Audible speaking and effective listening make up complete communication. Being able to communicate effectively in English is essential. Hence, it is important to improve speaking and listening skills. Below are 10 tips on how to effective listening habits can improve spoken English, improve English fluency,and have a positive effect on communication for ESL learners. 1.Take on an encouraging, unbiased and positive attitude towards learning as this will accelerate your speed of mastery of the spoken English through effective listening.2.Listen with full attention when someone is speaking in order to understand, interpret, assess, and respond applicably. Have writing materials handy so you can write down what is being said you don’t interrupt the speaker.3.Nod your head to signal that you are following what is being said. Also, use facial demeanor and expression to show you’re paying attention.4.Rephrase or sum up what you understand from what has been said from time to time—this way, you will clear up confusion and avoid running into any future misunderstanding of the message. 5.You can always request the speaker to elucidate anything that is not plain or clear to you—as the American English saying goes, “The only stupid questions are the ones that are not asked!” 6.Ask questions in an open-minded way to learn to the extent that is possible. Asking questions will improve your English fluency and English pronunciation.7.Keep steady eye contact with the speaker. If you are listening on the phone, try to picture the speaker in your mind.8.Try to understand the full meaning, not just the information, but the feelings and tone communicated as well.9.Hold meetings in quiet surroundings, away from telephones. Allocate sufficient time and disregard distractions that cannot be eradicated.10.Get in touch with a speech-language professional that specializes in training to improve speaking and listening communication in English. You might benefit from such specialized training that will assist you in communicating effectively with your clients, staff, and colleagues as well as other people within the workplace or in social settings.

At times the solution to an eloquent and clear speech is more of what you are not saying than what you are. In your quest to improve English fluency, learning how to put certain appropriate pauses in your speech is one of the oldest, easiest, and most effective strategies of actually improving your English pronunciation, fluency, and quality of speech. A pause is a vital silent feature of an eloquent and clear speech. However, pauses are different and should not be equal. Below are three methods of using pauses to improve communication skills.Pause for precisionSome people make the mistake of rushing through their speech as if they have a better place to be or are forced to speak. This is most noticed when one is anxious or excited. This is not exactly advisable as it can make the listener miss very important information. Try to pause in certain places in your speech, especially when passing vital information to your listeners. Examples of where pauses are inevitable include your name, your contact details, your company name, and theme.Emphatic pauseWhen it comes to a part of your speech that you need to stress, be sure to pause before and after in order to drive home your information. This will signal the listener that the information passed is critical. People use this a lot when speaking to a group, or in presentations, or even on the phone. This strategy is especially useful if you are trying to persuade your listener, such as a sales pitch or negotiation.Pause to restore attentionAs someone speaking to a group of people, your audience can easily lose concentration after some time, or simply get lost in your speech. Regular well-timed pauses in your speech will help clarify your message and reawaken the attention of your listeners. This way, you can carry your audience along more effectively, thereby making them your message clearer to them to engage them and make yourself memorable.

One of the greatest problems people encounter in English pronunciation exercises is the failure to utilize what they have learned on how to reduce foreign accent in English. A lot of people normally devote ample time and effort to improve English fluency but later fail to take the time to put it into practice when they finally succeed in speaking English like an American. Proper and regular practice is one great method of maintaining your American English accent once you’ve mastered it. So find a way to integrate practice into your everyday routine. The following tips will help you maintain your American accent once you have attained mastery.1. Pick an exact time every day that you will use to concentrate on a specific part of your speech. For instance, a particular target sound, pronunciation or slowing down your speed. If you will forget to practice, set an alarm on your mobile to remind yourself to practice for at least 30 minutes. Hang on to your goal, don’t lose sight of it.2. Try and read aloud as much as possible. At the risk of sounding repetitive, take advantage of any chance you get to read out loud. Reading is a great opportunity to maintain your American accent, especially when you’re reading aloud or reading to an audience. It will make you to be cautious of your pronunciation. You don’t have to wait to read aloud to an audience; you can read to your kids or spouse or friend as practice. 3. If you have a spouse or are comfortable with some friends, you can ask them to remind you to focus on your speech whenever you’re communicating with them. This way, you will greatly improve your English pronunciation exercises.4. Drop reminders for yourself. If you would prefer to go about this alone, you can leave reminders such as notes for yourself in places that you can easily come by them often to remind you to concentrate on your maintaining your American accent anytime you’re speaking or reading.

