7 Tips to Start Speaking NOW!

Are you at a point in your learning  where you can understand English well,  

but can speak little or no English at all?

Why does this happen?

If you understand the language to the point where  you are able to comprehend what I’m saying now,  

it means that it’s already quite good. So,  what is that BLOCK that is preventing you from  

actually opening your mouth, using the words  that you already know, and speaking English?

Are you thinking to yourself: is  there something wrong with me?

No, there isn’t anything wrong with you. But I  understand exactly how you feel because I myself  

went months without speaking a single word  of Spanish while living here in Spain.

You’re suffering from what in second language  learning is known as the silent period, but  

when you learn about it, you realize  there’s nothing to suffer from, as it is  

a natural part of learning a second language. What’s important though is that you spend the  

least time possible in this period...  that you break out of it and that you  

start unlocking the endless benefits of  speaking English freely in the world.

That’s exactly what I’ll teach you in this lesson.  

You’re first going to learn why this is  happening. This will give you some much  

needed peace of mind as you’ll learn that  it’s okay that you’re not speaking yet.

However, we also want to actually get speaking  once and for all, and so the other part of this  

lesson is going to be focused on giving you seven  tips so that you can finally start speaking in  

English, and in this way, get closer to  your dream of becoming a fluent speaker.

How does that sound?

if you’re new here, welcome! Here at  RealLife English our mission is to  

guide you beyond the classroom to live and  learn, and speak English in the real world.  

And I’d be pleased to accompany you on your  English learning adventure. So, please,  

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So, what is the silent period?

The silent period is the time between  the first time that you start learning  

English or are exposed to the language  and the moment when you start speaking it.

Obviously, you can’t speak the  language knowing zero words.  

Well, you may not be able to do it if you  know 20 words. What you can do is imitate  

or say your words out loud, but while  this can be useful it is not speaking.

Only after a time when you have already  learned enough words and sentence patterns  

can you start speaking, and start  emerging out of this silent period.  

Now, this period may be shorter or  longer depending on the learner.

You might be able to start speaking 2 months  after you’ve started learning English.  

Others take six months or more.

What’s tricky about this stage in  language learning is that it tends  

to make students feel a lot of stress and  anxiety about their lack of speaking skills.

Well, the point of actually becoming aware  of this silent period is that you can  

relax because you now understand that it is  a natural part of learning a new language.

This goes hand in hand with  understanding more than you  

can actually speak, which we covered  in this recent lesson we’ve uploaded.

I’d like to hear about your experience. Are  you at the point in your English learning  

when you haven’t started speaking yet or  have you already overcome this silent period?

If you haven’t started speaking, let us know  down in the comments. What’s preventing you?

If you’re already speaking English,  how often do you do it every week?

Answer these questions in the  comments and I’ll reply to you.

Now, I’ll give you some tips.  They’ll be relevant for you  

if you’re still not talking, or if you  find it really hard to do consistently.

Number one. Don’t let anxiety get the best of you Whether you’re not talking at all or you’re doing  

it very little, accept that as part  of the process. In this lesson so far,  

I’ve explained to you why it’s okay to be  like this. What’s not good is to forever be  

in this state, but you will not be. Learners with high motivation,  

self-confidence, a good self-image and a low level  of anxiety are much better equipped to succeed  

in English. But, if this lack of speaking  is creating this debilitating anxiety,  

you need to work at it so that you can  gain this peace of mind I mentioned before.

Think of a process that you think is  going to help you improve your English,  

keep you motivated and help you  increase your motivation and confidence.  

Then, keep at it consistently and  progress will surely come your way!

Number two.Use a Springboard In competitive diving, athletes use a springboard  

to help them elevate in the air, gain momentum  and then perform all these fantastic acrobatics.

Speaking a second language  is quite a similar feat.  

Formulating your ideas in English (which involves  words and grammar), and then articulating them  

(which involves pronunciation) is  pretty similar to an acrobatic dive.

However, at this point, you don’t  have to worry about the acrobatics.  

Just the act of jumping is  the win we’re looking for.  

You’re just going to dive straight into  the water, no need for the fancy stuff.

So, leaving the metaphors aside, your  springboards are your sentence starters.  

When you know a few basic ones, you  can start to talk and get momentum.  

I’ll give you some examples in  just a moment after the next tip.

Number three. Boring sentences Master answering questions with boring sentences.  

What is this you might be asking?

So, if the goal is to start speaking,  we’re going to start with the basic stuff.  

We’re gonna jump off that springboard  straight down first. Then, when we gain  

practice, we’ll add all the twisting,  somersaults, and all the fancy stuff.

Maybe, one of the things that prevents us  from speaking is a feeling of insecurity  

that you can’t do it with a perfect  pronunciation, a perfect accent,  

use idioms, phrasal verbs, and all that stuff.

So, let’s start with an essentialist mindset.  Think of how you would introduce yourself. I  

know many advanced English speakers that struggle  with this simple question because they focused  

too much on doing it in a sophisticated  way, which isn’t a bad thing. But again,  

let’s first master the basics.  You’ll do it in the simplest of ways.

You could say: My name is... I’m from… and I’m  a… and then you say what you do as a profession.

