Do you feel shy to communicate with strangers? Do you get jitters with the thought of carrying out a conversation with your boss? Are you tongue-tied before a presentation in your office?

If your answer is YES to all these questions, then you are definitely scared of your communication skills. Many people worry about their poor communication skills to an extent that they stop communicating altogether. If you are making this grievous mistake, let me tell you it is not the right way to improve your conversation skills.

Effective communication is important in all spheres of life, both personal and professional. You cannot understand a person/subject/topic if you are unable to communicate properly. To rise and shine in the dynamic business world, good communication is a requisite. Let's look at some of the ways through which you can improve English communication.



Learn the basics

Communication means transfer of messages between a sender and a receiver through various modes, including written words, spoken words and nonverbal cues. Confidence is another essential aspect of effective communication. You should be confident that your point is worthwhile to the subject. Be aware of your opinions and stay confident in your expression. These can equip you to convey your message effectively. Start your practice of effective communication by carrying out simple conversations. Each day and every minute you can practice to better your conversational skills. Just stay on track and never give up, no matter how bleak the road ahead appears.

1. Keep your audience engaged

Communication is a two-way road and the response of your audience decides your fate. So, make an eye contact whenever you are with people. You may be listening, or speaking, it is important to maintain eye contact intact. This is the key to successful communication. Eye contact establishes the interest and at the same time motivates the speaker to go on. Hand and facial gestures are another way to support your conversation. Your gestures can speak more than your words, so pay attention. Keep your facial and hand gestures as well as your tone in sync.

2. Effective listening is vital



To improve your English communication skills it is important to develop effective listening skills first. A successful listener is the one who can decode not only the words that are being communicated but also the feelings and emotions that comes with it. Do not just pay attention to the end of the sentence, so that you can take ahead the conversation. The rule is to talk less and listen more.

3. Enjoy the power of words

When we say enjoy, we literally mean it. Words are a powerful tool and when said in the right manner, they can have the right impact. So, don't just rush with your words, speak clearly and precisely. Never mumble to get away from the conversation. If you are being asked all the time to repeat a sentence or word, then you are not communicating effectively. Make use of simple words and pay attention to your pronunciation. Speak with the right pace; if you rush with your words, people will think that you are a nervous speaker. So, be careful with your pace.

Hope the above English tutorial is helpful in improving your English communication skills.

English is a very interesting language, and as you learn it, you will learn about its various marvels every day! The most amazing aspect of English is that you can convey one single message in many ways and make it sound amusing with the usage of idioms!

What are idioms?

It is an expression that does not have a literal meaning, rather it is figurative phrase. There are amusing stories behind each idiom and how it came to be coined. However, amusing story or not, idioms are fun to learn and equally amazing to use, provided you use them in the right context.

For someone new to idioms, it is natural to wonder about the whole fuss around idioms. The reason why idioms are so appreciated is because you can sound satirical, funny, serious, mysterious, and well-read by using them. In addition, using the right idiom at the right time speaks a lot about your command over the English language.

So now that you know what idioms are, you cannot help but be hooked to our series on various idioms, their meaning and their usage. In this first part of the series, let us start with a few idioms that are more commonplace than their peers are.

• Curiosity killed the cat: Chances are you have heard this idiom. And you must have heard when you were in one of your over-inquisitive modes, for that it is when this idiom is used. Curiosity killed the cat translates to 'over inquisitiveness can land you in dangerous/ harmful situations'. While being wary and inquisitive is a good trait, it is best practiced in moderation.



• Act like an ape: What do you call an extremely naughty child, the one who bangs with the furniture because he has been running wild, the one who drops food all over the floor and the one who screams at the top of his voice the moment you try to reprimand him? Naughty is too light a word for such a brat! This is when the idiom 'act like an ape' applies well. The idiom implies to a person who behaves badly and is difficult to control.



• A chip on your shoulder: Are you still worrying about your not so good score in the school-level exams? Are you still nursing a broken heart? Then, in that case, you have a chip on your shoulder, which means that you are still upset over something that happened in the past.

• A slap on the wrist: If you think that your teacher is biased, then there is no surer way of proving it than when the teacher leaves her favorite student with nothing more than a 'slap on the wrist'. This idiom translates to 'giving a mild or an insignificant punishment'. Can you think of other situations where you can use this idiom?

An English speaking course from eAgeTutor will not only improve your spoken English but also train you on the flawless usage of idioms. If you wish to improve English effectively, then it is prudent for you to enroll with one of the online spoken English classes.

Office parties are a great way to unwind, break the ice, and get to know your colleagues and to let your hair down as well. Office parties offer one more opportunity – to practice your English and social skills.

