone is speaking, pay full  attention to help you do that.

Focus on their lips, focus on their eyes,  

focus on their face as a whole,  focus on their body language.

And when your mind starts  to wander, because it will,  

you need to instantly bring your  attention back to the person.

This takes word work.

As you're listening, you will naturally  think of questions you may want to ask,  

points you want to clarify, or  details you want more information on.

So when it's your turn to speak,  you will have so many ideas to  

prevent those awkward silences and to  help you keep the conversation going.

Step 2.

Be interested more than interesting.

What do I mean by this?

Have you ever had a conversation with  someone and you can tell that that  

person is more interested in talking about  themself than they are in talking to you or  

learning about you or showing interest  in your day, your life, your dreams?

What if you met someone and when you told  them something, you felt like they truly  

listened and you felt like they were  truly interested in what you just said?

I imagine you would think very positively about  

that person and you would want to spend  more time with that person, am I right?

When you're having conversations with  people, show that you're interested in them.

How can you do this?

Well, the easiest way to do  this is by asking questions.

Let's say I just got back  from A7 day trip in Texas.

This is true.

I did just get back from A7 day trip in Texas.

I want you to think of one question that you  

can ask me about my trip to show  me that you're interested in me.

So pause the video if you need  and think of one question,  

just one question you can ask me about my trip.

Do you have it?

Do you have a question?

Feel free to leave your question in the comments.

OK, now I want you to think of two  more questions, so for a total of 3.

Again, pause the video, take  as much time as you need and  

feel free to leave your questions in the comments.

I promise I'll answer as many as I can.

Now let me ask you was thinking of one  question, two questions, three questions.

Was that easy for you or difficult for you?

What if I asked you to think of 50 questions  you could ask me about my trip to Texas?

Could you do that?

Maybe you think that's not  possible, That's too difficult.

But I promise you that I could easily come up with  

50 questions to ask someone about  their seven day trip in Texas.

And I can do this because I've practiced being  interested in others by asking questions.

The easiest way to think of  questions is to think of categories.

So for a trip, the categories  could be transportation, food,  

weather, entertainment, people, nature, likes,  dislikes, recommendations, future travel plans.

And for each category, you need  to think of some questions.

Now you could easily come up with five  questions to ask for each category,  

and there were 10 categories.

So that's a total of 50 questions.

And you could keep a conversation going for hours,  

for hours and hours and hours  just by asking questions.

And you'll naturally have  more questions based on the  

person's answers to your initial questions, right?

But of course, you can't just ask questions.

That would be weird.

You need to share your ideas too, and you  need to do it fluently and confidently.

So Step 3, structure your ideas.

The easiest way to sound fluent,  

confident and professional while  speaking is to structure your ideas.

Think of this video.

This video follows a very specific  structure, as do books, movies,  

meetings, everyday conversations.

I didn't start this video by saying tip 1, improve  your listening because that would be confusing.

It would be like starting a new book.

And the first sentence is she had  to work late to finish the report.

Who is she?

Where does she work?

What report?

Why is this important?

What are you talking about?

Before you start talking, you need an introduction  

that prepares your listener  for what you're about to say.

You can have a more formal introduction like today  

we'll discuss 3 strategies to  improve your listening skills.

Or you can have a more casual introduction like  I'm so excited for my seven day trip to Texas.

Now you know I'm going on a trip.

It's seven days, it's to Texas, and I'm excited.

Think about everything I communicated  with this simple introduction.

Now you'll have your body.

This is where you'll share your main ideas.

So for the first example, I would share the three  strategies to improve your listening skills.

And in the second example, I would give you  more information about my trip to Texas.

The body is where you can include details that  describe The Who, what, when, where, why, and how.

These are the WHS.

Now to think about what to say in the body,  I would simply think of the WH questions.

But answer it.

Why did you choose Texas?

Who are you going with?

Where are you staying in Texas?

The answer to these questions would form my body.

So I could say I'm going to Texas because  I've always wanted to visit the Southern US  

and experience their warm hospitality  and delicious Southern cuisine.

I also really want to see  Cowboys walking down the street.

How cool would that be?

My husband and I are staying in San Antonio where  we found an amazing Airbnb right on the river and  

then we're heading to Austin for some nightlife  and we found an Airbnb right near downtown.

Now that's my body.

So now you just need a conclusion.

This video can't just end after this sentence.

That would be awkward.

What just happened?

I have to say something to  let you know I'm done talking.

I could summarize what you just learned and say  now you know how to speak fluently about anything.

And for my Texas trip, I could say something  like, I know it's going to be a great trip.

Now if you follow this simple  structure, remember introduction,  

body with WH answers and conclusion,  you will easily expand on your ideas  

and realize that you can speak  fluently about basically anything.

And remember, while the person is talking  and hopefully structuring their ideas,  

you are actively listening and you're going to  

keep the conversation going by being  interested and by asking questions.

So what do I need to end this video?

I need a conclusion.

Now you know how to speak fluently about anything.

Of course, you just learned the strategy.

You need to practice and  implement these strategies  

to truly feel confident speaking in any situation.

And remember, you also need  the vocabulary and grammar,  

so you can watch this master class  to improve your fluency right now.