Don’t let the simpler interactions make you  feel nervous or anxious. First, you need to  

feel assured that you can answer them, and then  with time you’ll learn to add all the fancy stuff.

If you’re asked how are you? How would you answer?

It’s funny because in a very recent video  I talked about how “I’m fine and you?”  

is rather boring. Well, isn’t that the  point I’m making here? You’re going to  

get started with that one. Then, as you get  more experienced, you can use alternatives… 

I'm doing great. Can't complain.  Doing really well. Couldn't be better. 

Now, let’s go back to the springboards, which  in other words are your sentence starters.

Let me ask you a question. Do you know  how writers conventionally start a story?  

I’ll give you some options for you to choose.

Conventionally, many stories  begin with once upon a time.

You need your conventional story starter for  the different types of discourse that you  

will use to talk English. Here are some examples: You want to tell an anecdote? Then, start it with:

One day this and that happened or I  remember one time I did this and that…

If you’re having a conversation with another  person, and they say something that makes  

you remember something you want to  share with that other person, say…

Oh, that reminds me of... One  time I did exactly the same. 

If someone asks you what you did in the summer,  use the following starter: What did I do in the  

summer… and then elaborate: So, okay, I met  with some friends, I traveled to… and so on.

The repeating of the question “What did I  do in the summer…” accomplishes two things.  

One, it gets you speaking, and two, it gives you  

some time to think. Just try not to do it  for every single question you’re asked.

These are your springboards or  sentence starters. You can observe how  

other more experienced English speakers  start their sentences and learn from them!

Number four. Go to a conversation  class or an English speaking club 

If one of the main roadblocks to you starting to  

speak English is that you don’t  have the opportunity to do it,  

signing up for a conversation class or joining  a conversation club is a fantastic idea.

A conversation class is great because you’ll have  a teacher or tutor who will give you feedback.  

If you can choose one of many  different conversation classes,  

even with different teachers, maybe attend a few  of them and pick the one that you like the most.  

When we were talking about this idea with the  RealLife English team, they told me they went to  

a conversation class where the teacher talked too  much. So, if your teacher does most of the talking  

in the conversation class, then that’s not a good  teacher. Choose a conversation class where the  

teacher allows you and your classmates to speak. The other option is a conversation club. There are  

usually a few of them close to you if you live  in a big city. If you live in a smaller city,  

with some searching maybe you can find one. What  I like about conversation clubs is that many times  

foreigners join to interact with locals  and even practice their own English.  

One of our members of the RealLife team the other  day was telling me that when he spent four months  

living in Peru he actually set up a conversation  club there. Soon people from France, Belgium,  

Ireland, the US, Bolivia, Peru and Argentina got  together and they became friends. Conversation  

clubs are great because they go out of the  classroom, you can make really good friends,  

even party with those people, maybe even find that  the love of your life is from another continent!

Number five. Use Chunks! Word chunks are a sequence of  

words that come naturally  together to express an idea.  

For example, when you first learned "Nice to meet  you", you didn't study each word in that sentence.  

You simply learned them all together, and even  the answer, "Nice to meet you, too!", right?

Chunks are great because  they save your thinking time.  

You don’t have to think about the grammar  of chunks. They’re prefabricated chunks.  

They allow you to add them automatically into  your speech and spend less time thinking.

It helps with fluency. Various research studies  have found that more fluent speakers are able  

to speak faster and with less hesitation due to  the effective use of chunks. And one of the best  

parts about word chunks is that they set you  up for further learning. For example, when you  

learn a word chunk with the word way, you’re more  likely to learn other chunks, by just changing a  

word. For example, “on the way” means something  is coming (ex: "there's more snow on the way")  

Now, you can replace “on” with “by” and you  get “by the way.” Then there’s more chunks  

you can play with: when you say I’m on my  way, or no way of… as in no way of knowing,  

no way of telling, etc. One chunk can help you  get the foundation for subsequent learning.

Number six. Stay busy Once you get talking,  

you’re getting the much  needed practice. That’s great!

Don’t forget the most brilliant quote ever  said on the topic of English speaking skills: 

However, also try to stay busy with the language  in other ways too. If you can do a bit of good  

old studying, that’s great. You’ll be shocked to  see what 20 minutes a day amounts to in the course  

of a few months. Also, keep experiencing  the language through music, movies, and  

watching videos on YouTube. This will expand your  vocabulary, your grammar and your pronunciation.

Number seven. Download the RealLife English app With the RealLife English app,  

you can say goodbye to the lack of  opportunities to practice your English,  

because anytime, anywhere and at the touch of a  button you can connect with an English speaker and  

practice your English. It’s incredibly fun! A bit  addictive, I would even say, but isn’t that great?

The RealLife App will guide  you beyond the classroom,  

to live, learn, and speak  English in the real world.

Betty said “This is an awesome app to  make friends from around the world and  

sharpen our English listening &  speaking! Kill two birds with one stone!”

So I hope you found this lesson useful.  And why not download the app and start  

practicing your speaking now. But maybe  you need a little bit more encouragement,  

so if you're not quite there yet, I highly  recommend you watch this lesson next so that you  

can start practicing and build up to connecting  with other learners from all around the world.