Struggling with English Communication as an MBA Graduate: How Can I Improve?

Dear Seniors,

Please help me. I am an MBA graduate but struggle with communication in English. This limitation has hindered me from securing good opportunities. I sincerely seek your guidance to enhance my English communication skills.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,
[User's Name]

Tips for Improving English Speaking Skills

For improving your English speaking skills, you can do the following:

- Practice in front of a mirror to reduce hesitation.
- Read English newspapers, magazines, or anything of your interest aloud for clarity of speech and to avoid mumbling.
- Try to interact with outsiders in English, such as customer care executives, in restaurants, or banks. As they don't know you, you will not have the fear of embarrassment, and your confidence will be boosted.
- Watch talk shows and interviews on television; this will help in learning the correct pronunciation, and you will be able to memorize the words.

Try these tips.

Thank you,
Rashee

Communication is a skill that has to be developed through knowledge and practice. Present-day professional education has this drawback. They teach the techniques and tools of the trade but do not pay attention to developing the ability to communicate. You can improve if you decide to do so. Besides the advice of members, I would like to add:

Self-Esteem

Determination

Tell yourself, "Look, Suman, you are good, you know, you can deliver."

Repetition of this will give you confidence.

Brush up your basics of the language.

Start with simple monosyllables and move to short sentences.

Interact with friends, don't let mistakes dampen your spirits, go on.

Don't stop practicing, and more practice. If alone, talk to yourself.

Note your problem areas and barriers, overcome them. Seek help.

Tell me if it works. Join a group. Try recorded interactive CDs. [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Hi Suman, this is the most common problem many graduates face. But honestly, this is not a big challenge. You need to be persistent to overcome the fear of not being able to excel in English, and you will be successful. Start conversing in English with your near and dear ones. Begin writing letters and small articles in English. If you wish, you can write small emails to me, and I can help you improve your English.

Professional Background

I am a manager in one of the IT MNCs and often come across people like you, whom I assist. I coach and train students in effective communication and interview skills. By the way, which city are you from? If you are from Mumbai, I can certainly help you!

Reading Practice

It is good practice to read newspapers; however, don't start with big articles and get confused by the vocabulary they use.

Thanks,

Ramani

Hi,

If you have access to "The Hindu" newspaper, their standard of English is good. Moreover, they do have a section called "Know your English" too. This helps as a reckoner even for those who have a good vocabulary.

Dear Sir,

Please find the PPTs on English pronunciation. Kindly go through each lesson one per day. You will develop.

Regards,
Viswanadh

Dear All,

The PowerPoint presentation is really useful and helps to improve our grammatical knowledge in a simple way. I have made grammatical mistakes... A good site for improving English knowledge is http://www.englishclub.com. I am confident that the site will truly help those who are in need of learning the English language.

Regards,
Renukadevi

You can also check if there is a Toastmasters Club close to where you live. A Toastmasters Club will help you develop better speaking and presentation skills. Click on the link to know more about Toastmasters Toastmasters International - What is Toastmasters?.

Regards,
Sumathi

Watch English TV news (like BBC and CNN). Watch English movies with subtitles in your own local language. Listening to cricket and football commentaries played a big role in my case. All of these activities will help you improve your language skills. Please find the attached file; it may be helpful for you.

Dear Suman, The advice given by all of our colleagues is very good. Mr. Viswandh has sent a detailed structure which, if you practice on a day-to-day basis, you can learn the basics of grammar fast. Make it a habit to speak in English a few sentences on a daily basis. Fluency in English can only come if you practice, practice, and practice. Listen to speeches in English, watch English movies on Star Movies on TV where the subtitles are in English and they speak in Hindi, or the subtitles are in Hindi and they speak in English. From that, you can learn pronunciation. Spell the correct word, practice on phonetics, observe English-speaking people.

I have been running a spoken English institute for many years in Gujarat and have trained hundreds of students, executives, doctors, and engineers.

I wish you all the best.

Regards,
Permeshwer
[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Transforming Weakness into Opportunity

Your weakness is no longer a problem if you turn it into an opportunity. Let me share some secrets with you in this regard.

