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The Importance of Pronunciation: How to Speak Clearly and Avoid Common Mistakes in English

English pronunciation is incredibly important if you want to be understood and avoid miscommunications.

Pronunciation should never be overlooked, so below you’ll find essential mistakes to avoid and resources to improve your overall pronunciation skills .

With better pronunciation, you’ll be one step closer to English fluency .

Why Is English Pronunciation Important? 

The most important mistakes to avoid for perfect pronunciation, 1. not paying attention to word stress, 2. forgetting to use correct intonation, 3. saying heteronyms the same way, 4. sounding out each vowel only one way, 5. pronouncing “th” only one way, 6. vocalizing silent letters, the best resources to practice english pronunciation, and one more thing....

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New English speakers can be easily misunderstood when pronouncing words incorrectly.

Furthermore, when even only one word is pronounced incorrectly, many people will think they understood you and therefore won’t ask for clarification. This can lead to some very confusing miscommunications !

That’s why it’s important to identify and fix common pronunciation mistakes to create smoother relationships with new English-speaking friends, business contacts, service people such as waiters or hairdressers and many others.

If you’d like to see some of these mistakes demonstrated verbally, check out the following video:

When used in the context of linguistics, word stress  essentially refers to the syllable in a word that’s emphasized the most.

Some languages, like Spanish, use accents to show stress, but English offers no such easy trick. Stress is very important when speaking English because a word can entirely change meaning depending on where you put the stress .

For the purpose of the examples here, I’ll divide syllables with dashes and show stress with bold text. Consider the word “contest,” which has two syllables: con-test.

You can either put stress on the first syllable or the second, which would be as follows.

a contest — / con -test/

to contest — /con- test /

The word with stress on the first syllable is a noun that means “a competition.” The word with stress on the second syllable is a verb that means “to oppose.” Note that in this case, the word stress not only changes the meaning of the word but also the part of speech (noun vs. verb).

Let’s look at another example. The word “present” has two syllables that can be broken up and stressed differently depending on what you wish to say.

a present — / pres -ent/ 

to present — /pre- sent / 

The first example is a noun meaning “a gift.” The second is a verb that means “to introduce.”

The website Word Stress is a great resource to practice pronunciation with correct word stress. It breaks words down into syllables and you have to guess which syllable you think the word stress falls on. 

It helpfully tracks the number of words you get correct, so you can see your progress as you practice. Plus, you can click to reveal a word’s part of speech, definition, stress and its International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols .

If you didn’t raise or lower your voice at certain parts of each sentence, you’d sound like a robot!

Intonation involves the rise and fall of your voice when speaking in full sentences. Incorrect intonation can change the meaning of a sentence or just sound very strange to native speakers. It’s especially important for conveying feelings or adding nuance to sentences.

For example, think about the sentence, “Why are you home so late?”

Imagine asking your spouse this simple question, genuinely wondering why he or she is home late. Practice the question aloud with a tone of curiosity. Perhaps you’d use a light falling intonation at the end of your sentence.

Now, practice saying it while imagining that you’re angry, believing that your spouse has been out doing something you aren’t happy about. When using an accusatory tone, your pitch might rapidly rise and fall.

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Heteronyms are words that are spelled exactly the same way but mean different things .

For example, “read” looks the exact same in both the present and past tense.

However, the pronunciation is quite different, with the present tense using a long “e” sound, like “reed,” and the past tense using the short “e” sound, like “red.” 

I read  every day.

I read a chapter last night. 

To avoid this mistake, learners should take the time to familiarize themselves with some of the most frequently used heteronyms. Here’s a helpful list of common heteronyms and how to pronounce them.

English vowels can be complicated and one letter can have many different sounds .

For example, the little vowel “o” has three distinct sounds, and that’s without considering vowel combination sounds! Listen to the following words.

Notice how each “o” is pronounced differently.

It’s really important that learners take the time to study every possible sound made by English vowels. For an in-depth guide on all the English vowel sounds, check out this article .

Here’s another mistake similar to the one above. The English syllable “th” has two distinct pronunciations , which many English learners tend to forget.

“Th” can either be voiced (with vocal chord vibration) or voiceless (without vocal chord vibration). Here’s how that actually sounds.

than — voiced “th” 

path — voiceless “th”

The easiest way to tell the difference is to put your fingers on your throat and see if you can feel vibrations.

You can see and hear a list of words that use the voiced “th” on this page from the University of California Berkeley . They also have one for the voiceless “th” here .

It’s important to remember that pronunciation doesn’t always go by the letters in a word. Very often, certain letters aren’t pronounced in English words .

Consider the word “used” in the following two sentences. When alone, as in the first sentence, you pronounce the final “d” in “used.” However, when it’s a part of the phrase “used to,” the final “d” sound is dropped.

used — I used the last of the shampoo.

used to — I used to hate broccoli.

Ah! Tricky, right? Here’s a helpful video on some of the most common silent letters in English.

After all that, it would be a good idea to practice even more! There are many diverse online resources you can use to practice English pronunciation and the following are a great place to start.

BBC Learning English

You can start with their series “Tim’s Pronunciation Workshop,” which tackles a variety of pronunciation topics and, as a bonus, includes transcripts for the videos.

At the bottom of this site, you can also find video instructions to pronounce individual sounds in English.

Cambridge Dictionary

As an added incentive, the site lets you create vocabulary lists and quizzes so you can save and work on the words giving you particular pronunciation trouble.

Minimal Pairs

Focusing on minimal pairs helps fine-tune your ear in English and catch your own bad pronunciation habits.

Phonetic Alphabet Course on Memrise

It’s a good idea to learn the International Phonetic Alphabet symbols, as they’re widely used to write phonetic notations.

If you know the IPA, you can understand the correct pronunciation of a word just by looking it up in the dictionary and reading its IPA spelling.

You can practice the IPA with audio and exercises on Memrise , a language learning site that centers around memorization. They break the IPA down into 14 lessons.

In addition to these online resources, you can also use songs to practice your English pronunciation in a fun and engaging way! 

Hopefully, you recognize the necessity of studying pronunciation and are ready to dedicate new time and energy to mastering this important English skill!

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If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.

The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.

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For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:

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Importance of Pronunciation

Is Pronunciation important? Does it really affect our communication if we mispronounce any word? Let’s talk about the importance of pronunciation.

Pronunciation plays a major role when we talk about English speaking skills. As a fluent English speaker, one needs to ensure that he makes the right pronunciation if he wants to convey the message effectively and properly.

The correct pronunciation is extremely important especially when you are speaking English. The significant fact about pronunciation is that it is not something that you can learn but it’s a physical skill that you need to practice and master regularly.

Now, the question arises of how to master this. First of all, you need to identify your areas of improvement that means to find out the words which you are mispronouncing and following the right approach to learning the right pronunciation.

Although many language aspirants go for advanced English speaking course online to make sure that they get the right training to fix their all the pronunciation errors. You may join our professional English speaking   course if you wish to overcome all your pronunciation issues.

#08 quick tips to improve yourself

Listen to yourself (Record yourself)

Are you also the one who doesn’t like listening to your voice? If yes, then my dear friend, you are not alone, most people feel the same. The fact is that most people don’t like to listen to their voice which is quite funny. But this is the only way you can work on your pronunciation. To know, what words or letters you are mispronouncing, you first need to identify your errors, so that you can accordingly prepare and practice yourself. If you are not aware of the mistakes you are making, how will you be able to correct?

Try to record your voice on your smartphone and make notes of areas you need to brush up on. Another advantage of doing this activity is that it will make you feel confident as you will realize that you don’t speak that badly as you might think. So, go and start doing it from today itself.

