How to Learn Speaking on Your Own: A Guide for Self-Study

Improve Your Speaking Skills Through Everyday Activities

The number one question I get asked every day is, "How can I learn speaking on my own?" It's a great question, and you're right to ask it. Having a language partner does make it 10 times easier to learn speaking, but it is definitely possible to improve your speaking skills on your own.

In my opinion, the "golden zone" for language learning is two hours of language exposure per day. Out of those two hours, 30 minutes should be dedicated to active learning, and the other 90 minutes should be passive learning.

What’s the Difference Between Active and Passive Learning?

Passive learning includes activities like listening to music, podcasts, watching movies, or any kind of content where you’re hearing the language but not actively producing it. This helps improve your listening skills and exposes you to different accents, expressions, and vocabulary.

Active learning is when you sit down with a pen and paper and actively engage with the language. This could be speaking, writing, or focusing on grammar and vocabulary exercises. Think of language learning as involving two types of skills: receptive skills (listening and reading) and productive skills (speaking and writing).

A lot of people spend nearly all of their time improving their receptive skills — listening to English podcasts, reading English books — and then wonder why their speaking skills lag behind. You might feel like you're reading at a C1 level, but your speaking is still at A2. This is because you're not balancing both types of skills. To improve your speaking, you need to dedicate time to practicing active skills, not just absorbing the language.

So, How Can You Do This on Your Own?

Here’s the key: Find activities you enjoy. The more you enjoy the activity, the easier it will be to stay motivated and practice.

1. Watch Movies or Shows
   Do you like action films or TV shows? Watch them in English. Keep a notebook nearby and write down interesting words or phrases that catch your attention. Pay close attention to how words blend together in natural speech.

2. Cooking Shows
   Do you enjoy cooking? Watch cooking shows and write down the recipes in English. You can even try describing your cooking process in English while you cook!

3. Listen to Music
   If you're into music, find English songs and listen to how they blend words together. Try singing along or writing down the lyrics. This can help with pronunciation and rhythm.

4. Watch TED Talks
   If you love TED Talks, download the script and read along. Try to imagine you’re on stage delivering the speech in English, mimicking the speaker’s tone and body language. This is a great way to practice fluency and public speaking in English.

5. TikTok or Social Media
   Are you on TikTok all day? Write comments under your favourite videos in English. Even better, create your own videos documenting your learning journey. This will push you to practice speaking and get comfortable using English in a real-world context.

Finding the Right Balance

The most important thing is finding the right balance that works for you. If you enjoy consuming content in your native language, try to find similar content in English. The key is to make language learning fun and practical.

By incorporating both active and passive learning into your routine, you’ll see a big improvement in your speaking skills over time. Find what you enjoy and use it to practice speaking English every day!