Professional clients and students often ask me – “what is the best way to improve my English quickly?” They don’t realize that the gadget they’re carrying around can help in a variety of ways beyond the apps they may have on it.
Using a smartphone or laptop to record yourself speaking can be a great help in improving your English. And it’s quite easy — though it takes some self-discipline!
First: write down sentences or a paragraph containing the target grammar structure (or pronunciation point) you want to improve; for example, present perfect, noun clauses, /th/, just to name a few. Next, make a recording on your device of yourself reading what you’ve written.
You can also use an excerpt from an article, or even better, a script from Ted Talks or your favorite movie or TV show – try to make sure whatever it is, it contains the ‘focus point’.
After you’ve recorded yourself, listen back and then make any corrections as needed. Doing this daily for 10-15 minutes will definitely help break bad speaking habits and habitual mistakes!