Learn to Speak English Fluently

Listen to English If you want to speak better, first you should LISTEN! Speak English Clearly Learn how to improve your English pronunciation Practice Speaking English Learn about English conversation exchange Conversation Topics Interesting topics to help you start interesting conversations Basic Speaking Skills Learn to speak English fluently

Start Interesting English Conversations Learn English quotes and sayings Ask Teacher Joe! Teacher Joe explains how to speak English well

English Conversations English dialogues showing two students speaking together How to Speak in Public Learn to Speak English in front of an audience Listen to English If you want to speak better, first you should LISTEN! Vocabulary for Speaking Learn basic words, idioms and business vocabulary

Improve Your English Pronunciation!

When students speak English, their pronunciation often sounds strange. What's the biggest reason? The answer might surprise you! The biggest problem with students' pronunciation is usually RHYTHM! English pronunciation goes up and down, and this up and down movement is not easy to learn. However, if you can do it, your pronunciation will very quickly sound very natural. You can practice using

natural English rhythm using this English pronunciation video I made for my students. Another good way to learn English rhythm naturally is through songs. The up and down rhythm of English comes through naturally, and listening to songs is easy! Watch this video to learn English rhythm through songs. The up and down rhythm of English comes through naturally, and listening to songs is easy! Watch this video to learn English rhythm through songs. To use natural English rhythm, vowels (A, E, I, O and U) are very important. It is the vowels that can go up (if they are "stressed") or that can do down (if they are "unstressed" or "reduced"). The difficult thing is that English has only five vowels but those five vowels can make 15 different vowel sounds in standard American English. You can learn about English vowels here. Later, you can click here for more practice with English vowels. So, do you want MORE practice? Okay! Try this video for practicing English sentences and this English video too, until you can repeat the sentences smoothly. At first it may be difficult, but with practice you will become truly fluent in English! Good luck with your English learning!

Learn English Pronunciation

Improve Your English Pronunciation!

When students speak English, their pronunciation often sounds strange. What's the biggest reason? The answer might surprise you! The biggest problem with students' pronunciation is usually RHYTHM! English pronunciation goes up and down, and this up and down movement is not easy to learn. However, if you can do it, your pronunciation will very quickly sound very natural. You can practice using natural English rhythm using this English pronunciation video I made for my students. Another good way to learn English rhythm naturally is through songs. The up and down rhythm of English comes through naturally, and listening to songs is easy! Watch this video to learn English rhythm through songs. The up and down rhythm of English comes through naturally, and listening to songs is easy! Watch this video to learn English rhythm through songs. To use natural English rhythm, vowels (A, E, I, O and U) are very important. It is the vowels that can go up (if they are "stressed") or that can do down (if they are "unstressed" or "reduced"). The difficult thing is that English has only five vowels but those five vowels can make 15 different vowel sounds in standard American English. You can learn about English vowels here. Later, you can click here for more practice with English vowels. So, do you want MORE practice? Okay! Try this video for practicing English sentences and this English video too, until you can repeat the sentences smoothly. At first it may be difficult, but with practice you will become truly fluent in English!

Learn to speak English by speaking!

Find an English Conversation Partner
In the past, many students could practice English with penpals - they could send letters to people all around the world. With the Internet, we now can have keypals - we can send emails to

international friends from around the world. Here is some advice to help you succeed with your online language exchanges: 1. How to start a conversation when speaking English online When you want to speak to somebody, start by asking "Yes or No" questions. Use questions such as "Do you like to blah blah blah?" or "Can you blah blah blah?" or "Have you ever blah blah blahed?". Remember your goal. You are trying to find the other person's interests. Think about things you enjoy and try to find some common ground with the person you chat with. 2. How to keep a conversation going Listen carefully. In that way, you can get to know somebody as an individual, not just as an online speaking partner. When you know them well, you will have more to talk about. Ask follow up questions. After you listen, use what you hear to learn more about that person. Especially use "open ended" questions, such as "What do you like most about blah blah blah?" or "What was the most interesting experience you've had while blah blah blahing?". Share your own experiences to show you have similar interests and attitudes. If you only ask questions, you will sound a bit like a policeman! Let other people know about you, too. 3. Basic Guidelines for Online English Conversation Exchange Be patient. Do not try to find one best friend right away. Instead, meet many people so that you can see who you really enjoy talking to and who enjoys talking to you. That way, you can really build a friendship that will last a long time. Be polite. Avoid controversial topics, for example politics and religion, at least at the beginning. Later, when you know somebody better, you can start to talk about their opinions on such topics, but even after you know them, you should do it slowly and carefully! Be careful. Don't give any personal information on the Internet, especially your address and telephone number, but even your real name. If somebody bothers you, do not respond to them. Most chat rooms even have an "ignore" button so that you don't have to listen to an annoying person. That "ignore" button is very useful, so use it!

Find an English Conversation Partner

Am I bored or am I boring?
Question: Dear Teacher Joe, I have a question for you. Recently while talking to a friend from Australia, I said that I feel boring, and my friend laughed at me. Maybe I should have said that I feel bored. Is that right? How can I know when to say "interesting" or "interested", "boring" or "bored"? Thank you in advance for your kind reply. Sincerely, Xiao Chen from Xi'an.

Answer: Hello Xiao Chen, thank you for your question. This is a problem that many students have in English. Actually, I had the same problem when I was learning French! The key is learn some key sentence patterns. You already know when to use the word "tired". You will always say, "I feel tired" instead of "I feel tiring", right? Just do the same think with other words such as bored, interested, flattered or enlightened. When you feel one of these ways, use the -ed form. For example you could say the following sentences: "I was bored listening to my teacher's lesson" "We were all interested in his story" "I wasn't really flattered by her kind comments" "We were lucky to be enlightened by his explanation". On the other hand, use the -ing form when you are referring to the cause of your feeling. Here are some examples of this pattern: "Listening to my teacher for an hour and a half was both tiring and boring". "His speaking style is very interesting because he speaks with so much enthusiasm". "Although her words are very flattering, I don't like her very much". "His explanations are always enlightening".

How can I use "negative tag questions" correctly?

Question: Hello Teacher Joe! I really want to thank you for giving students the opportunity to communicate with you this way. My question is about grammar. Sometimes my foreign friends ask me a kind of "tag question" such as "You like Sichuan food, don't you?". I never know the right way to answer. Can you tell me the right way, and also help me remember how I should answer this type of question? Thanks! ~ Amanda, Beijing Answer: You are quite welcome, Amanda! I hope I can be of help to you and to students all over China. Your question is a common one in China. The problem is that English and Chinese use different ways of thinking when responding to negative questions. You have to remember that in English, you should focus ONLY on the answer, not on the question. So, even though a question asks, "don't you", your answer will be either "Yes, I do" or "No, I don't". It doesn't matter to English speakers whether the question is "Do you like..." or "Don't you like". Either way, "Yes" always goes with "do" and "No" always goes with "don't". The key to answering correctly is to break the habit of translating from Chinese, even subconsciously. To do this, you have to repeat the English patterns over and over again. Although students understand "Yes, I do" and "No, I don't", they have not yet made it a habit. When I teach, I always push my students to answer every question a with complete sentence. In ordinary conversation, we will often just answer with "yes" or "no", but if you want to learn, you should use complete sentences so that your answers become "second nature", which means your answers become automatic.

Good luck with this! It will take some time, but pay careful attention, and you will surely get it.

Are dialogues a good way to learn English?

Question: Dear Teacher Joe, I have a question for you. I have a book for learning English that has many conversations between two people. Do you think this is a useful way to learn? How can I benefit most from studying from this kind of book? Thank you for your answer. Jacky in Shenzhen. Answer: Hello Jacky, how are you? Dialogues can be a good way to learn a language, especially for inexperienced speakers. They are similar to real conversations, so you can see how you might speak if you were in a similar situation. As you improve, you should read more newspapers and magazines, and listen to TV dramas or movies, but until then, dialogues are a good choice. The first thing, and the most important thing, is to listen to the cassette tape or CD that came with your book. If you don't listen, then you will have to guess at the pronunciation. Usually, that leads to many mistakes. As you listen to the cassette tape, repeat each sentence. Focus on pronunciation at first, rather than meaning. English rhythm is especially difficult for Chinese students, so be sure repeat smoothly, even if you don't know what you are saying. Even if some sentences are too difficult to understand now, some day you WILL understand. For now, just listen for every sound of every word, and repeat until you can do it naturally. That is step one. After you can repeat each sentence smoothly, we can move on to step two - start to think about the meaning of each sentence. You can repeat the dialogue without listening if you want to. The key is to repeat each sentence while making a picture in your mind of what the people are thinking. You should imagine being in the same place, feeling the same feelings, doing the same things. This kind of "imagination practice" is what will help put the sentences into your "long term memory". Be careful not to translate the sentences into Chinese. If you do that, you will need too much time when you want to speak in the future. If you see a sentence such as "The cat is drinking some milk", don't think in Chinese. It is faster and more direct to make a picture of a cat, standing next to a small bowl full of milk. Maybe you can even imagine the sound of the cat licking up the milk! That will make a strong impression on your brain that you will not soon forget. Now that you understand the meaning of each sentence, it's time for step three. Play the cassette tape again, but this time, don't stop and repeat. Instead, try to follow along as the conversation continues at natural speed. If you have trouble, don't worry. Just go back and repeat those difficult sentences again until you master them. Then try again to listen to the whole conversation without stopping. When you can hear the whole dialogue, with a clear picture in your mind, then you know you have succeeded and can go on to the next one. Good luck Jacky, and have fun!