Speak Slowly

What do you mean by being fluent? Speaking very fast without taking any pause is fluency! A big NO is an answer. Fluency doesn’t mean that you have to speak very fast. Speaking with the right pauses at right time is fluency. Why are we talking about this here? Let me tell you, when we try to speak very fast just to leave a strong impression on others, we forget that we are committing many errors based on pronunciation. If you want to speak effectively and impressively, you need to slow down your pace. This will not only help you to become a consistent and confident speaker but will also allow you the time to think about what you want to say next.

So, if you are a beginner and make pronunciation errors, this point is highly recommended for you all. Speak slowly and gradually master the art of pronunciation. You may also join our American English speaking course online and British English speaking course for better practice.

Pronunciation is physical exercise

Why do we go to the gym? We do because we want our body in shape. It’s a physical exercise only which helps you to become well-built. The same applies to pronunciation as well. You have to follow the same approach, nothing needs to be done differently. Pronunciation is also a physical skill. How? You need to move and use your mouth muscles differently to learn correct pronunciation. For example, having trouble with ‘th’ sound. For this put your tongue between your teeth and blow air out of your mouth. Feel the air give way the highest of your tongue. For this, you can join English speaking course online and practice the art of communication effectively with right guidance.

Self assess yourself/Mirror technique

How can you do it? 

Practice in front of the mirror to see the placement of your tongue, lips, and shape of your mouth when you make certain sounds. Believe me, this is one of the best techniques that you can follow and see the visible changes very soon. Self assessment makes you realize your areas of improvement. Once you know this, you should go for some online English communication classes that provide you the platform to improve yourself.

Listening to English audios

We can’t avoid the fact that we learn English not only by speaking but also by listening. Therefore, this is recommended for all English learners to listen to English programs and watch movies in English. Concentrate on every single word spoken by them. Imitate the same word you are struggling to understand at the same time when you are hearing.

Don’t become Shy: Practice in Isolation

Why do we face pronunciation problems? Because we are too conscious to present ourselves in front of others. First of all, we have to grow our confidence level and need to start speaking to ourselves. Sounds funny? But it’s not. When you practice speaking alone, you become more confident because no one is watching you. How can you do it? You are supposed to create some imaginary situations like meeting your colleagues, friends, doing shopping, etc. Let’s get started with our English communication course online and make learning fun.

How to pronounce long words?

Do you face problems in pronouncing long words? Here, you need to understand the syllables. What is a syllable? Breaking or diving the word into small parts is called syllable.

Each word is made up of syllable. When you break the word into parts (Syllables),it makes the speaker pronounce the word easily. How to know that how many syllables are there in a word? For this, you should place your hand flat under your chin. Then try to say the word slowly. When your chin touches your hand, that’s a syllable. Or you can also write the syllable word and draw a line or leave a space between each syllable.

Pay attention to intonation and emphasize stress

 We just don’t speak individual words with individual sounds. Good pronunciation is also about having good command and understanding of your tonality (rise and fall of the voice) and stress (putting emphasis and making different sounds for the powerful words of the sentence). How can you practice doing this? Here comes the role of listening wherein you should listen to various poems, lectures, speeches to have a better understanding of stress and intonation.

Have fun and enjoy reading.

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Public Speaking, Presenting & English Pronunciation

English pronunciation for public speaking and presentations.

What do you need to consider for better presentations?

The key to a great presentation is preparation, preparation and preparation. 

First and foremost remember that you’re the expert on the subject you are presenting about. Have confidence! People want to hear the information you are delivering. 

Practise your presentation out loud as many times as you can before you do it. If you find practising your presentation painful you are not alone! Many people would rather swim with a shark than practise their presentations out loud BUT it’s the ONLY way to get the practise you need. 

Clear pronunciation is a must for a good presentation. It’s important for listeners to be able to understand and catch your message easily and clearly. Particularly is the presentation is training related. 

How can you improve your English Pronunciation for Public Speaking and Presenting? 

Follow these top 4 tips for improving your English speech clarity for better public speaking. 

Practise your presentation out loud.

As you go, highlight or write down words that you aren’t confident with pronouncing. After you’ve finished, for each word, think about what you aren’t sure of. Are there long vowels or diphthong (double) vowels you are missing? For the multi-syllable words, are you confused about which syllable is stressed? You can listen to these words and check the sounds and stress in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) with the Cambridge Online Dictionary.

Voice Record it.

The next time you practise out loud, record it using a voice recorder. For iphone users, record your voice using the VoiceMemo app. For android users, find your voice recorder app (eg Samsung Voice Recorder) or download one.  If you can’t find one, use this great online voice recorder to record your presentation. As you listen to it check the following pronunciation aspects:

– rate or speed of speaking: if you sometimes speak too fast you will need to check your speed. Are you speaking too fast? If yes, over the next few days pay more attention to your rate of speaking and focus on controlling your rate. When you speed up, it is likely that your pronunciation will become worse and you are putting extra load on your listeners. See a video on improving rate of speaking. If you sometimes forget to control your rate, write ‘slow down’ at the top of your presentation notes in your first language to remind you.

– past tense: have you used the past tense correctly? Check you are using the regular and irregular past tense well. If you don’t it will be confusing for listeners.

– no ‘mumbling’. Some people don’t move their mouth enough for clear English. Often this is because their first language has a more closed mouth position than English. See this video to check you are opening and moving your mouth enough for clear English.

– English word stress: are you using good word stress in multi-syllable words or do they sound flat or have incorrect stress? Listen to the up and down of the voice / pitch in English. Many non-native speakers use a flatter pitch and tone. This can make presentations monotone, which can makes it sound less interesting. Make sure you join our 5 day Free English Pronunciation Video Course to improve your word stress and English accent and pronunciation.

– good word endings: check your word endings (especially speakers of Cantonese, Vietnamese, Thai, Burmese and other south east asian languages). If you are leaving the endings off words it makes many English words unclear.Improving these areas above will set you on the path to clearer E nglish. As mentioned above, to improve your  English Pronunciation for Public Speaking and Presenting join our 5 day Free English Pronunciation Video Course.

Practise it out loud …. again.

That’s right! Although it’s painful, each time you practise it out loud you are doing very important work. Pay attention to the areas listen above as you practise. The more you practise out loud the better. The key when you are practising out loud is to ACTIVELY listen to your pronunciation. This means actively listening for and checking things like word endings, past tense, rate and so on.

Question Time!

Anticipate questions people might ask you. Practise answering these out loud too. Practice giving succinct answers with the relevant details. If you’re having difficulty thinking of questions you might be asked, write down five possible questions beforehand. 

Remember that you’re the expert on the subject you are presenting about. Have confidence!

Would you like to take your presentation skills and public speaking to the next level?

I recommend you join a Toastmasters club. Toastmasters has clubs all over the world that you can join to develop your public speaking skills in a friendly, small group environment.

Toastmasters is a fantastic way to meet locals, improve all areas of your spoken  English including your pronunciation skills and develop your public speaking and presentation skills. 

AND it looks VERY impressive on your resume. 

Find a Toastmasters Club near you . It’s a great opportunity to improve your spoken English and English Pronunciation for Public Speaking and Presenting.

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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

• Carmine Gallo

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

• Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

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Pronunciation matters

• 1 Pronunciation matters
• 2 Pronunciation matters: Integrating pronunciation into your teaching
• 3 Pronunciation Matters: Prescriptive or descriptive?
• 4 Pronunciation matters: Using the phonemic chart
• 5 Pronunciation matters: Sound reasons for teaching pronunciation

Pronunciation matters: Sound reasons for teaching pronunciation

Why is it important to teach pronunciation?  What are some of the key areas of pronunciation? In this article, Adrian Tennant will be answering these questions as well as giving a few practical ideas to help teachers get started. 

