Speaking Strategies

1. The first rule of improving speaking skills is to speak, converse, talk, gab, etc. as much as you can!

http://livemocha.com/
http://polyglotclub.com/?session_langue=eng
http://www.sharedtalk.com/

2. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. Try to understand why you consistently make a certain kind of error.

3. Try to think in English. Practice silently in the foreign language.

4. Improve your pronunciation. Listen carefully and repeat aloud after your teacher or a native speaker. Make a list of words that give you pronunciation trouble, and practice them.

http://unalmedeic.blogspot.com/p/pronunciation-1.html

5. Use whatever you know to get your message across. Paraphrase, use synonyms, use gestures to express your ideas, and use hesitation fillers. Let your listener know you are thinking. Use fillers like well, let's see, you know, etc.

6. Imitate the rhythm and intonation of the language you are studying.

7. Increase awareness of how you speak through the use of audio and videotaping.