Start from the Basics

You worry about a language that is just a requirement to communicate. So I suggest, when you learn, learn it the way it is—I'll tell you how.

1. **Make English Your Mother Tongue**
Try to express everything in English—your ideas, what you see, your inner talks, etc. Act and live as if you know only English. You may feel discomfort and confusion in the beginning. It's quite natural. It's just because you are in want of more words, more grammar, etc. Realize these are your improvement areas—tenses, prepositions, any part. Don't delay; run to the internet/library, experts, get it, and practice. In short, you must feel its necessity.

2. **Fall in Love with English**
Give your heart and win. Be patient and persistent because the development is gradual. Even a miles-long journey starts with a single step.

3. **Read, Read, Read**
From comic books to magazines, everything. Subscribe to an English newspaper (The Hindu). Cover all the pages patiently, keeping yourself enthusiastic. Feel how the different ideas are finely ordered into sentences. Then it's your turn. Once your reading is over, pick up one matter which you find the most interesting/informative and brief it enthusiastically, assuming some illiterates are assembled before you and are eager to hear it. If needed, practice the same in front of the mirror too.

4. **Use Phrases**
To keep your language simple and attractive.

5. **Train Your Tongue**
Rewind and practice whatever you hear, see, read, or learn, persistently. Let your ideas flow freely from your brain to your tongue without the translation of your mother tongue in between.

6. **Stylize Your Language**
Watch English movies and news. Record news in your SanDisk. Listen to these recordings in your leisure/travel time. You can see your pronunciation improving obviously. Also, choose a role model(s).

7. **Decide Deadlines**
Periodically review the progress. Give a pat to yourself for every improvement. Be proud of your changes.

"You can never sacrifice your ideas/performance for a language, so you develop your language."

Warm regards,

Asha

[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Doha, Qatar

There is a good-old saying in Tamil, 'Drawing comes with practice of hand and the language with that of tongue.' So, practice is the key. What comes in the way of practice is the fear of making mistakes. But there is no other way to learn swimming than jumping into water. If you want a safer way, try a swimming pool with shallow water before trying a river. Do you read the metaphor? There may be quite a few like you around you, who would also like to develop fluency in spoken English. Please form a support group who would mutually help each other. This is a great way to learn. Honestly, that was the way I built my repository of vocabulary while in school. Each of us used to pick five new words daily from the dictionary and deliberately force-fit them into our conversations.

Reading certainly helps. And not necessarily newspapers, but read what interests you in English like novels (it was Sidney Sheldon or Irwing Wallace during my times). Watching movies (the subtitled ones) can also help. Keep your ears open for the accent. If you have access to the net, then you have online dictionaries which come with phonetics.

Books to Help You Improve Your English:

1. Spoken English by R K Bansal and J B Harrison

2. Pronounce It Perfectly In English (book and three audio cassettes) by Jean Yates, Barrons Educational Series.

Regards

Hi,

Please provide me with full details of ESI remittance including the form name and specify which form is used for what purpose of remittance.

Regards,
Venkatesh

Dear all,

It makes me feel proud to see how we Indians are always on top when it comes to lifting someone else's spirit. When it comes to educating anyone, no one else stands a chance. Outstanding help and suggestions from everyone.

"Suman - Please speak as and when you get a chance. Even just talking to yourself helps a lot in building up your self-belief. If you have access to MS Word/Outlook, it's simple: right-click the word you don't understand and look for synonyms. This will be another turning point in understanding English from the base."

Keep up the good work.

Many Regards,
Mohit Sharma
[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Hi friends,

I have completed my MBA and have been working in finance for the last 2 years. Now, I want to pursue some higher or additional studies. What do you suggest I study?

Please advise.

Rain

Hi seniors,

Please also suggest to me how to deal with nervousness during interviews. I recently lost a big opportunity due to my anxiety. Can you provide me with some ideas to help build my confidence?

Thank you.

Preparing for Interviews

First, confidently prepare to tell me about yourself. After that, they will ask a few questions on the main subject you studied in your MBA, and not other than that. Just attend 3 to 4 interviews, and after that, you will come to know what they will ask and how to answer. Whenever you feel free, read books or go to a browsing (Internet) center.

All the best!

Regards,
Vasu.N