When Should I Study English?

Question: Dear Teacher Joe, here is my question. When is the best time to learn English? I want to know if I should study in the morning, in the afternoon, or in the evening. Thank you so much for your answer. From Liu Tao in Beijing Normal University. Answer: Hello Miss Liu. This is a very interesting question. The first thing you should think about is your own preference. Are you a "morning person" who is very active the first thing in the morning? If so, then maybe you should study English early in the morning, as soon as you get up.

On the other hand, you might be a "night owl" who comes to life after the sun goes down. If that is true, then maybe it would be better to study in the evening. Whenever you decide to study, it's always better to study at least a little bit every day. Some students try to study very intensively one or two days per week, but that is not such a good plan. For example some students will study for three hours on Monday and then again for three hours on Friday, for a total of six hours. Unfortunately, they usually forget what they learned on the other days. It would be better to study only 30 minutes a day, but to do it every day of the week, which would be a total of four and a half hours. Even though it's less time, you will remember more because it is fresh in your mind every day. Some of my more successful students have a unique idea. They think it's best to study twice a day. They study late at night, before going to bed. If they do it every night, they start to dream in English. They think it helps the English to sink into their brains more deeply. They also like to study English the first thing in the morning. This helps them get started "on the right foot", and they can learn even more during the day. One suggestion I can give to you is to ask more questions in class. That is very normal in western classrooms, so don't worry about it. You can ask the teacher to tell you something about how his family spends Christmas day. Ask him to compare Christmas with the Spring Festival, and if he doesn't know much about the Spring Festival, then you and your classmates can tell him. Or you might ask him about his hometown and how it compares to the town your university is in. You should try to get all of the students to write one question. Then at sometime during the class, a student should raise his or her hand and ask one politely. Keep your questions short, as well as your information about things in China. Take small steps to see if you can find some area that students and the teacher can both talk about easily. Maybe you can only ask one question at first, to see how it goes, then try a different one later. In the future, all of your class time could be a question and answer session! In general, successful language learners take matters into their own hands and find ways to improve. Don't try just one way, try many different ways. Speak out whenever you can. Ask questions. Listen to the answers carefully, then ask follow-up questions to learn even more. You have many opportunities, but you have to take advantage of them. Good luck!

Why do some people seem to learn English so easily?

Question: Hi Teacher Joe. I hope you can help me. My friend seems to learn English so fast. He remembers so much better than me. What can I do? From Lily in Shanghai. Answer: Hello Lily. Thanks for your question. Everyone has different styles of learning. Some people seem to learn faster at first, because they enjoy speaking to other people. Such students can be called "Externalizers". ("External" means "outside".) They use the words they've learned, so they remember them better. Other people are not so outgoing, and prefer to learn by listening and reading. These students can be called "Internalizers". They might seem to be learning more slowly, because they don't speak so much at first. This may not be true, though. In my experience, students who listen and read often actually learn more over time. So my first suggestion is to be patient. Maybe you are an "Internalizer" who is learning many,

many things, but you won't know it until some point in the future. This is what happened to me when I learned French. I am an "Internalizer" too, so when I first learned French, I read as much as I could and listened to many cassette tapes. When I tried to speak, I felt so uncomfortable and it seemed as though I wasn't learning much at all. However, all the words and sentences I had been reading and listening to finally started to come out naturally, and I became a very successful student of French. Another suggestion is to try to find or even adapt your style. Try speaking out more, even if you aren't very comfortable with it at first. You might find, as you speak out more and make many mistakes, that you start to enjoy it. Then you will learn from your mistakes as your friend does. In the same way, instead of just reading, you could do some writing to help you remember. As an "Internalizer", I find that writing does NOT help me remember words. For example, I am trying to learn to read Chinese now, but even if I write a word 100 times, I can't remember it! However, I find that when I write just a little Chinese every day, my reading improves. Writing doesn't help me remember, but it helps me to see Chinese writing more clearly. This is a way of studying that helps me learn better. Now you have to find different ways to help yourself. In other words, find your own style. Good luck, Lily!

Listen to the exercises on this page and you can learn...

... how to understand English that is spoken quickly ... how to speak English more clearly and fluently Dictations
A fun way to improve your listening in English

Joe's English Jokes

Learn Vocabulary while improving your listening

Popular English Sayings

Start to think in English!

English Quiz Games

Listen and answer questions in English

Why are dictations one of the most effective ways to learn English?
Dictations are useful because listening to a dictation helps you find words that are difficult for you. After listening several times, those difficult words will become easy! Dictations are fun so you can repeat many times until you speak English perfectly! Short Dictations for beginning speakers of English

or for review
Five Words - 1 Five Words - 2 Five Words - 3 Six Words - 1 Six Words - 2 Six Words - 3 Seven Words - 1 Seven Words - 2 Seven Words - 3

Medium-length Dictations more challenging English sentences

Eight Words - 1 Eight Words - 2 Eight Words - 3 Nine Words - 1 Nine Words - 2 Nine Ten Words - 1 Ten Words - 2 Ten Words - 3 Words - 3

Long Dictations - for advanced speakers of English!

Eleven Words - 1 Twelve Words - 1 Thirteen Words - 1 Fourteen Words - 1 Fifteen Words - 1 Fifteen Words - 2

Five-word Dictation Number 1

. Click the start button, then type the words exactly as you hear them. 2. You must type exactly 5 words (Type an X if you can't guess a word)

Your Answer Your Score

www.teacherjoe.us "Time is the best teacher who, however, kills all of her students!"

"Time flies like an arrow... ... but fruit flies like bananas!" I have music, I have rhythm, who could ask for anything more?"

Learn these sayings and start interesting English conversations with your friends.
Learn English sayings Learn Common and popular English sayings Quotations about food Learn to speak about a popular topic Talk about love Learn to talk about your feelings Talk about money Talk about a very popular topic Talk about Success Learn English to talk about success Talk about Work Learn to use professional English

Understand English Through Famous Sayings

If you want to learn English well, you have to practice speaking English! Use these sentences to help you start interesting conversations in English.
"God helps those who help themselves." We should try to do things independently, rather than passively wait for help. Do you think our schools discourage us from thinking independently? How can we become more independent? Can we help our classmates or coworkers to be more independent? How? "Learning without thinking is a dangerous thing."
I find this to be true with my students. If they only memorize without understanding, they cannot use English well. Have you ever tried to memorize many English words? What was the result? Do you know some people who only follow but never think? What are they like? Do you know anyone who is a clear thinker? What is that person like?

"Laughter is the best medicine." How can laughter help us in our daily lives? Do you think humor is helpful if we are really sick? Do you know anyone who laughs all the time? What is that person like? Do you know someone who never laughs? Do you enjoy

being around that person? "A friend in need is a friend indeed." Do you have many friends or just a few very close friends? How did you meet your best friend? What advice would you give a newcomer to your town, to help him or her meet new friends? What would you do to help your best friend? "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." How should we eat to stay healthy? What do you think is the most healthy food we can eat every day? Do you eat very healthy foods? Or do you prefer delicious but not-so-healthy foods? What foods should we avoid eating? Besides eating well, what should we do for our health?

If you want to learn English well, you have to practice speaking English! Use these sentences to help you start interesting conversations in English.
"When one has tasted watermelon, he knows what the angels eat." - Mark Twain Do you like watermelon? Do you think it's such a wonderful food? What food do you like best? Do you think your favorite food is good enough for angels to eat? Ask your friends, see what they think!

