How Non-Native Speakers Can Keep the Conversation Flowing

It seems challenging for a non-native speaker to keep the conversation flowing without getting confused looks. If English isn’t your first language, you sometimes feel embarrassed and frustrated when asked to repeat each word hundreds of times. Perhaps you mispronounce words or try to speak too fast like natives, but that’s a mistake you make. It’s crucial to consider accent modification training if your speech is unclear to others. Apart from speech reduction therapy, you can use the mentioned tips to improve your daily conversations.

Ask your listeners if they understand you

Some people are too polite to interrupt a speaker when they don’t understand, but their confused expressions always give it away. If your listeners seem uninterested or don’t respond wherever they should, they are likely having trouble understanding your speech. Maybe they don’t want you to feel embarrassed and, therefore, don’t ask you to repeat what you have just said. In such a scenario, the best you can do is ask them if they understand or follow what you say. It might help them feel comfortable and admit they didn’t understand your speech.

Spell or write down the word they don’t understand

Many times it happens that you assume you are speaking correctly, but your listeners don’t understand a word. If you have already repeated a word couple of times, it’s best to spell or write it down to make it clear. Stress patterns can sometimes confuse listeners, particularly if you have an accent you are trying to modify, but spelling out the word will help keep the conversation flowing rather than get stuck or misunderstood.

Speak slowly

You may want to sound like a native speaker but speaking too fast in the attempt is a mistake. Native speakers fluently speak because English is their first language; they are used to pronouncing words correctly and clearly. Many non-native speakers also have a habit of speaking fast because their native language has more syllables per second. When you want your listeners to understand and take an interest in your conversation, break the habit and speak slowly. Pause in between when you are talking to improve your clarity. Slowly speaking can be a bit frustrating initially, but you will receive less annoyed looks. What’s more? Practice makes perfect, and you will develop the habit of speaking slowly and clearly before you know it.

The bottom line

Keeping the conversation flowing can be challenging for a non-native speaker, but you can improve your speech with accent modification online training from a reputed and experienced speech therapist. After regular therapy sessions and daily practice, you will notice less confused and annoyed looks and more laughs and smiling faces during conversations with native speakers.