Practicing Kung Fu. Practice was key to my success.
Now that you know the formula, it's time to learn what to do to speak English like a native.
Let's take a look at this:
You want to learn Kung Fu so that you can beat 10 people. You've watched Kung Fu movies and instructional videos. You've also watched how Kung Fu masters beat 10 people. You know the skills you need to know to beat 10 people. Now you're facing 10 people. Can you beat them?
The answer is obvious. If you want to beat 10 people, just knowing how will not let you beat them. In order to beat them, you'll have to practice your Kung Fu. You'll need to build up your muscles, harden your fists, stretch your legs, aims your kicks...
You need to get your mind mentally ready and your bodily mechanisms physically ready to beat 10 people. In order to do that, what you need to do is one word: practice.
The same thing applies to speaking English. If you want to speak English like a native, just knowing how to speak will not get you there; you'll have to practice speaking English. I mean literally practice speaking English, over and over again. You need to open your throat, relax your tongue, loosen your muscles, control your flow...
You need to get your mind mentally ready and your bodily mechanisms physically ready to speak English like a native. In order to do that, what you need to do is one word: practice.
There are many places where you can practice. I highly recommend you use all of them whenever possible.
On The Train
If you take the train to work, congratulations! I hope your train is loud so you can follow my exact footsteps – because if your train is too quiet, people will look at you. When I practiced on the train, I found a corner seat to sit down. You can do the same. Find a corner seat and practice your English.
You should speak out loud! You should NOT whisper, because whispering will get you a different result, and that's NOT the result you want. In this digital age, you are lucky! You can take out your cellphone, put on your headphones, and practice just like you would on a phone. The person sitting next to you will think you're talking on the phone.
On The Bus
If you take the bus to work, congratulations! Your bus won't be too loud so it won't damage your hearing. Still try to speak like you normally would because whispering will get you a different result. Whispering will train your tongue and lips but will not train your throat, your diaphragm, stomach, tone, volume, and airflow. Remember though – in order to be fluent, you'll have to practice in other places where you can speak out loud.
In The Car
This is, by far, my favorite place to practice my English. There is a lot of freedom in the car, and you can go full throttle when practicing.
When I later got the chance to practice in the car, I practiced everything I heard. Since the car was much quieter than the train and no one was sitting next to me, I turned up the volume and followed what I heard with the exact same tones, exact same volumes, exact same flow, exact same speed, exact same expressions... exact same everything. In addition, I got to use my hands to help me express my feelings.
I always closed the windows so that people on the street wouldn't be able to hear me. Occasionally I saw people on the street looking at me puzzled. Today, you're lucky. When people on the street look at you, they will just think you're just talking on the phone.
So in short, when practicing in the car, just follow with the exact same tones, exact same volumes, exact same flow, exact same speed, exact same expressions, exact same everything at full speed. I do want to stress though, it's speaking you should go full speed on, not driving. So drive safe.
At Home
Do you cook at home? I know I do. I started cooking for the family since I was 7, so I'm very good at it. I even taught my wife how to cook since she'd never cooked before she married me. For me, cooking normally takes 10 minutes for breakfast and 40 minutes for dinner. That's 50 minutes a day. When doing cooking, your brain is free and it's a perfect time to practice. This is a real good time to put on your headphones and practice.
Outdoor
Outdoor activities such as running, jogging, walking, hiking, and shopping can also be great opportunities for practicing.
At Work
I worked at the Boeing Company for two years where I often worked at the aircraft-building factory. The factory was very noisy, and everyone must wear earplugs in the assembly areas. I used this as an excellent opportunity to practice – I put on my noise-canceling headphones and practiced as loud as I wanted and no one could hear me.
Is your workplace a good place to practice? How many hours do you work a day? If you can put your work hours to good use, you can skyrocket your results.