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food." - George Bernard Shaw Do you we can really love another person as much as we love food? We will die without food, but will we die without the person we

love the most? "No man is lonely while eating spaghetti; it requires so much attention." - Christopher Morley The kind of food we eat can have a strange effect on our feelings. Are there any foods that make you happy? Any foods that make you sad? Any foods that make you ready to fight? Do you really think we can avoid loneliness while eating spaghetti? "One should eat to live, not live to eat." - Moliere What happens to people who "live to eat"? How can we "eat to live"? What should we do? What are some specific things to avoid? Have your eating habits changed during your life? I have music, I have rhythm, who could ask for anything more?"

If you want to learn English well, you have to practice speaking English! Use these sentences to help you start interesting conversations in English.
"It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." - Samuel Butler This is one of the most famous sayings about love. Even if we feel pain when we lose our love, it is a good thing for us. I am not sure I agree with this! How about you? "Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile." - Franklin P. Jones "Love makes the world go round" is a common saying. It means that everything, even the whole world, depends on love. This

man disagrees. Maybe love is not so important. Still, without love, the "ride" in the "car of life", or the "train of life", has no meaning. Just how important is love, in your opinion? "Love possesses not nor will it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love." - Kahlil Kibran This is very poetic. In a conversation, you might say the first half only, and ask your friends if they agree. I wonder if this kind of love is really possible. We often say "This is MY girlfriend" or "This is MY wife". Is love enough by itself, or do we need to possess our love? "Darkness can not drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King Jr. Do you think it's truly possible to follow in Dr. King's footsteps? What can ordinary people do to "drive out hate"? Does it matter how we live our daily lives or should we wait until we're important people in society? "True love is like ghosts, which everybody talks about and few have seen."- Maxime de la Rochefoucauld Do you think you have ever been TRULY in love? Why do people "fall in love"? Why do some people "fall out" of love? Are there different kinds of love? How can we find "true" love? "The fate of love is that it always seems too little or too much." - Amelia E. Barr Have you ever loved somebody who didn't

love you in return? If so, what was it like? Have you ever been loved by somebody that you didn't love? If so, how did that feel to you? "Love is a temporary insanity curable by marriage." - Ambrose Bierce What a shocking thing to say! Why do you think he said it? How is love "cured" by marriage? And if love is a disease, do we really want to be cured? How can we keep love alive even after marriage?

You can speak better English using these quotes as conversation starters.
"Money is the root of all evil." Do you think this is true? How can money lead people to do bad things? Do you think money can do good things? If so, give examples! (Note: Although many people repeat this quote, the original saying was "Love of money is the root of all evil".) "I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position." - Mark Twain Is there too much greed in the world? Maybe. But if YOU could be rich, would you accept or refuse? What would you buy first if you had so much money?

A single idea - the sudden flash of a thought - may be worth a million dollars." - Robert Collier Do you think it's possible to turn ideas into money? How? What good ideas have you heard about in recent years? What's the best

idea you have ever had? Can you find a way to turn it into a million dollars? "If you can actually count your money, then you're not a rich man." - J. Paul Getty When J. Paul Getty was alive, he was one of the richest men in America. To him, a million dollars must have been nothing. How about for you? How much money do you want to have in the future? How much money will be "enough"? Would you like to have so much money that you couldn't count it? What would you do with so much money?

If you want to learn English well, you have to practice speaking English! Use these sentences to help you start interesting conversations in English.
"Every success is built on the ability to do better than good enough. " Do you think this is too "idealistic"? (The opposite of "realistic".) Do we often have enough time to do "better than good enough"? Think of some success you have had. Did you really do "better than good enough"? How about other people who have succeeded? "Would you like me to give you a formula for success? Double your rate of failure."Thomas J. Watson The founder of IBM probably knew a little something about success. I'm not going to argue with him! But I wonder, can you fail everyday, in order to succeed in the future? What will you do to fail tomorrow? Ask your friends the same question! "If A equals success, then the formula is A equals X plus Y plus Z, with X being work, Y play, and Z keeping your mouth shut." - Albert Einstein In many jobs, hard work is not enough. We need creativity, and creativity comes from

PLAYING. Do you ever "play" at your job? Why do you think we need to keep our mouth shut? Is it because we might have trouble with our boss? Or is it because we have to keep our secrets to ourselves? "One only gets to the top rung of the ladder by steadily climbing up one at a time." - Margaret Thatcher Sometimes we are too impatient to succeed. We need to take our time. What is your next step on the "ladder of success"? Do you know what step comes after that? What step have you succeeded in climbing recently? Back to Teacher Joe's Words of Wisdom

Do you agree with these ideas about work? Ask your friends what they think!
"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Do you think this is true? How can we make time for more enjoyable things in our lives? What other effects come from overwork? How do we know when we are working too much? "How do I work? I grope." - Albert Einstein "Groping" is the way a blind man might use his hands to feel his way around. In his work, Einstein seems to have felt like a blind man! He was searching for something, but not sure if he could succeed. Do you ever feel that way in your work? Do you think we sometimes miss some great discoveries, because we always want to be certain?

Jokes to Increase Your Vocabulary

Chemistry Class

One day, the chemistry teacher asked his students, "What is the chemical formula for water?" Silly Suzie immediately raised her hand. "Yes, Suzie, what's the answer?", the teacher asked. Suzie answered proudly, "The chemical formula for water is 'HIJKLMNO'!" Her teacher looked perplexed. He asked, "What are you talking about?" Suzie replied, "Yesterday you said the formula for water is H to O!"

A Good Teacher
One day, a teacher was attempting to teach the names of animals to a class of 5-year-olds. She held up a picture of a deer, and asked one boy, "Billy, what is this animal?". Little Billy looked at the picture with a disheartened look on his face and responded, "I'm sorry Mrs. Smith, I don't know.". The teacher was not one to give up easily, so she then asked Billy, "Well, Billy, what does your Mommy call your Daddy?" Little Billy's face suddenly brightened up, but then a confused look came over his face, as he asked, "Mrs. Smith, is that really a pig?"!

Improve Your Memory!

Two elderly couples were enjoying friendly conversation when one of the men asked the other, "Fred, how was the memory clinic you went to last month?" "Outstanding," Fred replied. "They taught us all the latest psychological techniques - visualization, association - it has made a big difference for me." "That's great! What was the name of that clinic?" Fred went blank. He thought and thought but couldn't remember. Then a smile broke across his face and he asked, "What do you call that flower with the long stem and thorns?" "You mean a rose?" "Yes, that's it!" Then he turned to his wife and asked, "Rose, what was the name of that clinic?" just one copy A young executive was leaving the office at 6pm when he found the CEO standing in front of a shredder with a piece of paper in his hand. "Listen," said the CEO, "this is important, and my secretary has left. Can you make this thing work?" "Certainly," said the young executive. He turned the machine on, inserted the paper, and pressed the start button. "Excellent, excellent!" said the CEO as his paper disappeared inside the shredder. "I just need one copy."

"Do you deserve to enter heaven?"

Vocabulary Lesson for Students of English A man died and went to heaven. An angel met him at the Gates of Heaven and said, 'Before you meet with God, I thought I should tell you - we've examined your whole life, and you really didn't do anything particularly good or bad. We're not sure whether we can admit you into heaven or not. Can you tell us anything exceptional you did that can help us make a decision?' The newly

arrived soul thought for a moment and replied, 'Yeah, once I was driving along and came upon a woman who was being harassed by a group of goons. So I pulled over, got out my tire iron, and went up to the leader of the gang. He was a big, muscular, hairy guy with tattoos all over his body and a ring pierced through his nose. Well, I tore the nose ring out of his nose, and told him that he and his gang had better stop bothering the woman or they would have to deal with me!' 'I'm impressed,' The angel responded, 'When did this happen?' The man replied, 'About two minutes ago'.

Spelling is Important!
Learn new vocabulary by putting your mouse over red words. During a busy holiday weekend, a woman who was eight months pregnant went to the railway station to return home to her husband. At the reservation counter, when her turn came, there was only one ticket left. Taking pity on a very old lady behind her in line, she offered her berth to the old lady and sent a telegram to her husband which arrived with a small error: "Shall be coming tomorrow, heavy rush in the train, gave birth to an old lady."

English Listening Games to Improve Fluency

If you want to speak English fluently, you must respond FAST!

Listen... Think... Respond... THAT is how to learn English!

Teens or Tens - can you hear the difference?
Students often have trouble hearing the difference between "teens" such as 13 and "tens" such as 30. Teens have two strong beats (THIR TEEN) but tens have only one strong beat (THIR ty). Train your ear with this game.

After clicking

"Start", you will have 60 seconds. Good luck!

