Seeking Effective Ways to Boost English Speaking Skills in the Workplace

Hi, I was wondering how someone can improve their English speaking skills. I've trained some staff at my organization to communicate in English and have followed the Kirkpatrick model approach. I trained them, took their inputs on how they can enhance their speaking skills, and involved the supervisor to assist them as well. However, that's all I could do. I've also asked the managers to involve the group in weekly meetings where they converse in English and include some form of penalty for every word not spoken in English. I need some more suggestions on how to enhance this initiative.

Regards,
Pawan

Kindly establish the WHAT and WHY of the Training Process before the HOW. Is it mandatory for your organization members to communicate in English? Have you explained WHY we are doing this? It is a medium of communication and not achieving the zenith of success if you can communicate in English or any other language for that matter. Is speaking in English more important than employees achieving productivity and exceeding customer expectations? Think about the weightage of speaking in English in an employee's performance appraisal cycle and accordingly push this project. Nothing to demotivate your efforts; however, pondering on the above thoughts may help refine your goals.

Thank you

Thank you for your inputs. I've addressed the "What" and "Why" since the team interfaces with users daily; it's essential for them to communicate in English. This recurring issue has been highlighted time and again.

If it is mandatory, why don't you do a need-based analysis instead of training all and sundry? Classify those members who face end-users and who ABSOLUTELY need to speak in English. Then, sending them for a formal English speaking course may be considered if it's too much for a single person. Accordingly, you can rotate people according to their skills in different shifts where they are utilized to the fullest, instead of placing anyone in any shift.

Thank you

Hi Everybody, If you want to learn English, then first make a habit of listening to English lectures, English news, and English movies. This will bring a sense of confidence. Just like how you learned your mother tongue in your childhood without knowing any language initially, through the habit of listening at home from your family members.

So, my only suggestion before entering a spoken English institute is to develop a habit of listening to English. It will boost your confidence.

Regards,
Sridhar

Along with listening, we should also develop the habit of thinking in English. For example, instead of wondering "aaj kya pahnu?" you could think "what should I wear today?" Just approaching it in this way can help you improve day by day. I'm sure of it.

Thanks.

Great point, Davendra. Along with reading and listening to English, we should also think in English. It helps us a lot to learn it fast and build our confidence.

Regards,
Himani

I am a new member here. Just read this topic and thought to express my views. I am also having a problem speaking in English because I do not have a sufficient word bank. It is important to improve one's English vocabulary.

Thank you,

Hitesh

The Importance of English in the Corporate World

Interesting and helpful suggestions from members. It is true that today, English is the corporate language. If you do not speak English, you cannot grow fast, even if you are capable.

During discussions, attending seminars, or meetings, you will face a problem if you cannot express your views. You will be present there as a viewer and feel very ashamed. It is a must that you have a minimum knowledge of speaking, writing, and understanding English.

Regards

Tips for Teaching and Learning English

The idea of teaching and learning English is commendable. I congratulate Mr. Pawan for initiating this in his workplace. The following tips may help those who are willing to teach and those who want to learn and improve their English. Both will improve literacy levels and help communicate better:

• Remove all kinds of hesitation from within, such as "I do not know English," "I cannot speak English," etc.

• Develop a very strong urge to improve your English language skills.

• Understand that today it is a global language, and by improving it, we know the world better.

• Read English books—start from primary levels (do not be hesitant), read comics, magazines, personality development articles, literature, spiritual books, autobiographies—every book helps in its own way.

• Start being in a group—try to speak English words; do not be hesitant, even if you make a mistake.

• If someone points out a mistake, just say, "I see," "Is it?" or "Ok, how should I say it?" or "What is the correct word?" or "Ok, I am sorry, I will correct myself"—these help to correct your mistakes continuously and improve continuously.

• Whenever you are reading, keep a pocket dictionary or Chambers dictionary, and whenever you find a new word, know its meaning then and there itself, and try to use them when you next speak to somebody.

• Listen to English news, watch English channels, and listen to BBC, CNN, National Geographic, Times Now channels.

• Read English newspapers.

• Beyond all these, be "humble" and learn from everyone, even from a child.