Introduction

Pronunciation is one area of teaching which is often neglected. This is evident in the way that pronunciation is treated in most coursebooks. Flicking through half a dozen books on my desk, I found only one which has regular pronunciation activities in the units! I also notice that when I talk to teachers, there are a few who say they try and do some pronunciation in most lessons; the majority either do very little or none at all! Why is this?

Well, there are a number of reasons. First, many aspects of pronunciation are difficult to teach (or at least that is the perception). Secondly, unlike a grammatical or functional area of language, it can be quite difficult to build a lesson around a pronunciation point and therefore such points are add-ons to a unit in a coursebook or a lesson in the class. Thirdly, teachers often feel under prepared to teach pronunciation and many seem to struggle to learn the phonemic alphabet (although this is certainly less true of many non-native-speaker teachers).

One problem is to do with the way in which pronunciation is presented. Quite frequently, the emphasis is on individual sounds and distinguishing these sounds from each other. Sometimes there might be a bit of work done on word or sentence stress, but this is usually limited to tonic prominence and contrastive stress. Some work might also be done on intonation, but this mostly focuses on questions and question tags. It seems to me that these areas are chosen not because they are useful for students, or will help them be better English speakers and listeners, but simply because they are (relatively) easy to teach. Let me give an example.

One of the few areas of pronunciation that invariably crops up in coursebooks, and which most teachers talk about having covered, is the regular past endings /t/, /d/ and /ɪd/. But, if we actually look at the usefulness of teaching these endings, we will notice something significant. Distinguishing between words that take either the /t/ or /d/ ending is really unnecessary, as it is virtually impossible to say a word that ends with a /t/ sound with a / d/ sound and vice versa. It is, of course, possible to say any past form with an /ɪd/ ending, even when this is incorrect. Therefore it is possibly useful to teach which words take /ɪd/ and which don’t. The same can be said for /s/ and /z/ sounds for the third person ‘s’.

So, what should we teach?

To start with, we need to think about the main aim of teaching pronunciation. Is it because we want our students to speak with an RP (Received Pronunciation) accent? Or is it that we want them to be understood and to be able to communicate effectively? For most students, the first target would be both unrealistic and, to be blunt, pointless. Not only would very few students be able to achieve such a goal, but very few native speakers speak with an RP accent and so it seems a rather unrealistic target. However, if the second aim – intelligibility – is the target, then we need to work out what it actually is that makes people intelligible or unintelligible; in other words, we need to work out what aspects of pronunciation are key.

Of course, the teaching of pronunciation should not solely focus on the production of sounds, but also on receptive skills, i.e. understanding when listening. So, even if we think that our students may not be able to speak with an RP accent, should they at least be able to understand one?

One argument here is that English is now a Lingua Franca and is more likely to be used as the means of communication between two non-native speakers than between a non-native and native speaker. As such, a native model of pronunciation is not necessarily the best model. A number of linguists have tried to identify ‘core’ features of pronunciation that occur in English when used as a Lingua Franca . This is not a simplified form of pronunciation, but rather a different model that can be used for teaching and learning.

On the other hand, detractors of a Lingua Franca model of pronunciation argue that there is a need for a standard model against which everything can be measured. They argue that this model should be a native model such as RP or Standard American. They point out that even when this model is not one which is spoken by a majority of native speakers, it still acts as a model for all native speakers. For example, people with a strong regional accent will ‘tone down’ or modify their accent when talking to people from other regions or countries in order to make themselves intelligible. Thus, the important thing here is not necessarily having an achievable target, but having a model that can be used in order to aid intelligibility. With that in mind, let’s examine some aspects of pronunciation and look at what we should be teaching.

As I mentioned earlier, a lot of pronunciation work focuses on distinguishing between individual sounds. The obvious examples of this are things such as /ʃɪp/ ( ship ) or /ʃi:p/ ( sheep ) and /tri:/ ( tree ) or /Ɵri:/ ( three ). The first thing to ask here is, is it necessary/useful to try and teach these differences? First of all, not all native speakers of English actually make a distinction (many speakers say /tri:/ for /Ɵri:/, for example); and, secondly, surely the context these words are used in will, more often than not, be sufficient to help the listener distinguish which word is being used. For example, We went to France by /ʃi:p/: It is fairly obvious which word fits the context and insisting that the pronunciation of the word is essential for understanding is being ridiculous.

Does this mean we shouldn’t teach sounds? Not at all, but it does mean we need to think about why we are teaching them. If, for example, we are teaching a multilingual class and there are any sounds that all our students (or the majority) are having problems with, then we might want to spend some time on these. Or, are there any sounds that particular students find hard to produce and this means that other students in the class find it difficult to understand them? If, on the other hand, we are teaching a monolingual class, are there particular sounds that we know are difficult for speakers of this language? For example, if you are teaching in Italy, you might want to work on /æ/ and /e/ as these are often confused. Or you might wish to work on the /h/ sound as there is no equivalent in Italian, although it is important that students don’t overcompensate and add an /h/ sound where there isn’t one, e.g. /haɪ/ instead of ‘I’. So your decision as to whether you focus on sounds will depend on who you are teaching and if you feel it causes a communication problem.

Word stress

In many cases, incorrect word stress will lead to more problems than the use of an incorrect phoneme (sound) in a word. This is not only because word stress can sometimes alter the complete meaning of the word, changing it from a noun to a verb, for example, pre sent (n.) vs. pre sent (vb), but also because, in English, not every syllable in a word is necessarily the same length (especially in connected speech) and this is often the main cause of a sound being wrong, rather than a learner’s inability to form the sound. So, if we use Italian as an example again, most diphthongs in English will be problematic as Italian students will tend to give equal stress to the two parts of a diphthong rather than stressing the first element as we do in English.

The unpredictability of word stress is often a cause of problems. In many languages speakers know exactly which syllable is stressed as it is the same in every word, e.g. in Hungarian the first syllable is always stressed. Quite often students aren’t aware of what they do in their own language and therefore don’t understand why they are having a problem with English sounds and stress patterns. Awareness-raising activities are a good way to start.

Sentence stress

Why do some students have problems with sentence stress in English? Probably the root cause is linked to the student’s first language. Students whose language is syllable-timed - e.g. Italian, French, Hungarian – may have problems with English, which is a stress-timed language. In particular, aspects such as weak forms in connected speech can be difficult. This is because students are used to giving equal stress to each syllable in their own language.

Of course, stress in English sentences is extremely important as it is often used to indicate the meaning and importance of certain information. When the stress is incorrect then there can be a breakdown in communication. These problems can be both in terms of speaking (productive) and listening (receptive) skills. Activities that make students aware of the importance of sentence stress, as well as activities that focus on hearing and producing various aspects of sentence stress, are extremely useful.

Intonation plays a key role in pronunciation. In many respects it’s not what we say, but how we say it that conveys meaning. However, it’s a bit silly to talk about intonation in isolation as it is often affected by stress, tone and rhythm. This can be seen on a word level: when one syllable is stressed for emphasis, the pitch falls from high to low.

If we look at intonation at sentence level, we will notice that a particular sentence can have a number of meanings simply by varying the intonation. As an example, take the short phrase It’s ready . If we go from high pitch on It’s to low on the first syllable of ready and then to high on the last syllable of  ready, this will probably indicate surprise. If, on the other hand, we go from high pitch on  It’s and the first syllable of ready to low pitch on the last syllable of ready , then this is probably indicating a matter of fact, or if the drop is quite large it might indicate frustration or relief from the speaker. Coupling these shifts in intonation with lengthening certain sounds, i.e. the /e/ phoneme in ready , changes the meaning again and now indicates a Come on, we’re waiting or Hurry up! meaning.

Quite clearly intonation is an important aspect of pronunciation. It’s important to make our students aware of this fact and get them to try intonation activities to help them become better at hearing and producing different intonation patterns.