13 15 50 18 30 16 80 14 60 19 40 17 90

70

Score: (Joe's top score is 220.)

Time:

Numbers - Time
Listen and click on the times that you hear. Easy, right? Let's see! After clicking "Start", you will have 60 seconds. Good luck!
START 9;15 7.30 12.00 12.20

9.50 1.11

11.30 7.15

2.20 4.40

6.35 4.00

6.37 10.10

Score: (Joe's top score is 220.)

Time:

Very Good! 10 Points.

Oh No! Minus 10 Points.

Time's up!

Time's up!

True or False? Quiz Number 1 - World Geography

www.teacherjoe.us You will hear 5 sentences. Click on "True" if the sentence is correct and click on "False" if it is incorrect.
START

TRUE
Articles on Public Speaking

FALSE

Basics of Public Speaking

~ A Step by Step Guide to Successful Presentations ~

Lesson 1 - Basic Public Speaking Tips Lesson 2 - Easily Prepare

Lesson 13 - Connect with Your Audience Lesson 14 - Using Visual

Any Speech Lesson 3 - Use Your Time Well Lesson 4 - Organize Your Speech Lesson 5 - Fear of Public Speaking Lesson 6 - Open Your Speech Strongly Lesson 7 - Strong, Memorable Conclusions Lesson 8 - The Key to Success Lesson 9 - Use Specific Examples Lesson 10 - Body Language in Public Speaking Lesson 11 - Using Your Voice Effectively Lesson 12 - The Power of... Pause!

Aids Well Lesson 15 - Power Point Weakness Lesson 16 - Humor in Public Speaking Lesson 17 - Story Telling in Public Speaking Lesson 18 - The Art of Persuasive Speaking Lesson 19 - Using Themes in Speaking Lesson 20 - Impromptu Speaking, Part 1 Lesson 21 - Impromptu Speaking, Part 2 Lesson 22 - Motivational Speaking Lesson 23 - Becoming an Advanced Speaker

Recommended Sites:
Learn to Speak English Clearly Practice Speaking English Learn to Speak English Fluently

Lesson 1 - The Basics of Public Speaking

Surveys show that more people are afraid of speaking in public than of dying! This is not only amazing, it is also quite a problem because being able to speak well in public is an important skill in many careers. Being able to speak well is also valuable in getting a good job in the first place. Learn public speaking skill from these articles and you will not only have more success on the job. Being able to get up in front of an audience and give a speech will greatly increase your confidence. The writer of these articles is a professional teacher with 20 years experience helping people speak more

effectively. In addition to the articles, you can watch carefully chosen speeches, with comments added, that will show you how to be a great speaker. Before getting into details, here are five tips to help you get going: 1. Don't try to memorize a speech. Instead, use the "key points" approach, described in detail in Lesson 2. 2. Start strong with an interesting opening. It doesn't have to be brilliant, but it has to get the audience focused on your topic. Various ways to do this will be explained in Lesson 5. 3. Don't speak too fast! This is a very common problem as nervous speakers try to finish as quickly as possible. Instead, take your time, and your audience will listen more attentively. 4. Be careful when using visual aids, including (especially!) Power Point. They can be both distracting and confusing unless they are used appropriately. (See Lessons 11 and 14 for more on this topic.) 5. Close your speech strongly with a "call to action". These five tips will get you started as a successful public speaker. You already have an advantage over other speakers. Now, let's learn how to really do a great job by moving on to Lesson 2 Prepare Your Speech.

Lesson 2 - An Easy Way to Prepare Any Speech

The Biggest Problem with Public Speaking
Many people say they are afraid of public speaking because they "can't remember what to say". When they have to give a speech, they write it down on two or three (or more!) pages, then of course they have trouble remembering. Writing your speech down word for word a very dangerous way to prepare. Some famous people, such as politicians, do have completely written speeches, but they have two important advantages. First, they have professional speech writers who will make sure the words are perfectly clear and perfectly organized. Second, politicians will usually have a "teleprompter", something like a TV screen, from which they can read their speech. They rarely, if ever, memorize their speeches! A much more effective, and efficient, way to prepare a speech is to use the "Rule of 5". This is not an absolute guide that you must follow, but it is a very useful method that is especially useful when you have to give a presentation soon. When I prepare a speech, I do not write down everything. In fact, I only write down five things, which is why this is called the Rule of 5.

Steps 1 to 3
To begin, list the three main points you want to make or the three main examples to use to make your main point. Three is often a good number. If you give one example, it has little meaning. If you give two examples it is stronger, but it may seem like just a coincidence, it may seem lucky. When you add a third example, then your listeners can see a pattern, and they understand your meaning much better. Those are the first three parts of the Rule of 5.

Step 4
After carefully chosing your main points, think of a good way to introduce your topic. In the introduction, you should clearly introduce the topic while getting the audience to think about what you might say, and to think about their own ideas related to your topic. That is the fourth part of the Rule of 5. You can learn specific ways to introduce your speech topic in Lesson 5.

Step 5
The last step, quite logically, is to write down the conclusion. Most people forget the content of a speech very soon after hearing it. The conclusion gives you a chance to reinforce your main point. It is also a chance to make a "call for action", which will remind the listeners what you would like them to do. You could ask them to buy something, to accept your idea for a new project, or to take some sort of social action. Your call to action, however, does not have to be a very large request. You might simply ask the audience to think more about the topic as it relates to their daily life. In Conclusion Now you are ready to move forward. Simply memorize these five points - the introduction, your three main ideas or examples, and the conclusion - or you can write them on a little piece of paper. If necessary, you can also write down any numbers or important facts that you must remember exactly. Then, during your speech, you can talk to your audience naturally and make a real connection. They usually will not even know that you are holding a piece of paper in your hand! Following the Rule of 5 will guarantee that your speech is well-organized and easy to understand. Once you have listed these five items, you're ready to go to the next step, which is explained in Lesson 3 - Preparing Your Speech, part 2.

Lesson 3 - Effective Time Management in Public Speaking

Why do we fear speaking in public?
Many people fear public speaking because they think they will not have enough to say. They are afraid of finishing too quickly and then falling silent, as everyone in the audience watches. In my experience, this is not a realistic fear. In fact, in my observations over the years, most speakers try to say too much, and run out of time. So often, speakers have a very important point to make, but they run out of time to finish what their speech. Running out of time can be just as embarrassing as not having anything to say.

A simple solution
Fortunately, it is easy to prevent this problem. When you prepare, just use what I use, a good teacher's best friend - a watch! When you use a watch to time yourself, you gain very valuable information that most speakers never have. This knowledge will give you confidence when you speak, because you will know how much time you really need and you can plan well. To use a watch effectively, follow these steps. First, time yourself as you practice your complete speech once. It is best to practice in front of a

mirror while speaking out loud. As you practice, speak slowly and naturally, keeping your eyes forward. When you are finished with the whole speech, record the time you used. Beginners in public speaking think that time moves so slowly, but by timing yourself when you practice, when there is no pressure, you can see that time really flies! Now that you understand how much time you need, start to look at each section of your speech the intro, each main idea or example, and the conclusion - to see where you must either cut or add to your speech. A very general guideline to follow is that your introduction should be 10 to 15%, your conclusion should also be about 10 to 15%, with your main ideas totaling about 70 to 80% of your time.

One Last Tip

Keep in mind that you do NOT have to perfect with your timing. That would put too much pressure on you as the speaker. The goal is to be sure you have enough time to say everything you want to say. By preparing with a watch, you will always have more success in communicating your message. When you do that, you are ready to look at ways to make your speech even more memorable. That will be in Lesson 4 - Organizing Your Speech.

Lesson 4 - Five Tips for Organizing Your Speech

Why organize a speech? After an average speech, most listeners remember very little of what they heard! As mentioned in Lesson 2, your speech often will include three main ideas or three examples. Having three points helps the human brain remember better than only one or two main points. This article will show you how you can put these main points into various organizational structures. If your speech is well organized, the listener can use that organization as a framework to aid in remembering your message.

Tip One
One of the most common ways to organize a speech is chronologically, according to time. Explain what happened first, then second then third. Take your time with each section, then pause at the end of each section to signal a transition. This is the same method of organization of any story, which always has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Tip Two
A similar approach is the "Past, Present, Future" approach. While the chronological approach can be used to describe a situation that is completely in the past, or completely in the future, the "Past, Present, Future" way of organizing takes a longer-term view. In your speech, you could describe the situation as it has been in the past. In other words, you can give some history. Then you could describe the current situation as it is right now. Finally, you can ask the audience to think of the future and how the situation could improve for the better.

