Improving Speaking Fluency: Sneak Peek of Sunday’s Suggestion.

I just got too excited writing this post, that I had to share some of it now. Hey, it is already Sunday in some parts of the world, right?

Tomorrow is the 2nd edition of my Sunday’s Suggestion post, and this week’s tip will be on different ways to improve your speaking fluency, especially when you are not in an English speaking country. This will be for all the English lovers out there who aren’t able to study abroad, or maybe have already returned home. Another great thing about this post is that it’s not only useful for English learners. You can change ‘English’ to any language and tweak some of the suggested links/resources to improve any language at home!

This sneak peek (early partial release) features my first tip on building your English fluency. Be sure to check back tomorrow for the full list of 10 tips.

1. Completely surround yourself with English, as best you can.  Forget the idea that you can learn a language from 1-2 hours of reading a book, some nights a week. Is it possible? Yes. Is it realistic? NO. Getting yourself used to the language is a must for fluency. How can you surround yourself? Easy, here are some ways:

• Turn on the news in English, there are plenty of online resources. (BBC, CNN, ABC)
• Read English newspapers or magazines. Again, online has so many options.
• Play English speaking music in the background of your home or in your car. Some of my favorites: The Beatles, Band of Horses, The Lumineers, Haim. Some great connections to music are: Spotify, Pandora (in the U.S.), & some countries have access to Last.fm
• Read English lyrics while listening to your favorite songs. If you’re not sure of English music, check out The Billboard Hot 100 list
• Translate your favorite native language songs into English!
• English podcasts (RadioLab,  This&Th@)
• Expand your TV and movie choices to more that include English (USE SUBTITLES!). Think: Netflix
• Watch fun YouTube videos, or from another video source. (Vsauce is a very interesting channel)
• Go on English blogs (hey, you’re doing something now!) It’s as simple as Googling : ________ (interest) blog. For example: rock music blog.
• Explore the English (or foreign language) section at your local library.
• Join English clubs or groups, whether locally or virtually to practice both speaking and writing. Check out local newspapers or magazines, or online: MeetUp, EnglishClub Chats, or iTalki
• Use social media to connect with English speakers across the world. You can find me by clicking the following links, and connect with some of my other followers, too! (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest) Don’t forget to status update, tweet, and comment in English!
• Do hobbies you like in English. Cook using an English recipe, write  (stories, poetry, etc) in English, craft or build something with English instructions.
• Going to the store? Got things to do?  Practice writing all your lists in English!
• English audio while you sleep!