• Talk to children who can speak good English.

I was one who always wanted to learn English; I was very poor in English and came from a village. From the day I started learning shorthand, I decided to learn English and did all the above; I can speak to the audience of a big gathering in the best English today and give a lecture for 2 hours! See my English language as written above—this is not to boast myself—but I believe that the above efforts would help everyone, and so I have shared the confidence one should develop!

Hope it helps; all the best to the learners and teachers!

Regards,

K. Ramachandra

Bangalore

In my organization, we played a game to encourage everyone to speak only in English. This game helped us build our team as well. You can try it if you like.

It's Time to "SPEAK Right!"

What is "SPEAK Right?"

Speak Right is not a game or a campaign; it is a Way of Life. It is a choice that we, as professionals, make while communicating at work. We can choose to speak in any language, including our mother tongue or colloquial language, to get our message across, but that's not the language of choice.

As professionals, we must speak in the language of our profession—use "English" when we communicate during work hours (excluding the lunch hour). We invite everyone on the HR Floor to participate and Speak Right.

How to Speak Right:

1) If you find anyone on our floor not conversing in English, you have the right to ask them to deposit a sum of Rs. 5/- in the Speak Right (Blue Colored) Box. This also includes the Project Leads/Project Managers, etc.

2) In case anyone is found not speaking Right for the second time, everybody in their team, including their Project Lead, will need to deposit a sum of Rs. 5/-.

3) This time, they will also be voluntarily nominated for the Communications Refresher Session to be scheduled soon.

4) Let's make this campaign a fun event with active participation from all. Please note: This campaign is not aimed at offending any particular sentiments or emotions.

5) The objective is to get all of us conversant in English.

6) We request your cooperation to help make this a fun and enriching experience for all.

Finally, the amount collected in the Speak Right Box will be utilized towards a FUN activity, which we will plan soon for everyone on the floor. Suggestions or ideas on the Speak Right Campaign or the FUN activity may be sent to [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons].

Regards, Vishakha Deshpande

It's not a good practice nor ethical to push something hard without the consent of your employees, as our culture doesn't promote English as a medium of instruction or communication. Though we have been struggling hard to make our employees learn and practice communicating in English at the workplace, the end result is not satisfactory because it is associated with many factors.

Yes, if they have interest, zeal, passion, and more to improve their language and themselves, which can be correlated with work culture, organizational standards, etc., then you will find drastic changes in your employees.

I suggest you request or instruct all those employees with a good command of the language, irrespective of their designation, to communicate and reply to everyone in English only. Try this out; perhaps you may find some changes in due course of time.

With profound regards,

The Importance of LSRW in Language Learning

To learn any kind of language, there are four important basic steps everybody has to follow. They are LSRW, i.e., Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Unfortunately, we are just concentrating on Writing and Reading and ignoring the other two important factors, like Speaking and Listening.

So, as per my knowledge, please follow the LSRW technique, then you can learn any kind of language easily and effectively.

Regards,
Khuddhush

Improving English Speaking Skills

I have read all the content on improving English speaking skills. All your suggestions are very helpful. Hitesh, you are encountering a problem due to a lack of vocabulary. Developing good listening skills is essential for learning English. If you wish to enhance your vocabulary, consider reading the dictionary for at least 15 minutes daily. Focus on incorporating new words into your daily conversations and make sure to use them regularly. Additionally, explore the antonyms of these words and understand their meanings. This practice will greatly benefit you.

Thanks & Regards,
Rachna

Suggestions for Improving English Speaking Skills

Try to make it a habit to listen to DD English News in the morning before leaving home. It improves your diction and also increases your general awareness! In addition, read, read, and read as much as you can. Also, pay attention to your grammar and try to use shorter sentences in the beginning. But above all, be confident. English is like any other language. In the long run, what matters is your capability and dedication. Wish you all the very best.

Regards,
Shalini

Enhancing English Speaking Skills

Practice, practice, and practice. Only speak in English and only answer questions asked in English with English as the response language. Remember, adults learn best when "engaged and experiencing" the learning. If an employee struggles, devote more time to developing his/her learnings and maybe add in some remedial training/practice, but make it fun and engaging!