Tip Three
Another good way to order your message by logic. One way to do this is to use the "cause and effect" approach. Explain the cause first, giving enough detail for the audience to understand, then describe the result. Another common way is to use the "problem and solution" approach. Describe

the problem, especially from the point of view of your audience, followed by your suggested solution.

Tip Four
An easy method of organizing your presentation is by using the comparison approach. Describe Situation A (or Problem A or Example A, or whatever) then show how Situation B (or Problem B or Example B) is different. You could describe all of Situation A first, in great detail, before comparing it to Situation B. Another option is to jump back and forth between A and B - explain one point about A and compare it to B, then take a second point about A, etc.

Tip Five
For almost any topic, it is possible to use the PGP approach: particular - general - back to particular. You could start with a very specific story to introduce your topic. After that, you can explain, in general terms, what your message is. When you are done, conclude by reminding the audience of your specific example (or a similar example) to burn your message into their brains.S One warning! Do NOT make your organization too complex. Keep it simple so that everyone in the audience can follow your speech and remember your message. Whichever way you choose, it will be helpful to have a clear structure to your speech. To further aid in memory, you can let the audience know about your organization in your introduction, then remind them of it again in your conclusion. That leads us to the next article which is Lesson 5 - Powerful Openings.

Lesson 5 - Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking

A famous speaker once said, "The mind is a wonderful thing. It starts working at the moment of birth and doesn't stop until we get up to speak in public". I remember my first time speaking, standing in front of only 23 people, my legs were shaking. I felt nauseous. It was difficult to breathe. I got through that experience mainly because I was prepared. I am still nervous years later, though much less now. I have learned that nervousness is never a big problem - unless I'm unprepared! Understanding that everyone gets nervous can help us begin to overcome our own nervousness. Suzanne Bates, author of Speak Like a CEO wrote, "If your heart is beating fast, it's usually a great opportunity". Being nervous is actually a good sign, so take advantate of it. It's perfectly normal, so don't worry about it. Above all, don't let it stop you from performing. In my observations working with thousands of new speakers over the years, the audience almost never notices the speaker's nervousness! If you just keep going, things will turn out well. Of course, you must be prepared - see lessons 2, 3 and 4. As long as you are ready to speak and focus on your message, you will do well. Many experienced speakers say that nervousness helps them do well. You can start to use your feelings to motivate you to prepare the best speech you can. When you are nervous, you will stay focused on your goal - to successfully communicate your message. If you still find that nervousness is a problem, try these tips for dealing with fear of public speaking:

Tip One
Breathe deeply before you get up to speak. This will help your body relax while also helping your brain think. As you breathe normally, you will look very confident to your audience which can help you focus on your job.

Tip Two
Visualize yourself speaking confidently and successfully completing your speech. Before you actually get up in front of the audience, imagine exactly how it will feel to get up in front of the audience, relaxed and with a smile on your face. Imagine the sound of the audience as they applaud and your calm feeling as you wait for the applause to stop before you start speaking. If you visualize every step of your presentation, you will be more likely to perform smoothly, or you will adapt easily if something unexpected happens.

Tip Three
Find friendly faces in the crowd and focus on them. Remember, they want you to succeed and are hoping to learn something from you. Just remember to look at faces on each side of the room to avoid ignoring half of your audience!
Tip Four
One advanced speaker said he still feels nervous and can't look the audience in the eye or he feels more nervous, so he looks at their foreheads! The audience will never notice if you do this. It will seem to everyone that you are making great eye contact even if you are not, precisely, looking into their eyes.

Lesson 6 - Grab Your Audience's Attention!

Movies and TV shows usually begin with an exciting scene that captures our attention. Starting a presentation with a strong opening is just as useful. A good opening will get, and keep, the audience's attention. More than that, it will also prepare the audience to understand your topic. Here are five great ways to open a speech with power.

Start your speech with a question.

A question automatically gets the audience thinking of an answer. It is important to choose an interesting question that also leads in to your topic effectively. If your topic has something to do with music, a question such as "do you like music?" is not very effective. Most listeners will answer "Of course I love music". They may also think "Why are you asking such a stupid question?". Instead, you could ask something that challenges the audience: "What would you give to become a famous singer?" or "If you had the talent to be a professional musician, would you give up your present life?". Or, if your topic has to do with job interviewing techniques, you might not ask "Are you satisfied with your job?". Instead, a question such as "What would you do if you lost your job tomorrow?". That really gets the audience thinking!

Start your speech with an interesting fact or surprising statistic.

Today it's easy to cite an interesting fact or statistic. Do a little research on your topic and you will uncover some fascinating information that you can use in your speech. For example, you could begin by telling your audience that "the average person changes career five times during their

lifetime". That will get the audience thinking about their own experiences - when did they last change jobs, when might they change jobs again, etc. After mentioning this fact, the audience will be more open to your presentation on job interviewing techniques.

Start your speech by describing a problem.

You should clearly and forcefully describe the problem. Everyone has problems and our first instinct when hearing about a problem is to start thinking about possible solutions. When you start with the problem, the audience is right there with you as you explain your favorite solution.

Or you could start your speech with a story.

A fourth powerful opening to your speech is to start with a story. When you describe something that happened to another person, in a situation that everyone can understand, the audience will experience some of the same thoughts and feelings of those people in those situations. There is one thing you have to be careful about however. Make sure that your story is short and to the point. Be brief - tell just enough to get the audience in the mood to hear your presentation.

Try starting some speeches with humor.

Using humor can be a bit dangerous for two reasons. First, what if you say something funny but nobody laughs? Don't let that stop you from trying! If you succeed with humor it will be a wonderful way to connect with the audience. If the audience does not laugh, often they don't even know you were joking -they often think it is just a story. All you have to do is move forward with the rest of your speech. The second reason it can be dangerous is because some speakers take too much time on an opening joke. As with stories, keep humor brief. It should be just enough to get the audience focused, then you can jump into your topic. These techniques will make the openings of your presentations stronger and will guarantee that your audience listens carefully to your speech. Still, you have to keep their attention all the way to the end, which leads us to Lesson 7 - Memorable Conclusions.

Lesson 7 - Memorable Conclusions

Working often with speakers from other countries, I often hear students end a speech with "That's all". Even many native-English speakers end with a simple "Thank you". Ending your speech in such ways is a big missed opportunity! Most people forget the main points of a speech within hours of hearing it. How will they remember your message? They key is to end with a good conclusion. The first thing you can do is to give a very general summary of your speech, then end by emphasizing the main point. Below are some more specific ways you can do that. A very common approach is to end your speech with a "call to action". A simple example would be to say something like, "Consider my suggestion to learn more about alternative energies and how we can harness them in our daily lives". You could also do this as a challenge. For example, "Do you have the courage to try different ideas such as this?", would get the audience to really think about, and therefore remember, your message.

Here are some "quick conclusions" you can try: * As with openings, you can end with a question that challenges the audience to think. * Another good idea is to end with a quotation. It's easy to find good inspirational quotes on quotes.com or brianyquotes.com. Alternatively, you can search for a topic plus the word "quotes". * Describe your vision or hope for the future and, of course, suggest that the audience takes action to bring that future about. * Sometimes a negative approach can work - remind the audience of the negative consequences if they do not take action. * Or you can take the balanced approach - remind the audience of the choice between failure and success. The conclusion should be the strongest part of your speech. Use these tips to plan well and your audience will be much more likely to remember your message.

Lesson 8 - The Key to Successful Public Speaking

A Great Lesson in Communication
I had the chance to hear two talks by former World Champion of Public Speaking, Darren LaCroix. He asked the audience, what is the most important part of a presentation? What do you think? He made sure to give us time to consider our own answers. He repeated the question, giving us time to think. Here is Darren's answer: The most important part of a presentation is "the thought process in the mind of the audience". It is not just "the audience" itself. The key is "what is the audience thinking" during your speech. Do you want a good example? Darren Lacroix's question itself is a perfect example! Why did he give the audience time to think? Why did he repeat his question? He was focused on the audience's thought process.

Focus on the audience, not on words

We often spend time in our speech trying to impress the audience. In the best case, our attempt simply falls flat and makes no impact. In the worst case, we can turn our audience off and lose them completely. Always keep the audience in mind, find ways to help them answer THEIR questions and solve THEIR problems. Be sure they understand your presentation at every step.

Research your audience

To reach your audience successfully, you may have to do research before you present to them. Find out as much as you can about their job, their organization, their worries, their history. Then, you can use that in preparing your speech. As with the former World Champion, ask questions and watch their reactions.