The viability of a voicemail depends—to an extent—on the accent of the person leaving the voicemail. A lot of professionals in today’s busy workplaces allow their voicemail to screen their phone calls for them… listening to the messages and returning only the phone calls they consider important. Whether someone will delete the voicemail you left them or not depends on the quality of the message. The following tips will help you in leaving result-getting voicemails.When leaving a voicemail, always remember that a firm voice portrays professionalism and confidence. Your breath on the phone can be detected by the person at the other end of the line. Your accent also plays a role here. You stand a better chance if you speak English like an American so your prospect can understand you. Also, power your voice with your breath as you’re on the phone to maintain a firm, confident voice all through your speech.Take regular, strategic pauses from time to time in your message. This is help drive home your point by giving your listener ample time to process your message. Pause before and after saying certain things like your name, company name, in-between your phone number digits as well as the vital points of your speech.Aim for clarity in your speech. An incomprehensible or muffled voice over the phone often results in getting your voicemail deleted almost immediately. This is also where your accent comes into play. Endeavor to improve English fluency and reduce your foreign accent in English. Also, if you still have heavy foreign accent, you can alleviate this with accent reduction classes online that will improve English fluency within three months or less when you use Accent Reduction Center.Be brief and to the point if wish to make a lasting impression on the listener. Inasmuch as you have to emphasis your message, don’t go on and on about the same thing to avoid annoying your listener. You can be concise and still pass the necessary information in your message. In order to achieve this, rehash what you’d say when you call before placing the call. Also keep it within 30 seconds for best results.

As a nonnative English speaker, you’ve probably been studying English and sure know a lot of English words. Both your spoken and written English are great, so you’re certain you can live in America and speak English like an American fluently with the people you meet.However, when you arrive here, you discover that it’s not actually what you had anticipated—people may have a hard time understanding you. You may want to consider working on your spoken English. Your accent is just not understandable because your mastery of English is great or even superior to many native speakers. You can improve your pronunciation to be understood. A lot of people tend to use their indigenous accent in English, which brings about the communication issues they suffer from.In order to improve English fluency as an Indian, you need to find out all those sounds that cause the misunderstanding when you speak English and figure out how to pronounce them appropriately. Practicing these sounds daily will improve your pronunciation. There are similarities amid many of the dialects of India; below are the regular sounds that many Indians tend to mix-up in English pronunciation. When you identify the sounds that give you trouble, practice regularly to improve English fluency.1. Saying “F” in place of “V”To make an ‘F’ sound, put your top teeth on your lower lip and blow without using the voice. As explained above, ‘V’ needs the voice. Words such as “Fan” and “Van” can be used to practice.2. Saying “K” in place of “G”Just like in No. 1, ‘K’ is produced without voicing it while ‘G’ required voicing. They are both produced in back of the throat. If you try saying K-k-k-k, you’ll notice that there no vibration but saying G-g-g-g produces a vibration. Words such as “Corn” and “Gun” can be used to practice.  3. Saying “V” in place of “W”The sound ‘V’ doesn’t exist in Indian languages this is why Indians find it hard to pronounce ‘V’. To say the V sound correctly, touch your upper teeth to the lower lip and turn on the voice. Say ‘W’ by squeezing both lips and then moving the lower lip outwards. Words such as “Wan” and “Vane” can be used to practice.4. Saying “S” in place of “Z”A lot of Indians tend to pronounce the ‘Z’ sound as ‘S’ sound. The mouth and tongue are shaped the same way in pronouncing ‘S’ and ‘Z’ but the voicing. ‘Z’ is produced with the voice while ‘S’ is produced without the voice. That is, in pronouncing ‘Z’, there is vibration in the throat while is not so in ‘S’. Words such as “Sit” and “Zit” can be used to practice.5. Omitting Final SoundsMany Indians leave off the final consonants, which are very important in English. This makes it hard for the listener to decide what word was spoken. For instance, word like ‘can,’ ‘cad’ and ‘cat’ all sound like ‘Ca.’ So always pronounce the last consonants.