Office parties are the perfect place to strike a conversation with the colleagues you have always wished to speak with. The environment and mood is just perfect – neither too formal, nor too casual. This is the perfect setting to strike a casual conversation and indulge in some small talk.

However, for people who are complete novices, even a casual conversation at the party is enough to break them into a sweat. The fear of fumbling, making a mistake, mispronouncing, and many other such monsters come to haunt the mind when you are not confident about speaking in English. However, you should remind yourself of one thing always, if you do not practice spoken English, how will you ever improve and gain the confidence? Do not be afraid of making mistakes, rather take them sportingly and learn from them.

To help you out, we will give you a quick lesson to give you an idea of what a standard conversation at a party goes like. We, definitely, cannot predict what the mind of a conversation may crop up at a party, but we can definitely draw a rough sketch to prepare you beforehand so that you do not get caught unawares!

Here is an idea of a usual conversation at a party:

(Before we start, let us make some fictional characters amongst which the conversation will take place. Raj (our amateur English speaker), Suresh, and Priya should be good!)

Raj joins Suresh and Priya

Raj: Hey Suresh, how are you?

Suresh: Hello Raj, meet my friend Priya. Priya, this is Raj, he works in my department.

Priya: Hi, Raj.

Raj: Hi, Priya. So, which department are you in?

Priya: I am in accounts.

Suresh: Hey, let us get some finger food to eat, while we chat up.

Priya: Why, that is a good idea!

Raj: yes, let us go.

As you must have deduced by now, since this is a party, casual words like 'hey', 'chat up', etc. are acceptable. These words give your sentences a fun feel and are apt, given the situation. Now our scene is proceeding towards food. Remember, food is always a safe topic of conversation. Unlike other topics, where people can get judgmental or hurt, food is, by far, a safe topic and it is pertinent that you exploit this opportunity to its maximum.

At the buffet table:

Suresh: Priya, try these paneer fritters. They are amazing.

Priya: Sure.

Raj: I would like to has some, as well.

Suresh: Not has, Raj. You should say 'have'.

Raj: What?

Suresh: You should say, 'I would like to have some, as well.'

Raj: Oh. Thank you for correcting me.

Suresh (to Priya): Raj has been trying to improve his English speaking skills and he practices often. I must say, he has improved a lot.

Priya: Oh! That is terrific, Raj. All the best.

So, this is how you should always welcome help and correction. This is the only way you can improve spoken English. Joining an online English speaking class like eAgeTutor is also a good idea as it will help you understand the rules and nuances of English, thereby improving your spoken English.

If you are learning English as a second language, there are high chances that you are seeking for an answer to this question. It happens with most of us, when having a conversation we hold a part of it inside as we are not sure whether it is the right way to put it. Remember the last time you spoke with your boss. You couldn't talk all that you had practiced in your mind because you were not sure about your language.

The fear of making mistakes becomes worst when somebody in the past had pinpointed your poor speaking skills. The consciousness is so high that you might shun away from communication, just to avoid embarrassment or humiliation. When you come to this juncture, it becomes practically impossible to improve your spoken English, simply because you are not speaking the language enough. So, what is the way out? How can you deal with anxiety of making mistakes when speaking English?

Altering your mindset is the solution

No matter how good you know English, if you are afraid from within you cannot communicate effectively. The fear and anxiety of making mistakes, makes your language learning skills worst.

"Do one thing every day that scares you."

― Eleanor Roosevelt

This quote lays down the first rule of overcoming your fear. Speak English irrespective of your fear. Nothing bad can happen, you will only soar with greater vocabulary and much better speaking skills. The best way to practice this is to put yourself at ease by having a conversation with a person you are comfortable with. The fear of embarrassment will not arise if you are in the company of a friend who would not judge you by your English speaking skills. Practice speaking English with him/her as much as you can.

Mistakes would happen, but that is alright. Nothing worse can happen if you do not speak up to the mark, once your mind is adjusted to this fact, you can go out and speak in English even with native speakers.

Take for instance, you are shopping in a mall and looking to buy a particular product. In spite of looking at it for long, you don't find it. You are afraid how you will strike a conversation with an attendant and so not asking for help. In such cases, it is best to practice a formal conversation.

"Hello there, May I ask your help in finding soap."

Once, you get what you were looking for, just end the conversation with a courteous "Thank you ma'am."

See, that was so simple. As far as you look comfortable and wear a smile, nobody is going to embarrass you on how you speak English. The fear of making mistakes while speaking English should not act as a communication barrier that stops you from having a conversation. The constant fear would just make it difficult to improve your English speaking skills.

You can join an online English learning course to better your communication skills and overcome your fear of speaking English. Since such a mode works in the virtual domain, you may be at more ease.