Use this key word!

Use the key word: "you" often. Adapt your language to suit their situation.

You still have to practice!

As with any aspect of public speaking, this will take time. By reading these articles, you are gaining valuable skills. Put these skills to use for your audience. Keep at it, though, and you will learn to be a powerful, successful public speaker.

Lesson 9 - The Power of Specific Examples

"I believe this is a very useful lesson. You can learn a lot from it. Use this lesson to make your public speaking better!". Can you see what is wrong with the three sentences above? Are they a good opening for an article? Are they interesting? Can you learn from them? In fact, those sentences are too general, too broad. We could say that EVERY lesson is useful. (That is true for my articles, right?) However, we hope there is something specifically useful in this article. What is it? How, specifically, will this make me better? What, exactly, will I learn? It would be better to try this kind of introduction instead: "In this lesson, you will learn two reasons why you must use specific examples and two easy ways to make your message lively and more memorable." This is much stronger! Now we know there are TWO reasons and two methods. We are now ready to look for those details as we read. We understand the speaker's feeling that we MUST use these. (And so, we wonder WHY we must!) We see the benefits - being more lively and memorable. In your presentations, always include enough specific details so that the listeners can truly understand and visualize your message. Specific details make a stronger impact. Which should we say, "many people suffered" or "there were more than 6000 dead and 20,000 injured". The second one makes a much stronger impact. Here are two ways you can prepare your speeches so that they include enough details. The first way is the trusted 5W approach - answer the questions Who, What, Where, When and Why. Who will benefit, what will they learn, where and when (or how long will it take), and why is it so good? A second way is to appeal to our five senses. Describe something in a very visual way, so that the audience can form a picture in their mind. Or talk about the taste and smells, if you are talking about food, for example. Or describe the sounds you might hear or the feelings you might feel. All of these senses help engage the audience so that they really remember your message. You can start with general statements, but then give lots of examples to support your main points. Specific details seem more believable - the audience, when hearing your specific description, can identify things that are similar to their own experiences. I should leave you with one warning, however. Do not give the audience too many details. Balance is important. Use details to explain and describe your most important points, but don't let the details hide the main points.

Lesson 10 - Body Language in Public Speaking

In any presentation, up to 90% of your message is nonverbal. The audience sees your body language, your eye and hand movements, how tall you stand, how you move, the strength and tone of your voice instantly, even before you have spoken your first sentence. If you are stiff or not moving, if you don't move your hands or make eye contact with the audience, then you are missing an opportunity to connect with them. For beginning presenters, there are two extremes. Some speakers use no movement at all. They stand in front of the audience almost like a statue. Other speakers, even many speakers with some experience, use a lot of meaningless movements. They might move around the room too much. (Moving around a lot is good if you want to communicate energy, if you want there to be some excitement in the air, but you have to use just the right amount.) Or they make many unnecessary hand movements, often two or three hand movements with every sentence. Not only do extra movements fail to communicate, they also can be distracting to the audience. The most common advice is to "be natural", but how do you do that? Start by focusing on these points: The most common problem in using hands is too much movement. Try not to move your hands to emphasize every sentence. Instead, just keep your hands at side, or folded in front MOST of the time, then use your hands only when you want to emphasize an important point Be sure to keep eye contact during the speech. Do not look down, nor look up at the ceiling. Many inexperienced speakers look up at the ceiling when they have memorized a speech and can't remember a line. (This will never happen if you follow my advice in Lesson 2 - just remember the main points, not the whole speech.) Some speakers only look to one side of the room, often in the direction of whoever introduced the speaker, or in the direction of an important person in the audience. Instead, you should look slowly from side to side, to make eye contact with the whole audience Your ultimate goal, with practice, is to be able to move with a purpose. You only have to change position, when making a transition to a new section of your speech. This "nonverbal" communciation also includes how to use your voice to impact the audience. Learn all about this important topic in Lesson 11!

Lesson 11 - Using Your Voice When Speaking in Public

When you are giving a presentation, if you simply speak loudly enough and clearly enough, you will automatically sound confident. Achieving this is not difficult. It comes naturally to every speaker with practice. (So, join Toastmasters!) If, on the other hand, you are not very confident yet, try some of these tips:

Vocal Tip Number 1

Generally speaking, it is better to be too loud than too soft. If your voice is too loud at least you can be heard and you might even be considered "passionate"! But if your voice is too soft, you will

fail completely to communicate.

Vocal Tip Number 2

Practice your speech out loud before you get on stage. If you will be in a big room, try to arrive before anyone else and test the microphone or any other equipment.

Vocal Tip Number 3

An interesting way to practice using your voice in a variety of ways is to exaggerate. This is why Toastmasters is so valuable - you can practice saying things in a strange way and make a fool of yourself, and the audience will still support you!

Vocal Tip Number 4

Try speaking in a very low, soft voice when serious. Try using a higher voice, and speak faster, when you are happy or excited. You can also try letting your voice rise or fall to see which sounds better.

Vocal Tip Number 5

Sometimes, try whispering to see the effect. This can be a very effective technique when you are saying something very important, but be careful not to use it too often. Using your voice well can help you keep the audience's interest throughout your whole speech. By using your voice to emphasize key points, you will help the audience remember your message. So, don't worry to much about your voice when you are just beginning, but as you move up, use the tips in this article to reach a higher level.

Lesson 12 - The Power of Pause

In Lesson 11, we learned many tips for using your voice well. This lesson builds on that. When we really want to make an impact on our audience, we can use our voice in a very special way. We can just STOP using our voice! Imagine that now... During a speech you pause in the middle of a sentence. The audience stops and waits for you to continue and... What do they do? As they wait, the will... think about what you just said. Yes, they will stop and think. In a certain sense, you control their thoughts by pausing. You can decide when you want the audience to think and when you want them to move forward. Here are some good times to pause during a presentation: When you are opening a speech, even before you say the first word, just wait for a few seconds. Instead of speaking, just look at audience. They will naturally start to think - "What will he say?", "Why is he waiting?", or "This must be important!" They will then be ready for your opening. OR you could say just one word, then wait. For example, you could start with "Today...", then pause until everyone is listening. Pausing just for a moment, after asking a question or bringing up a problem, encourages the audience to think about the seriousness of the situation.

Again, just before you answer a question or provide a solution, you can pause. You can first set up the audience - prepare them by explaining some background information - then let them know your idea is coming with a short pause. Other good times to pause are just after introducing a key fact, when stating a statistic or an idea, at the end of a story or joke, or just before the final, main point of your speech. The pause allows the new information to "sink into" the audience's brains. As with using your voice, you can practice this by exaggerating. Try stretching a pause out - count to five slowly and see how the audience reacts. Then you will know the "power of pause".

Lesson 13 - Easily Connect with Your Audience

In Lesson 12 we learned about the Power of Pause which helps speakers make a strong impact on their audience. This lesson builds on that skill. If you want to really connect with your audience, don't just pause at key points in your speech, but speak slower during the entire speech. There are several negative effects of speaking too fast: - The audience has no time to absorb your ideas. - The audience might think you are nervous and doubt the truthfulness of your message. - The audience might remember your energy but not your message. - You will have less time to remember what you want to say next. If you get stuck for any reason, you may need that extra time! - You will lose the chance to adapt your message to your audience, which is what the most effective speakers do. Beginning speakers sometimes think that speaking slowly seems weak. However, it may be the most powerful technique that you can easily use to make your public speaking stronger. If you speak more slowly you will... ... be more clear, more understandable. ... be more memorable. ... be able to easily emphasize your most important points To make this work well, remember Lesson 3 on how to use your time well By practicing with a timer, you will be sure to give yourself enough time. Then, when you use your time well and speak slowly, you will have a much better chance to put into practice what we learned in Lesson 8 and you will be on your way to becoming an advanced public speaker.

Lesson 14 - Effective Use of Visual Aids

Generally speaking, visual aids in public speaking can be dangerous! There are many ways that visual aids, or "props", can become a distraction rather than a help to you. If the props are TOO strong, they can be remembered long after your message. Basically, simple visual aids are the best. If they help communicate your message and make it more clear to your audience, then they are very useful. Here are some tips to keep in mind when using visual aids while giving a presentation: Tip Number 1: Use a visual aid that will help your audience remember your message. If

the prop ties in with the main idea, it can be very effective. Tip Number 2: Visual aids must be simple or they may be (probably WILL be!) misunderstood. Tip Number 3: Vusual aids should be big enough so that everyone in the audience can see clearly. I have seen speakers use photographs or drawings in a presentation but they were so small that nobody knew what the speaker was talking about! To make matters worse, in such a case the audience spends much energy on trying to see the small visual aid and stops listening to the speaker's message! Tip Number 4: Prepare well and PRACTICE before you use any visual aid. Many possible problems can come up in a presentation. Be sure you can handle any props easily before you get up to speak. Make sure the visual aids can be easily shown to the audience without distracting you or your listeners. Tip Number 5: Don't be afraid to use no visual aids at all! Instead of depending on a prop, you should depend on a strong message, well-organized and professionally presented. You already posess one of the best visual aids possible - your own self! Review Body Language in Public Speaking and start using this wondeful "visual aid" more in your presentations!