Connected speech

Connected speech includes sentence stress and intonation, but here I want to focus on a different aspect of connected speech – what happens to sounds in connected speech. This is an important aspect of pronunciation not just in terms of producing the correct sounds, but in understanding when you are listening. In fact, many learners find it difficult to understand native speakers of English for this very reason. They have learnt words and sounds in isolation and struggle when a word is pronounced differently because it is in connected speech. Students need to be made aware of areas such as assimilation (where a sound is affected by the other sounds around it, often by sounds that follow it but sometimes by those preceding it), elision (where a sound disappears completely because of the sound that follows it) and liaison (where a sound is added that is not normally part of the word or words).

This type of focus needs to be included right from the start of learning English and not left until students are at intermediate level or higher. Examples of assimilation, elision and liaison are common with even the most basic phrases and word combinations in English. For example, How do you do? is not said as /,haʊ,du:,ju:ˈdu:/ but as / ,haʊdju:ˈdu:/ or even as / ,haʊdjəˈdu:/. Not only are the words not articulated separately, but some sounds disappear, i.e. the /u:/ from the first do is assimilated into the word you rather than repeated.

Thus, regular work on connected speech is essential if students are going to be able to deal with English as it is really used.

Quite clearly, pronunciation is both incredibly complex and an important area for teaching and learning. In this article we have barely scratched the surface and yet have managed to show why it is important to include pronunciation in our lessons. Pronunciation is not just about producing the right sounds or stressing the right syllables, it is also about helping students understand what they hear. 

Some practical ideas

• Correct the teacher:  Choose two sounds that your students mix up and choose some words that are similar but differ because of that sound, i.e. pack/back, pat/bat, poor/bore  OR know/now, row (/rəʊ/)/ row (/raʊ/), etc. Write these words up in two columns on the board. Ask a student to say one of the words and you point to it. If you point to the wrong word (i.e. the student wanted to say one word but said the other) the student tells you, the teacher, ‘No’ and then tries again. The great thing about this activity is that it appears that it’s you, the teacher, who is getting things wrong, not the student.
• Using your mouth:  Use a phonemic chart to practise sounds and to make students aware of how sounds are formed using their lips, tongue, etc. For example, point to the /ɪ/ phoneme and ask students to make the right sound. Then point to the /e/ phoneme and get them to make that sound. Finally, point to the /æ/ phoneme and get them to make that sound. Now get students to make each sound in turn starting from /ɪ/ and ending with /æ/. Ask students what they notice about their mouth – it should be narrow and (almost) closed to make the /ɪ/ phoneme and gets slightly wider, but still narrow for /e/ and then quite open, but still narrow, for the /æ/ phoneme. You can then do similar awareness raising activities for other sounds using the chart.
• Who’s my partner?  Choose a set of words that all have different stress patterns (it’s nice if you can use words your students have recently learnt). Write out two sets of cards, the first set containing a word on each card and the second set containing the corresponding stress patterns, i.e.

telephone, computer, kitchen, machine

Cut up the cards and give one to each student in the class, making sure that each word has a corresponding stress pattern card. Then ask students to walk around; those with the words should read them out and the students with the stress pattern cards should decide if they have the matching card.

Which word? Choose words that have two stress patterns depending on whether they are a verb, noun, adjective, etc. For example, convict, refuse, desert . Write out a sentence and give students the two choices, they then need to decide which one fits. Next put students in pairs and ask them to write a sentence containing the other word (stress pattern). i.e.    

re fuse (v)/ re fuse (n)

I hope he doesn’t __________.

I ______________ to do it.

Students should choose the first option for this sentence and then write a new sentence containing  re fuse.                    .

• Saying it right:  On the board write up a series of short phrases using phonemic script and ask your students to say them and work out exactly what is being said, for example /ˌtentəˈtu:/ ( ten to two ), /knaɪˌhelpˈju:/ ( Can I help you? ), /ˌneksˈpli:z/ ( Next please! ) or /ˈɪzðeərenɪƟɪnˈtu:ˌwi:t/ ( Is there anything to eat? ). This kind of activity is both fun and informative.

Tonic prominence: The placement of stress on a particular syllable/word within a sentence. Prominence is usually given to the meaning carrying words.

Contrastive stress: Grammar words (also known as function words) such as auxiliary verbs, prepositions, pronouns, etc are usually unstressed. However, any word can be stressed where the meaning requires it, i.e. contrasting or correcting something a person has said or is likely to think, for example I got a taxi from  the airport. Not to  the airport.  He  did it. Not she .

Syllable-timed: A syllable-timed language is one where each syllable is given equal stress or weighting. This means that the length of each syllable is equal and there are no unstressed syllables. Languages such as Italian and Hungarian are syllable timed. In many cases the same syllable is always stressed, i.e. in Hungarian the first syllable in each word is always stressed.

Stress-timed: In a stress-timed language the syllables are not always the same length and the stress can move depending on meaning, syntax, etc. Often the stress tends to recur at regular intervals, i.e. every fifth syllable of a sentence. This means that some words can be unstressed. English is an example of a stress-timed language.

Assimilation: Where a sound is changed either by the one following it, or by the one preceding it. So the sound affected might change from voiced to unvoiced or might disappear completely, e.g. in the sentence He’s in bed . The words in bed are pronounced as /ɪmˈbed/ and not /ɪnˈbed/.

Elision: When a sound disappears completely through assimilation, we refer to this as elision. For example, in the phrase Next please the ‘t’ sound in next disappears so that what is said is /ˈneks,pli:z/.

Liaison: Sometimes a sound is inserted where one does not occur in order to link two words together smoothly. The most common forms of liaison are linking /r/, intrusive /r/, intrusive /w/ and intrusive /j/. For example, when you say the words you are , a /w/ sound is inserted between the two words joining them together: /ju:ˈwɑ:/ rather than /ju:ˈɑ:/.

• British English
• Pronunciation
• Teaching Notes
• Whole Class

Pronunciation matters: Integrating pronunciation into your teaching

Pronunciation matters: prescriptive or descriptive.

Pronunciation matters: Using the phonemic chart

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Only registered users can comment on this article., more from pronunciation.

In this article, Adrian Tennant looks at when you should teach pronunciation and how you can integrate it into your lesson, with a number of practical ideas and activities given as inspiration.

The terms prescriptive and descriptive are well known with reference to the teaching of grammar. However, in this article they are used in regards to the teaching of pronunciation. Here, Adrian Tennant looks at a number of issues surrounding the ways in which pronunciation is dealt with in learning materials ...

This article looks at different ways of using the phonemic chart with your students. It presents reasons why it is useful for students to know the phonemic alphabet, and gives a few practical ideas to help teachers use the phonemic chart in their lessons. 

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Pronunciation tips for presenters

The following page intends to give some useful tips and advice on improving pronunciation whilst giving a presentation.

Get physical

Do some 'warm-ups' to loosen up your mouth and your tongue before you speak. You can move and stretch your mouth, and repeat tricky words and sounds. Doing this will help you to overcome the physical 'stiffness' of the articulators and to speak fluently and clearly.

Get interested in your talk

Focus on your content. Make it sound interesting for your audience. If you speak with meaning and commitment along with healthy interest in the subject you tend to lose your nerves. Ensure you speak clearly so that your pronunciation can be understood.

Give your audience time to take in what you are saying

You can do this by pausing at the end of word groups and information chunks. Pausing is important for listeners because they need time to absorb information. Pausing also gives you, the presenter, time and 'space' to stress key words and use intonation signals.

However, too much pausing, or stopping at the end of each word or couple of words can make you sound hesitant and lacking in confidence. It also makes every word carry too much meaning. English speakers get meaning across by stressing key words in information chunks.

