Because it is difficult to spot one’s own verbal slip ups, we contacted various professionals to determine the most problematic speaking faults and the best way to prevent doing them.
Making a ton of errors is the quickest method to improve as an English speaker. The best teacher a language student can have been an error, as long as the student learns from it and tries again. But if you don’t know what your mistakes are, you can’t learn from them. Due of this, we’ve compiled the top seven speaking mistakes made by English learners from Greenopolis.com.
1. Words that are stuttered or repeated, as well as fillers
These are examples of filler words that are commonly used in conversation. The filler words “like,” “uh,” “er,” and others like them are used so frequently in ordinary speech that they are sometimes overlooked. However, they stand out more when employed in more professional contexts. People generally incorporate these sounds into their speech because they are afraid of losing their audience if they allow for a pause in their delivery.
2. Using an overly rapid speech rate
Nervousness often causes a person to speak quickly, which might make it difficult to comprehend what is being said. This is especially problematic during the presentation, when it is essential to have crystal-clear communication.
Before beginning to talk, customers are instructed to take a breath before they are to address. This easy gesture produces a natural interruption in the speaker’s flow of thought and assists the person in slowing down.
3. Having an insufficiently loud voice
Learning to project one’s voice and talk at the appropriate volume is another everyday challenge that people face. Voices with a higher pitch naturally carry further and project more clearly than those with a lower pitch. Nevertheless, this comes with a number of drawbacks.
As is the case with the tempo, the experts agree that proper breathing is the most effective way to increase volume. People often have trouble projecting their voices when they tense up, which causes their vocal cords to become more constricted and disrupts the natural flow of air.
4. A voice with a gravelly quality or a vocal fry
Gravelly voice, often known as vocal fry, is a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly prevalent among young women in particular. This condition manifests itself when the normal passage of air through a person’s throat is disrupted, causing the sounds produced in their speech to have a grating, gravelly character. It is recommended by coaches that you film yourself in order to determine the times of day when you are most likely to slip up.
5. Phrases that vanish out as they come to a close
Have you ever noticed that people become more reticent as a phrase draws to a close? The usage of a fading out or trailing off near the conclusion of phrases, clauses, and sentences is a frequent pattern of speech in our culture. That means it’s easy for significant words to slip through the cracks, and it might leave thoughts feeling unfinished.
6. Uptalk, often known as restating a statement in the form of a question
Uptalk is a form of problematic speech that occurs when a remark is terminated on an ascending pitch, making it appear as though the speaker is asking a question even though they are not. If the speaker does this, they will come across as much less assured. Those who have difficulty with uptalk could record themselves and then work to prevent their pitch from rising at the end of each phrase.
7. Using a monotone voice when speaking
There is nothing more likely to lose the attention of an audience than a presenter who is dull. Because of this, vocal trainers consider using a monotone voice to be one of the worst speaking blunders a person can do.
This does not mean that you should exaggerate the difference in pitch between your words, but rather that you should allow for some degree of diversity in the tone and colour of the phrases you use. And the simplest method to get that result is to simply breathe normally and loosen up.