Lesson 15 - The Weakness of Power Point Presentations

I don't think we should use the name "Power Point". I think we should call it "Weak Point". The reason I believe this is because depending on technology to communicate to an audience often makes a good presentation very weak. As we saw in Lesson 14 on Visual Aids, a prop can easily be a distraction to your listeners. Power Point presentations are dangerous because they can be a BIGGER distraction than ordinary visual aids. Problem Number 1: You may lose sight of the audience. One of my students watched the screen so much during a presentation that he didn't notice his boss had fallen asleep until he was finished speaking! Problem Number 2: Power Point slides contain so many words that the audience cannot follow the message. Putting too much information on each slide is probably the most common problem related to PPTs. Problem Number 3: The size of the text is too small. If the audience has to work hard to read the text, they will spend less effort on trying to understand your ideas. Problem Number 4: The audience depends on the PPT so much that they ignore YOU! Sometimes, at the end of a presentation, the audience has learned so much from the Power Point that they wonder why they even needed the speaker! Problem Number 5: The speaker depends on PPT too much. For example, if there is no electricity, what will you do? This a ctually happened to a friend of mine. He was in a company's meeting room, ready to give a Power Point presentation when the electricity went out. Since he never depends on his Power Point slides he was still able to communicate his message to the audience. Always be sure you can do that too.

Here are some simple solutions to the above problems: Solution 1: Never depend on PPT! Solution 2: Have only one main point per slide. Solution 3: Make the font and pictures large enough so everyone can see them. Solution 4: Only include information or graphics that help you communicate. Most of the communication should be from YOUR voice. Solution 5: Face your audience at all times. Solution 6: Follow all of the basic presentation skills from previous lessons - organize well, have a strong opening, have a memorable conclusion, provide good, specific examples. Remember, everyone uses Power Point. How powerful is it, really, to just copy everyone else? If you want to use Power Point, be sure to use it as a tool to help you. Never get caught in the trap of letting Power Point replace your own professional presentation.

Lesson 16 - Using Humor in Public Speaking

"Once you get people laughing, they're listening and you can tell them almost anything". ~ writer Herb Gardner ~ Many speakers are afraid to try telling jokes. It's not really that difficult. Read my advice to students on how to remember a joke, and see how easy it really is! After learning one or two jokes, go out and try one in a speech. Try to keep your jokes clean. Some jokes I've used with students can be found at this page. The main point is to keep your jokes simple. If you only get the main points - the people, the setting and the action - along with the final "punch line", that's enough. You don't always need a lot of extra details. Besides telling jokes, you can add humor to your speech in the following ways: Idea 1: Use funny quotes. With the Internet it is easy to find one that is perfectly suited to your topic. Idea 2: Try exaggeration, especially when telling a story. Don't just say something is "big". Say it is "as big as an overweight elephant"! If exaggeration seems to silly or foolish to you, try to say "my friend said..." or "it seemed like..." to introduce the crazy statement. Idea 3: For contrast, use understatement after making a strong statement. For example, "We had just survived the biggest earthquake in history! So we had lunch". The second sentence seems funny because it seems too calm compared to the exciting first sentence. Idea 4: Use the "rule of three" when giving examples. The first two can be ordinary examples but the third one is a "switch" - it is odd in some way. For example, I often tell my students that they can ask me any question in class except "how old are you, how much do you weigh, and how many wives do you have". The first two are topics that someone may not want to talk about but the third one is just nonsensical. Warning: do not try to be funny just to be funny. Be sure your humor fits your speech. If you start with your message first and keep the audience in mind as discussed in Lesson 7, your humor can be very effective. The most important thing is, don't worry if nobody laughs at your humor. Just keep on going. If

your humor is tied to your message, people will think you made an important point even if they don't laugh!

Lesson 17 - Story Telling in Public Speaking

Stories have been used as a communication tool for centuries. Why is story telling so popular? One reason is that stories, if told well, can keep our listeners' attention. Another reason is that stories make our message easy to understand and easy to remember. Today's audiences have "information overload" - there are too many advertisements, too many new books, too much news every day for people to remember. Stories help us, as speakers, to cut through all of that "noise" so that we can successfully reach people. To start with story telling, just give basic information first. If you can quickly communicate who is involved in the story and where they are, you have a good beginning. Then describe the action step by step so that the listener can "follow" the people in the story. Finally, when you reach the end of your story, tie your message to the message of the story. As you become a better story teller, you can try appealing to people's senses with your story. For example, you can describe physical sensations. If you are telling a story about a man and a woman waiting for a bus in a storm, you can describe how it feels. Are they getting wet from the rain? Is it getting colder? Are they shivering (shaking because of the cold)? Can they feel wind on their skin? Or you can describe emotions. Are they worried that the bus won't come and they will have to stay in the rain all night? Are they angry at the bus for being so late? Are they angry, or happy, or in love with each other? As you describe these sensations, your listeners will, at least in a small way, feel the same things! As you become an advanced story teller, you can start to use your voice and body language to add to the story. With your voice, you can communicate excitement by speaking at a higher pitch (with a higher tone) or by speaking faster. Speaking faster, including using shorter sentences, can communicate movement. Of course, don't forget to pause for effect at important moments in the story! One thing you should be careful about is using too many stories in one presentation. Often only one story is enough, if it is a good one! Two or three stories can help reinforce your message, or make your message stronger. If you tell more than three stories, however, it can become confusing for your audience as they try to remember the point of each storie. Keep your stories simple and to the point. When you use stories to communicate, you can be sure your listeners receive your message and remember it long after you are done speaking.

Lesson 18 - The Art of Persuasive Speaking

To be persuasive, you must keep your audience in mind at all times. In the end, the audience wants to know "What do I get from this?". You have to adapt to your audience which may be: a) agreeable b) apathethic (they don't care) c) hostile (angry) d) uninformed (they don't know about your topic) e) mixed

Here are some basic tips for better persuasive speaking: Persuasion Tip 1: For best effect, combine logic with emotion. This will appeal to both types of listeners. Persuasion Tip 2: As you speak, be sure to consider the opposite point of view. If not, your audience may think you are unfair. Persuasion Tip 3: A bit about "how": refute your opponent's arguments starting with the strongest. Save the opponent's weakest argument for last, because that is what the audience is most likely to remember! For more experienced speakers, try to apply the "motivational sequence from Dr. Alan H. Monroe, as used in Toastmasters clubs around the world: Step 1. Get the audience's attention. Step 2. Show a need - why is this important (for them!). Step 3. Show satisfaction - show how to solve the problem, be sure to provide evidence. Step 4. Help them visualize the solution and what will happen in case of failure. Step 5. Ask for some type of action. We must still use what we have learned in past lessons. If you do not Organize your speech well and use your voice well, you will not have much success in persuading your audience. So, go back and review previous lessons until you have mastered them. Then when you apply what you have learned in this lesson, you will do a great job!

Speeches are like babies - easy to conceive but hard to deliver!"

"The mind is a wonderful thing. It starts working the minute you're born and never stops working until you get up to speak in public."

"Words must be weighed, not counted."

Lesson 19 - A Powerful "Trick": Using Themes in Public Speaking

I joined Toastmasters five years before writing these articles. I started at the beginning, standing nervously on the stage, wondering if I was really getting my message across to the audience. Slowly, through lots of practice of the presentation skills described in the previous 18 lessons, I was able to put everything together to be a pretty good public speaker. However, I found that I was not bad, but also not great. It seemed my speaking was not very powerful. Something seemed to missing, like a piece of a puzzle. I realized that having the basics was not enough. My speeches had clear organization, a strong opening and a memorable closing. I was much better at using body

language and adding vocal variety when speaking. But I needed something else. As I listened to great speakers speak, I realized what I was missing. When speaking, I needed a theme. If you want to be a great speaker, start by identifying one strong, theme that runs through your whole speech. Think of the ONE main point, the main idea of your presentation. What do you want people to "take away" from your speech? Next, bring up this idea (the theme) in each part of your speech, especially the opening, the closing, and transitions between each section of your speech. Start small early in your speech - just mention your main idea. As you move forward, make your statements stronger. This is a very simple little "trick", but if you use it, you will get these results: - Listeners will start to anticipate your main point. In other words they will be thinking what you are thinking! - By the conclusion of your presentation, you can whisper your main point, or just lead up to your main point, and the audience will fill in the final words! - At this point, you will know that your message has been not only received but also remembered. That's real success!

