Well hello there, Reader, I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to connect with you today.

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One of the most common questions I get from podcast listeners and website visitors is this: how can I improve my speaking skills in English?

For the CELPIP, most people who ask me this question, are in the situation of wanting a higher score, needing a higher score, but your level of English isn’t there yet. So what should you do?

There are two things:

• focus on making English a part of your day-to-day as much as possible.
• build relationships with native english speakers - don’t isolate!

In short - increase your regular contact with English. Both consuming it and producing it.

By consuming it I mean: listening to English and reading it. Often! (Like daily!)

By producing it, I mean speaking in English - the little you think you have - and writing it.

Again....often. Like daily!

Regular, consistent contact with English - where you are consuming it and producing it in meaningful ways, is the most important daily thing that you can be doing to help you develop your speaking skills.

Most people simply aren't getting enough consistent contact time in English in order for them to see their skills improve, and that's a big problem.

Studies show that it takes, on average, 180-260 hours to move from one level of English to another level. That's a long time if your only contact with the language is a couple of hours a week in your English class.

So yes...it's vital that you make it your daily objective to use English and produce it.

Would you like to know the worst thing you can do? Wait for English class for your practice, and then everything else is in your first language.

Or

Surrounding yourself with people who only speak your first language.

Sadly, both of these practices are common - but they totally work against you. So don’t do it.

What have you been doing each week that has been helping you increase your contact time in English? What's been working for you? Hit reply and let me know - I'll share your answers in the next episode.