By Luisa Guzman – https://momentcontent.com/
As the world progresses, more and more people are discovering that living and working abroad or learning a new language can lead to exciting new professional opportunities. However, using a second language in a professional environment can be quite tricky due to the numerous factors at play. To successfully communicate a message, it’s essential to understand the subject matter, be fluent in the language, and have confidence in your ability to convey your message effectively.
On top of that, speaking to an audience takes effort and courage. Public speaking is one of the population’s biggest fears. Research has shown that 75% of the population is frightened to speak in public. Now, Imagine doing it in a non-native language. Scary, right? …
Fortunately, there are many effective techniques to use when giving a professional speech.
- Do enough research and write your speech before/ prepare notes
Being unprepared for a speech is the number one mistake. Knowing the topic is crucial and will determine if your speech is effective, whether it’s a presentation, meeting, or event. Do your research and ask your boss or colleagues questions. Once you have completely understood the subject, prepare your speech or take notes of what you will say, including the introduction of yourself. Don’t get overwhelmed with unnecessary details; try to cover the main ideas.
- Practice your speech. Don’t memorize it!
After putting together your notes or speech, start practicing it. It would help if you didn’t memorize it because it would give you the flexibility to improvise. One highly recommended technique is to stand in front of a mirror and try to teach yourself about that topic using the notes you prepared. You will be able to see your body and facial expressions.
Other techniques include recording yourself in a video or only your voice. Listening to yourself will give you a better idea of your demeanor while helping you practice your speech.
- Focus on the pronunciation
After practicing multiple times, and figuring out the words you struggle to say, use online tools to help you with pronunciation or find synonyms that are easy to say.
For example, if your target language is English there are a number of resources you can use to practice your pronunciation.
- Google “ ‘word’ pronunciation” and you can listen to the pronunciation in American or British English as well as a video showing the mouth movement required to pronounce the word and a phonetic spelling in your native language. Here is link to the results using the example word “independent”
- Online dictionaries such as the one provided by Cambridge have the same feature and show the IPA pronunciation also.
- Ask a native speaker to listen to your pronunciation and help you practice. You can ask a friend or hire a private tutor.
- Enhance your vocabulary
Once you get to an advanced level, it is easy to get stuck using the same words. When giving a professional speech, strive to elevate your vocabulary by finding synonyms that fit your speech well. You can use a website like Thesarus.com or AI’s like Google’s Bard or Chat GPT to help you find synonyms.
- Rehearse, repeat, and practice once again, including new vocabulary and better pronunciation.
Giving a speech in a non-native language is challenging. Following these steps will help you gain more confidence, knowledge, and clarity when speaking in public.
Remember that practicing makes progress, and relying on different tools and resources can also help. With one-on-one online tutoring, you can unlock the English proficiency you want to achieve and finally communicate easily with your professional peers. If you’re tired of being “stuck” at the same level and want to see how private tutoring can help you take your English to the next level, sign up for a FREE 45-minute trial lesson with Grant by sending him an email at grant@businessasusualenglish.com !