Lesson 20 - Impromptu Speaking, part 1

Impromptu speaking is speaking with no preparation. You have to think on your feet and come up with a short speech immediately. This kind of situation can occur in many real settings including in meetings, during job interviews, or during telephone conversations. It may seem that we can succeed at making impromptu speeches with little practice, but as the great writer, Mark Twain, once wrote, It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech! If it takes a professional write more than three weeks, then we can be forgiven if we do not do make perfect impromptu speeches with less than three weeks, or less than three minutes, preparation. Some general tips for speaking well with little preparation: Tip 1: Learn how to buy time at the beginning, by either making a comment related to the topic, by asking a question of the audience, or by mentioning various possible items you might talk about Tip 2: Start with your main point early, then come back to it often during your speech Tip 3: Start with a strong or surprising statement, then the audience will wonder what is coming next Tip 4: Try to organize your speech if you can. It's not easy, but your ideas will be remembered better if you can. Here are some ideas: a) Organize by time first, second, third. b) Organize by comparing two things. c) Organize by problem and solution.

Don't just suddenly stop talking. Try to end with a clear conclusion. What do you want the audience to remember? They will usually remember the last thing you tell them. Here are some suggestions: - Repeat your main point. - Repeat the solution to a problem. - Emphasize whatever your choice would be.

Lesson 21 - Impromptu Speaking, part 2

In our previous article, we looked at basic ways to organize an impromputu (unprepared) speech. You can quickly organize your thoughts by either a) putting them in chronological (time) order or by b) comparing two possibilities or by c) thinking of a problem and its solution. Here are more advanced ideas. You will need to practice using these, but that is why you should join Toastmasters! You not only need practice in applying these approaches, you also need to practice choosing the best approach to suit your particular message. One appoach is the Past Present Future (PPF) approach. This seems the same as the chronological method, but it is quite different. The chronological approach can be used in any time frame all in the past or all in the future, it doesn't matter. But with the PPF approach, you need to first look at the history of your topic, then describe the current situation, then speculate on the future. This is much more challenging than simply saying first... second... third... but can be quite powerful when used in the right situation, for example when talking about a company or an organization with a long history and bright future, or when talking about an idea that has been used at other time in history. Another excellent advanced approach is the PREP method. PREP stands for Point, Reason, Example, and Point again. This approach is good when you have one main point you want to emphasize. By giving a reason, you appeal to people's logical left brains. When you give an example, you appeal to their emotional right brains. And when you repeat the point at the end, you help them remember. You can't use this approach when you have more than one idea or solution to consider, but when you only have one idea or solution, try it! When you are talking about something quite unknown or unfamiliar, a good approach to use is the Possibilities (P) approach. You can start with, One possibility I can think of is... and go from there. If, after you describe the first possibility, you think it's a good one, you can stop there. If you think the first possibility is not the best, you can come up with another idea. Finally, at the end of the speech, you can tell the audience which possibility you prefer. So, whether you choose PPF, PREP or just plain P method, you can make your point strongly, even without time to prepare.

Lesson 22 - Motivational Speaking

If you hope to be a great speaker in the future, you will have to learn to motivate people. If you can motivate people to do things, you will have much more success in your work and career. With a highly motived team of skilled workers, you can do all kinds of great things.

Here are five simple strategies to motivate your listeners, from the Toastmasters International website: Motivation Tip 1: Be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is contagious! Before you present your ideas, think about the aspects of the subject that you find most interesting, and dont be afraid to let that interest come through in your voice. Motivation Tip 1: Use quotes, stories and anecdotes. Along with their obvious entertainment value, quotes and stories can lend authority to your topic and provide concrete examples that people can relate to. Motivation Tip 1: Speak with confidence. Deliver your message loud and clear. Maintain eye contact with your listeners. Dont mumble or slouch. Motivation Tip 1: Say you and we, not I and me. Instead of telling people what you want them to do, present ways for them to work together to achieve their goals. Involve listeners in the success of the group. Motivation Tip 1: Keep it simple. People arent motivated by what you say; theyre motivated by what they understand. The best way to ensure audience understanding is to break down complex ideas into simple components."

Lesson 23 - How to Become an Advanced Speaker

Have you ever imagined being a great speaker who can move any audience? Can you picture being on stage, being very comfortable, being very persuasive, and being very appreciated by your listeners? Can you imagine even being paid to speak? You could do it some day. With enough study and practice, you could become a professional speaker! By now, I hope you have joined a Toastmasters club in your area. The more practice, the better you become. Toastmasters is by far the best place your speaking skills. Find a club by going to http://www.toastmasters.org. Or if you want, you can even start your own club. Besides Toastmasters, you can volunteer more at work. Or try an "open mic" at a comedy club. If you speak another language, don'tlimit yourself to English. Try speaking in another language, the principles are the same. The next step is to participate in Toastmasters speech contests at your club. The goal of speech contests is not to win, but to use that opportunity to raise your skills to a higher level. When I joined my club speech contest for the first time, it forced me to think more carefully about my speech. And when I won that, I had the opportunity to give the same speech a second time, which allowed me to make the speech even better with only a few small changes. If you are very serious about becomeing a great speaker, make a video of yourself and analyze it. It's amazing what you will find! The first time I saw a video of myself, I was shocked. I thought my body language was okay. It was not! I was swaying back and forth like a young tree in the wind! My hands were moving too fast making me look quite nervous. Sometimes my voice was clear and strong, but at certain points it was too weak. I was only able to notice these problems, and change them, because my fellow club member made a video of me.

After improving through practice, learn the best speaking techniques from the best speakers in the world. Watch great speakers in these educational videos and go far beyond the level of an average speaker! You should especially get the best advice from the most advanced teachers. I highly recommend the website of Darren Lacroix, the former World Champion of Public Speaking and a great, great teacher.

Survival phrases

Imagine you go on holiday. How would you present yourself to a foreigner?

ricmanka (56)
Good morning. My name is Cathy Smith. Whats your name? You are a I speak: Italian, Slovenian I learn: English, German Vocabulary and key phrases
Welcome!

foreigner, arent you? Where are you from? Can I help you?
Select rating

Welcome to busuu.com! Welcome! Welcome to busuu.com! Hello! Hello! Good morning! Good morning, how are you today? Good morning! Good morning, how are you today? Good afternoon! Good afternoon. It's lunchtime, let's eat! Good afternoon! Good afternoon. It's lunchtime, let's eat! Good night! Good night and sleep well! Good night! Good night and sleep well! How are you? How are you? Fine, thanks. Fine, thanks. What's your name? What's your name? My name is Julia. My name is Julia. How old are you? How old are you?

Welcome! Welcome!
I am twenty-five years old. I am twenty-five years old. Where are you from? Where are you from? I am from Spain. I am from Spain. Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you! Please Please help me. Please Please help me. Thanks Thanks for the gift. Thanks Thanks for the gift. You are welcome! You are welcome! Excuse me Excuse me, can you help me? Excuse me Excuse me, can you help me? How do you say...? How do you say...? I don't understand. I don't understand. Could you repeat it please? Could you repeat it please? Goodbye! Goodbye and see you soon. Goodbye! Goodbye and see you soon. www.busuu. DialogueTwo new students meet at the university. Peter: Hello, my name's Peter. Julia: Hello Peter. Nice to meet you. My name's Julia. Peter: Sorry? Gulia? Julia: No, Julia. J U L - I A Peter: Oh, Julia. Nice to meet you. Julia: Nice to meet you too. Two days later, they meet in the university caf. Peter: Good morning Julia, how are you? Julia: Fine, and you? Peter: Very well, thanks. Julia, this is my friend Paul; Paul, this is my friend Julia. Paul: Hello. Nice to meet you. Julia: Pleased to meet you. Paul: How old are you? Julia: I'm 23, and you?

Paul: Peter is 24 and I'm 23.

Please choose the correct answer

1. What's the name of Peter's friend? a. Marc b. Paul c. Thomas 2. Where did Julia and Peter meet? a. In class b. In the university c. On the Internet 3. Julia is a. Peter's sister b. Peter's friend c. Peter's teacher
Answers: