Communicate Clearly and Confidently in English - Videos on Stress, Intonation, and Communication Skills • Page 13 of 18 • English with Kim

Use Your Listening Skills to Improve Your Speaking and Conversation Skills in English

Today I’m going to answer a question that I get asked all the time: How can I use my listening skills to improve my speaking skills? You’ll learn how to strengthen your listening skills and use them more carefully in order to improve your overall communication strategies, conversation skills, and your speaking ability. But first, I want to give you a little bit of background. You can actually get a lot of information from … Read the article and watch the video lesson

Three Elements for Creating Strong Answers to Conversation Questions in English

So often when we talk about having better conversations in English, we focus on the questions. But here’s the thing: asking better questions assumes that: you’re going to be the person in charge of the conversation, you’re going to be the person leading the conversation, and you’re going to be the one engaging the other person in conversation. For many people, being the person initiating the conversation and leading the conversation can actually be … Read the article and watch the video lesson

Five Ways to Show Active Listening During Conversations with Americans

Are you listening? Then you need to show me. Showing active listening is absolutely essential in American culture. Like it or not, when we are speaking a language that isn’t our first, we often have to show other people that we understand them. In my experience learning Spanish, I found that my listening skills have always been stronger than my speaking skills. Even though I’m now fluent in Spanish, I often feel like I need … Read the article and watch the video lesson

Four Elements of a Natural-Sounding Accent in American English

Sound familiar? I came here [to the US] and realized how truly limited my English was, and it was very scary. I soon realized it wasn’t going to be hard to learn – it was going to be nearly impossible. My accent was horrible. In Mexico, nobody says, “You speak English with a good accent.” You either speak English or you don’t: as long as you can communicate, no one cares. But the word … Read the article and watch the video lesson

How to Stress Phrases with “And” (Binomial Expressions) to Create the Natural Rhythm of English

One of the reasons that people struggle to sound natural in English is that they have trouble hearing the natural rhythm of the language. A key element of producing the natural rhythm of English is word stress. If you’re new to word stress, I encourage you to check out this video on finding your flow when speaking English first. In fact, word stress is the very first thing you should pay attention to when learning … Read the article and watch the video lesson

Five Reasons You Need to Slow Down to Improve How You Sound and Speak English More Clearly

I’m about to give you a piece of advice that may seem a little hypocritical, but I’d like for you to hear me out. Today I’m going to encourage you to slow down when speaking English. First, we’ll look at the reasons why it’s so important to speak more slowly if you’re a non-native English speaker (even if you’re fluent!). I’m also going to give you specific examples of how slowing down can help you … Read the article and watch the video lesson