Give your audience a sense of direction

Don't lose your audience in a forest of words. A presentation is like a journey. Take your audience with you.

Signal new topics and sections of your presentation by:

• starting on a higher pitch level
• stressing the key words, such as signposting words and the topic word/s of your new section.

Let your audience know when information is finished or not by using:

Let your audience know what's important

Present key information clearly by stressing key words. In English, new information usually occurs towards the end of a speech chunk or sentence. Keep your voice and breath going so you can stress those crucial words at the end.

Get the basics right

Make sure that you can pronounce key vocabulary, data, names and acronyms clearly and accurately. To do this:

• check the stress in poly-syllabic (multi-syllabic) words - use a dictionary or ask a competent English speaker if you are not sure. Practice difficult vocabulary.
• identify and practise problem sounds, particularly in high frequency words and key words in your presentation.

Rehearse and reflect

Nothing beats practice. It is amazing what mistakes you will find in a presentation as soon as you start rehearsing.

Practise your presentation standing up and imagine yourself in the situation.

• Your opening. When you start your presentation, you're likely to feel nervous so it is helpful to know exactly what you are going to say to open your presentation, where you will pause, what words you will stress, and the intonation you will use.
• Topic sentences and signposting words introducing new topics or making a topic change. This will make your transitions smooth and easy to follow.
• Your conclusion and the body of your presentation, including how you will refer to any visual aids as you move through your presentation.

Video or record yourself if possible and use a checklist to evaluate how effective you are. Better still, get someone to listen to you and give you some feedback.

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Pronunciation in the english language classroom is more than just 'listen and repeat', by mark hancock, 09 december 2018 - 14:46.

Aaron Burden used under licence and adapted from the original . 

How can English language teachers help learners with pronunciation? Mark Hancock, a winner of the 2018 ELTons award for English language teaching innovation, shares his expertise.

What makes teaching pronunciation different from teaching other parts of the English language?

Pronunciation is more than 'listen and repeat'. Pronunciation includes features of language (vocabulary and grammar) and skills (speaking and listening).

Like vocabulary and grammar, we pronounce by noticing and understanding rules and patterns which lie beneath the surface of speech.

For example, if an English word has two syllables, the stress is usually on the first syllable for nouns and adjectives, and the second syllable for verbs.

Since pronunciation is part of speaking, it is also physical. To pronounce a new language, we need to re-train the muscles we use to speak.

And pronunciation involves listening to how the language sounds. We can practise by focusing on connected speech while playing fragments from speech recordings.

What role do the tongue, lips and jaw play in pronunciation?

Our tongue, lips and jaw (vocal articulators) physically shape our pronunciation. When we learn our first language, we develop speech habits which we may not be conscious of developing. This is what makes pronunciation in a new language so difficult – we carry with us the speech habits from our first language.

According to Tracey Derwing and Murray Munro, authors of Pronunciation Fundamentals , most people who learn a new language will keep accent features from their first language.

However, an accent is not necessarily a problem. You can keep your accent and still be understood.

What is the biggest change you’ve witnessed in English language teaching in your 30 years of experience?

English has become a lingua franca, or language which people use to communicate with one another globally. People with different languages use English to communicate, even if there is no native English speaker present.

In her book The Phonology of English as an International Language , Jennifer Jenkins argues that English's role as a lingua franca has implications for teaching pronunciation. The goal is not to sound like a native speaker, but rather to communicate effectively in a global context.

What advice can you give to someone who wants to teach English in a country where English is not the medium of instruction?

A learner's goal may be to communicate with other people from around the globe; not necessarily with native English speakers. With this in mind, you should focus more on aspects of pronunciation which aid understanding.

Some features of pronunciation make the message clearer to the listener. For example, a clear difference between the /r/ and /l/ sounds.

You can teach or practise intelligibility with communication activities. Using the /r/ and /l/ example, you can put pairs of words such as correct and collect into a game in which success depends on the learner being able to hear and say the difference.

You can teach optional features of pronunciation to make words easier to say, such as saying gonna instead of going to . Gonna may be easier for a learner to say, and is closer to how many native speakers pronounce going to . However, it is optional because most listeners will understand gonna or going to. 

What are your top tips for someone looking to strengthen their language and pronunciation skills?

Notice what your lips, tongue, jaw and throat muscles are doing when you speak, in your own language and in English.

For example, when you say the sound /t/, pay attention to the tip of your tongue. Does it touch the back of your teeth, or the ridge above them? How is it similar to the /d/ sound? How is it different?

Become aware of your beliefs and prejudices about pronunciation.

Many speakers of English say that they never use glottal stops (the sound we make when we close the glottis while speaking), but they do. According to John Wells in the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary , most people use the glottal stop to replace the /t/ sound in words like button.

Deciding to learn English with a British or American accent is not a helpful target.

Instead, focus on features of pronunciation which could distort your message. For example, speakers of Vietnamese may miss consonants from the ends of words, and speakers of German may confuse the /v/ and /w/ sounds. This might make it difficult for listeners to understand some words. 

What are the most common pronunciation issues that language learners encounter?

The most serious pronunciation issues are the ones we are not aware of.

For example, people who speak Spanish already make sounds which resemble the English /b/ and /v/. However, in Spanish, /b/ and /v/ are allophones – variants of the same sound.

Spanish hearers may not notice the difference, because hearing a language – like speaking it – is a habit we form in childhood. If a difference is not significant in our mother tongue, we might not notice it in the language we are learning.

Teachers need to help learners to notice such features in the target language. We can do that by teaching a short rhyme which includes many examples of a sound, so that it becomes noticeable to the learner.

How can learners choose when using homonyms, homophones, homographs or heteronyms?

English spelling is unhelpful for learners. It evolved out of speech, but then speech and spelling went their separate ways. Consequently, there are often many ways of spelling the same sequence of sounds. This results in homophones like 'piece' and 'peace'.

Conversely, the same sequence of letters may be pronounced differently, resulting in homographs like row  (line) and row  (argument).

Homophones and homographs are challenging for learners of English, but they aren’t the main problem. They are extreme cases of a bigger issue – the irregular relationship between English spelling and sound across the language.

It’s almost enough to drive a learner to despair, and we teachers don’t help much by throwing a lot of –ough words at the class while suggesting that there is no rhyme or reason in English spelling. In fact, there are actually many patterns and regularities.

I give learners games and puzzles which help them to notice and become familiar with these patterns.

For example, challenge learners to add the sounds /k/ or /g/ to the beginning of a list of words:

With the new sounds, the words change entirely:

Or, ask the learners to change the spelling of a list of words:

so they rhyme with Spain or late :

• plane/plain

To learn more about using pronunciation techniques in the classroom, register to attend Mark's webinar on Thursday 13 December at 16.00 UK time.

Teachers of English and Language Assistants can sign up for the online module Teaching Pronunciation at half-price. 

Teachers, visit our  TeachingEnglish  website for more lesson plans and activities, and find out how you can become a  TeachingEnglish blogger .

You might also be interested in

• Use pop songs to learn connected speech and sound more fluent in English
• How English learners can improve intonation
• What does your accent say about you?

View the discussion thread.

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Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Presentations > The importance of enunciation in your presentation

The importance of enunciation in your presentation

As humans, our ability to communicate is one of our most valuable skills. Whether we’re giving a presentation to our work colleagues, delivering a speech at a wedding, or making small talk with a stranger, the way we speak and present ourselves can make a difference in how we —and our message—are perceived.

What is enunciation, and why is it important?

Each of us speaks using our tongue, lips, teeth, and vocal cords, creating our unique and distinct sound. That makes enunciation, the act of pronouncing words clearly and accurately, with appropriate emphasis on key syllables, very important. Good enunciation makes our speech easy to understand for others and helps us to communicate our message clearly and concisely.

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Enunciation is critical to effective communication: Poor enunciation can lead to confusion, misunderstanding, and misinterpretation. It can also make us appear less confident and less professional, which can negatively impact our presentation’s credibility.

Additionally, good enunciation is essential in certain professions, such as broadcasting, public speaking , and voiceover work. In these roles, the speaker’s voice is their primary tool, and the ability to enunciate words clearly is foundational to success.

How to speak effectively

Improving your enunciation skills requires practice and patience. Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Focus on your breathing. Good enunciation starts with proper breathing. Take deep breaths and practice controlling your breathing while speaking. This will help you to speak more clearly and with greater confidence.
• Pay attention to your mouth and tongue. Your mouth and tongue are critical to clear enunciation. Practice by opening your mouth wide and enunciating each syllable of the word. Pay attention to the position of your tongue and lips and make adjustments as needed.
• I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream
• He threw three free throws
• Snap crackle pop
• Six sticky skeletons
• Which witch is which?
• Record yourself. Use your phone’s memo app while you’re speaking to identify areas where you need improvement. Listen back to the recording and pay attention to your pronunciation, emphasis, and pacing.

Enunciation tools and exercises

If you’re looking for enunciation assistance, Microsoft 365 solutions offer features that can bridge the gap between written or typed text and speech:

• Word has a Read Aloud feature that can read your writing back, which can aid in reviewing the ease or difficulty of a presentation’s flow. Immersive Reader can also improve fluency and communication skills by adjusting your focus when reading a lengthy document.
• PowerPoint’s Speaker Coach can help you rehearse your presentation, using AI to evaluate and advise on pitch, pacing, use of filler words or informal speech, and wordiness before your big presentation.
• During a Teams meeting, you can turn on live captions and subtitles : As you or your colleagues speak, Teams will display real-time captions that can clarify pronunciation and enunciation.

The ability to speak clearly is essential to effective communication: It helps convey a message clearly, confidently, and professionally. By practicing your enunciation skills, you can improve your communication and boost your confidence in any situation.

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Why Proper Pronunciation is Important: A Step Beyond Your ESL Class

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Learning how to develop proper pronunciation can open up so many opportunities! Read this article to learn why!

Current estimates show that there are approximately  1 billion people learning English  worldwide. If you are one of these people, you will need to learn proper pronunciation.

Even if you can speak English words, misconceptions about what you are saying may arise if you are not pronouncing them right.

Curious about why you need to focus on pronunciation? Here are some of the top reasons why you should spend the time to get your pronunciation right.

1. Bad Pronunciation Creates a Negative Impression

When you are having a conversation with others in English, your pronunciation is one of the first things they will pick up on.

People will notice if your pronunciation is good or bad as soon as you start speaking the simplest of words. Bad pronunciation creates a bad first impression and it can also play with your confidence, which makes it even more difficult for you to communicate.

While having a large vocabulary is good, everyday talk requires mastery of common expressions. You can have a large vocabulary but if you pronounce the words badly then you will not communicate well. On the other hand, if you have a small vocabulary but pronounce the words well, then you will be a better communicator.

2. Misunderstandings Can Occur When Proper Pronunciation Isn’t Used

Misunderstandings can occur when you do not pronounce words correctly.

Communication in relationships  with friends and coworkers is important. Imagine trying to tell someone you want to buy something or you want to go somewhere and they bring you the wrong item or send you to the wrong place.

Additionally, when pronunciation is poor, you may come off as rude even if you do not mean to be. This can put a strain on relationships.

The easiest way to correct this problem is to learn how to pronounce words in English from  a native speaker .

3. Avoid Being Avoided

When you do not pronounce words well, people will have to ask you to repeat over and over again. This will often cause irritation and people will start avoiding having to communicate with you because it takes too much effort.

This is one of the reasons that people get  accent training  and listen to a native speaker  via podcasts .

You can avoid being a source of irritation by not just studying vocabulary, but also studying proper pronunciation as well.

Final Thoughts

Proper pronunciation is the key to mastering the English language. Without correct pronunciation, the vocabulary that you know will be less effective when communicating. It is always better to know fewer words and pronounce them well than to know a lot of words and pronounce them badly.

Bad pronunciation can lead to misunderstandings that may cause mishaps. It can also lead to people avoiding communication with you because they feel you are too difficult to talk to.

If you are ready to make a change and make your English a strength instead of a weakness, please  contact us  and we will help guide you to the right solution for you. We will help you know how you can start your journey towards proper pronunciation and mastery of the English language.

Ideas and insights from Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning

Powerful and Effective Presentation Skills: More in Demand Now Than Ever

When we talk with our L&D colleagues from around the globe, we often hear that presentation skills training is one of the top opportunities they’re looking to provide their learners. And this holds true whether their learners are individual contributors, people managers, or senior leaders. This is not surprising.

Effective communications skills are a powerful career activator, and most of us are called upon to communicate in some type of formal presentation mode at some point along the way.

For instance, you might be asked to brief management on market research results, walk your team through a new process, lay out the new budget, or explain a new product to a client or prospect. Or you may want to build support for a new idea, bring a new employee into the fold, or even just present your achievements to your manager during your performance review.

And now, with so many employees working from home or in hybrid mode, and business travel in decline, there’s a growing need to find new ways to make effective presentations when the audience may be fully virtual or a combination of in person and remote attendees.

Whether you’re making a standup presentation to a large live audience, or a sit-down one-on-one, whether you’re delivering your presentation face to face or virtually, solid presentation skills matter.

Even the most seasoned and accomplished presenters may need to fine-tune or update their skills. Expectations have changed over the last decade or so. Yesterday’s PowerPoint which primarily relied on bulleted points, broken up by the occasional clip-art image, won’t cut it with today’s audience.

The digital revolution has revolutionized the way people want to receive information. People expect presentations that are more visually interesting. They expect to see data, metrics that support assertions. And now, with so many previously in-person meetings occurring virtually, there’s an entirely new level of technical preparedness required.

The leadership development tools and the individual learning opportunities you’re providing should include presentation skills training that covers both the evergreen fundamentals and the up-to-date capabilities that can make or break a presentation.

So, just what should be included in solid presentation skills training? Here’s what I think.

The fundamentals will always apply When it comes to making a powerful and effective presentation, the fundamentals will always apply. You need to understand your objective. Is it strictly to convey information, so that your audience’s knowledge is increased? Is it to persuade your audience to take some action? Is it to convince people to support your idea? Once you understand what your objective is, you need to define your central message. There may be a lot of things you want to share with your audience during your presentation, but find – and stick with – the core, the most important point you want them to walk away with. And make sure that your message is clear and compelling.

You also need to tailor your presentation to your audience. Who are they and what might they be expecting? Say you’re giving a product pitch to a client. A technical team may be interested in a lot of nitty-gritty product detail. The business side will no doubt be more interested in what returns they can expect on their investment.

Another consideration is the setting: is this a formal presentation to a large audience with questions reserved for the end, or a presentation in a smaller setting where there’s the possibility for conversation throughout? Is your presentation virtual or in-person? To be delivered individually or as a group? What time of the day will you be speaking? Will there be others speaking before you and might that impact how your message will be received?

Once these fundamentals are established, you’re in building mode. What are the specific points you want to share that will help you best meet your objective and get across your core message? Now figure out how to convey those points in the clearest, most straightforward, and succinct way. This doesn’t mean that your presentation has to be a series of clipped bullet points. No one wants to sit through a presentation in which the presenter reads through what’s on the slide. You can get your points across using stories, fact, diagrams, videos, props, and other types of media.

Visual design matters While you don’t want to clutter up your presentation with too many visual elements that don’t serve your objective and can be distracting, using a variety of visual formats to convey your core message will make your presentation more memorable than slides filled with text. A couple of tips: avoid images that are cliched and overdone. Be careful not to mix up too many different types of images. If you’re using photos, stick with photos. If you’re using drawn images, keep the style consistent. When data are presented, stay consistent with colors and fonts from one type of chart to the next. Keep things clear and simple, using data to support key points without overwhelming your audience with too much information. And don’t assume that your audience is composed of statisticians (unless, of course, it is).

When presenting qualitative data, brief videos provide a way to engage your audience and create emotional connection and impact. Word clouds are another way to get qualitative data across.

Practice makes perfect You’ve pulled together a perfect presentation. But it likely won’t be perfect unless it’s well delivered. So don’t forget to practice your presentation ahead of time. Pro tip: record yourself as you practice out loud. This will force you to think through what you’re going to say for each element of your presentation. And watching your recording will help you identify your mistakes—such as fidgeting, using too many fillers (such as “umm,” or “like”), or speaking too fast.

A key element of your preparation should involve anticipating any technical difficulties. If you’ve embedded videos, make sure they work. If you’re presenting virtually, make sure that the lighting is good, and that your speaker and camera are working. Whether presenting in person or virtually, get there early enough to work out any technical glitches before your presentation is scheduled to begin. Few things are a bigger audience turn-off than sitting there watching the presenter struggle with the delivery mechanisms!

Finally, be kind to yourself. Despite thorough preparation and practice, sometimes, things go wrong, and you need to recover in the moment, adapt, and carry on. It’s unlikely that you’ll have caused any lasting damage and the important thing is to learn from your experience, so your next presentation is stronger.

How are you providing presentation skills training for your learners?

Manika Gandhi is Senior Learning Design Manager at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Email her at [email protected] .

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How to prepare and deliver an effective oral presentation

• Related content
• Peer review
• Lucia Hartigan , registrar 1 ,
• Fionnuala Mone , fellow in maternal fetal medicine 1 ,
• Mary Higgins , consultant obstetrician 2
• 1 National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
• 2 National Maternity Hospital, Dublin; Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medicine and Medical Sciences, University College Dublin
• luciahartigan{at}hotmail.com

The success of an oral presentation lies in the speaker’s ability to transmit information to the audience. Lucia Hartigan and colleagues describe what they have learnt about delivering an effective scientific oral presentation from their own experiences, and their mistakes

The objective of an oral presentation is to portray large amounts of often complex information in a clear, bite sized fashion. Although some of the success lies in the content, the rest lies in the speaker’s skills in transmitting the information to the audience. 1

Preparation

It is important to be as well prepared as possible. Look at the venue in person, and find out the time allowed for your presentation and for questions, and the size of the audience and their backgrounds, which will allow the presentation to be pitched at the appropriate level.

See what the ambience and temperature are like and check that the format of your presentation is compatible with the available computer. This is particularly important when embedding videos. Before you begin, look at the video on stand-by and make sure the lights are dimmed and the speakers are functioning.

For visual aids, Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Mac Keynote programmes are usual, although Prezi is increasing in popularity. Save the presentation on a USB stick, with email or cloud storage backup to avoid last minute disasters.

When preparing the presentation, start with an opening slide containing the title of the study, your name, and the date. Begin by addressing and thanking the audience and the organisation that has invited you to speak. Typically, the format includes background, study aims, methodology, results, strengths and weaknesses of the study, and conclusions.

If the study takes a lecturing format, consider including “any questions?” on a slide before you conclude, which will allow the audience to remember the take home messages. Ideally, the audience should remember three of the main points from the presentation. 2

Have a maximum of four short points per slide. If you can display something as a diagram, video, or a graph, use this instead of text and talk around it.

Animation is available in both Microsoft PowerPoint and the Apple Mac Keynote programme, and its use in presentations has been demonstrated to assist in the retention and recall of facts. 3 Do not overuse it, though, as it could make you appear unprofessional. If you show a video or diagram don’t just sit back—use a laser pointer to explain what is happening.

Rehearse your presentation in front of at least one person. Request feedback and amend accordingly. If possible, practise in the venue itself so things will not be unfamiliar on the day. If you appear comfortable, the audience will feel comfortable. Ask colleagues and seniors what questions they would ask and prepare responses to these questions.

It is important to dress appropriately, stand up straight, and project your voice towards the back of the room. Practise using a microphone, or any other presentation aids, in advance. If you don’t have your own presenting style, think of the style of inspirational scientific speakers you have seen and imitate it.

Try to present slides at the rate of around one slide a minute. If you talk too much, you will lose your audience’s attention. The slides or videos should be an adjunct to your presentation, so do not hide behind them, and be proud of the work you are presenting. You should avoid reading the wording on the slides, but instead talk around the content on them.

Maintain eye contact with the audience and remember to smile and pause after each comment, giving your nerves time to settle. Speak slowly and concisely, highlighting key points.

Do not assume that the audience is completely familiar with the topic you are passionate about, but don’t patronise them either. Use every presentation as an opportunity to teach, even your seniors. The information you are presenting may be new to them, but it is always important to know your audience’s background. You can then ensure you do not patronise world experts.

To maintain the audience’s attention, vary the tone and inflection of your voice. If appropriate, use humour, though you should run any comments or jokes past others beforehand and make sure they are culturally appropriate. Check every now and again that the audience is following and offer them the opportunity to ask questions.

Finishing up is the most important part, as this is when you send your take home message with the audience. Slow down, even though time is important at this stage. Conclude with the three key points from the study and leave the slide up for a further few seconds. Do not ramble on. Give the audience a chance to digest the presentation. Conclude by acknowledging those who assisted you in the study, and thank the audience and organisation. If you are presenting in North America, it is usual practice to conclude with an image of the team. If you wish to show references, insert a text box on the appropriate slide with the primary author, year, and paper, although this is not always required.

Answering questions can often feel like the most daunting part, but don’t look upon this as negative. Assume that the audience has listened and is interested in your research. Listen carefully, and if you are unsure about what someone is saying, ask for the question to be rephrased. Thank the audience member for asking the question and keep responses brief and concise. If you are unsure of the answer you can say that the questioner has raised an interesting point that you will have to investigate further. Have someone in the audience who will write down the questions for you, and remember that this is effectively free peer review.

Be proud of your achievements and try to do justice to the work that you and the rest of your group have done. You deserve to be up on that stage, so show off what you have achieved.

Competing interests: We have read and understood the BMJ Group policy on declaration of interests and declare the following interests: None.

• ↵ Rovira A, Auger C, Naidich TP. How to prepare an oral presentation and a conference. Radiologica 2013 ; 55 (suppl 1): 2 -7S. OpenUrl
• ↵ Bourne PE. Ten simple rules for making good oral presentations. PLos Comput Biol 2007 ; 3 : e77 . OpenUrl PubMed
• ↵ Naqvi SH, Mobasher F, Afzal MA, Umair M, Kohli AN, Bukhari MH. Effectiveness of teaching methods in a medical institute: perceptions of medical students to teaching aids. J Pak Med Assoc 2013 ; 63 : 859 -64. OpenUrl

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The Importance of Presentation Skills: That You Must Know About

Uncover The Importance of Presentation Skills in this comprehensive blog. Begin with a brief introduction to the art of effective presentations and its wide-reaching significance. Delve into the vital role of presentation skills in both your personal and professional life, understanding how they can shape your success.

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Table of Contents  

1) A brief introduction to Presentation Skills 

2) Importance of Presentation Skills in personal life 

3) Importance of Presentation Skills in professional life 

4) Tips to improve your Presentation Skills 

5) Conclusion 

A brief introduction to Presentation Skills  

Presentation skills can be defined as the ability to deliver information confidently and persuasively to engage and influence the audience. Be it in personal or professional settings; mastering Presentation Skills empowers individuals to convey their ideas with clarity, build confidence, and leave a lasting impression. From public speaking to business pitches, honing these skills can lead to greater success in diverse spheres of life.  You can also refer to various presentation skills interview questions and answer to build you confidence! This blog will also look into the advantages and disadvantages of presentations .It is therefore important to understand the elements of presentations .

Importance of Presentation Skills in personal life  

Effective Presentation skills are not limited to professional settings alone; they play a significant role in personal life as well. Let us now dive deeper into the Importance of Presentation Skills in one’s personal life:    

Expressing ideas clearly   

In day-to-day conversations with family, friends, or acquaintances, having good Presentation skills enables you to articulate your thoughts and ideas clearly. Whether you're discussing plans for the weekend or sharing your opinions on a particular topic, being an effective communicator encourages better understanding and engagement. 

Enhancing social confidence  

Many individuals struggle with social anxiety or nervousness in social gatherings. Mastering Presentation skills helps boost self-confidence, making it easier to navigate social situations with ease. The ability to present yourself confidently and engage others in conversation enhances your social life and opens doors to new relationships. 

Creating memories on special occasions  

There are moments in life that call for public speaking, such as proposing a toast at a wedding, delivering a speech at a family gathering, or giving a Presentation during special events. Having polished Presentation skills enables you to leave a positive and lasting impression on the audience, making these occasions even more memorable. 

Handling challenging conversations  

Life often presents challenging situations that require delicate communication, such as expressing condolences or resolving conflicts. Strong Presentation skills help you convey your feelings and thoughts sensitively, encouraging effective and empathetic communication during difficult times. 

Building stronger relationships  

Being a skilled presenter means being a good listener as well. Active listening is a fundamental aspect of effective Presentations, and when applied in personal relationships, it strengthens bonds and builds trust. Empathising with others and showing genuine interest in their stories and opinions enhances the quality of your relationships. 

Advocating for personal goals  

Whether you're pursuing personal projects or seeking support for a cause you're passionate about, the ability to present your ideas persuasively helps garner support and enthusiasm from others. This can be beneficial in achieving personal goals and making a positive impact on your community. 

Inspiring and motivating others  

In one’s personal life, Presentation skills are not just about delivering formal speeches; they also involve inspiring and motivating others through your actions and words. Whether you're sharing your experiences, mentoring someone, or encouraging loved ones during tough times, your Presentation skills can be a source of inspiration for others. 

Exuding leadership traits  

Effective Presentation skills go hand in hand with leadership qualities. Being able to communicate clearly and influence others' perspectives positions you as a leader within your family, social circles, or community. Leadership in personal life involves guiding and supporting others towards positive outcomes. 

Unlock your full potential as a presenter with our Presentation Skills Training Course. Join now!  

Importance of Presentation Skills in professional life  

Effective Presentation skills are a vital asset for career growth and success in professional life. Let us now explore the importance of Presentation skills for students and workers:  

Impressing employers and clients  

During job interviews or business meetings, a well-delivered Presentation showcases your knowledge, confidence, and ability to communicate ideas effectively. It impresses employers, clients, and potential investors, leaving a positive and memorable impression that can tilt the scales in your favour. 

Advancing in your career  

In the corporate world, promotions and career advancements often involve presenting your achievements, ideas, and future plans to decision-makers. Strong Presentation skills demonstrate your leadership potential and readiness for higher responsibilities, opening doors to new opportunities. 

Effective team collaboration  

As a professional, you often need to present projects, strategies, or updates to your team or colleagues. A compelling Presentation facilitates better understanding and association among team members, leading to more productive and successful projects. 

Persuasive selling techniques  

For sales and marketing professionals, Presentation skills are instrumental in persuading potential customers to choose your products or services. An engaging sales pitch can sway buying decisions, leading to increased revenue and business growth. 

Creating impactful proposals  

In the corporate world, proposals are crucial for securing new partnerships or business deals. A well-structured and compelling Presentation can make your proposal stand out and increase the chances of successful negotiations. 

Gaining and retaining clients  

Whether you are a freelancer, consultant, or business owner, Presentation skills play a key role in winning and retaining clients. A captivating Presentation not only convinces clients of your capabilities but also builds trust and promotes long-term relationships. 

Enhancing public speaking engagements  

Professional life often involves speaking at conferences, seminars, or industry events. Being a confident and engaging speaker allows you to deliver your message effectively, position yourself as an expert, and expand your professional network. 

Influencing stakeholders and decision-makers  

As you climb the corporate ladder, you may find yourself presenting to senior management or board members. Effective Presentations are essential for gaining support for your ideas, projects, or initiatives from key stakeholders. 

Handling meetings and discussions  

In meetings, being able to present your thoughts clearly and concisely contributes to productive discussions and efficient decision-making. It ensures that your ideas are understood and considered by colleagues and superiors. 

Professional development  

Investing time in honing Presentation skills is a form of professional development. As you become a more effective presenter, you become a more valuable asset to your organisation and industry. 

Building a personal brand  

A strong personal brand is vital for professional success. Impressive Presentations contribute to building a positive reputation and positioning yourself as a thought leader or industry expert. 

Career transitions and interviews  

When seeking new opportunities or transitioning to a different industry, Presentation Skills are essential for communicating your transferable skills and showcasing your adaptability to potential employers. 

Take your Presentations to the next level with our Effective Presentation Skills & Techniques Course. Sign up today!  

Tips to improve your Presentation Skills  

Now that you know about the importance of presentation skills in personal and professional life, we will now provide you with tips to Improve Your Presentation Skills .

1) Know your audience: Understand the demographics and interests of your audience to tailor your Presentation accordingly. 

2) Practice regularly: Rehearse your speech multiple times to refine content and delivery. 

3) Seek feedback: Gather feedback from peers or mentors to identify areas for improvement. 

4) Manage nervousness: Use relaxation techniques to overcome nervousness before presenting. 

5) Engage with eye contact: Maintain eye contact with the audience to establish a connection. 

6) Use clear visuals: Utilise impactful visuals to complement your spoken words. 

7) Emphasise key points: Highlight important information to enhance audience retention. 

8) Employ body language: Use confident and purposeful gestures to convey your message. 

9) Handle Q&A confidently: Prepare for potential questions and answer them with clarity. 

10) Add personal stories: Include relevant anecdotes to make your Presentation more relatable.   

All in all, Presentation skills are a valuable asset, impacting both personal and professional realms of life. By mastering these skills, you can become a more effective communicator, a confident professional, and a persuasive influencer. Continuous improvement and adaptation to technological advancements will ensure you stay ahead in this competitive world. 

Want to master the art of impactful Presentations? Explore our Presentation Skills Courses and elevate your communication prowess!  

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Pronunciation in EFL Contexts: Approaches that Work

How can EFL teachers foster effective pronunciation instruction based on recent research findings?

By: Rana Fleihan

November 19, 2023

Introduction

Pronunciation is a key skill that EFL learners need to acquire. Extensive research underscores the significance of pronunciation instruction for language development and for fostering social and emotional well-being, contributing to feelings of inclusion, self-assuredness, and enhanced communication willingness.     

Unfortunately, pronunciation has often been relegated to “orphan skill” status in second language acquisition (SLA), with educators rarely dedicating substantial classroom time to it or receiving proper training for effective instruction. However, that is changing, and recent research has been oriented toward improving teaching and learning practices to develop the pronunciation skills of EFL learners.

Addressing the Challenges: Strategies for EFL Instructors

Since pronunciation requires more attention from EFL educators, it is imperative that EFL instructors explore innovative approaches to pronunciation instruction, thereby making it a more prominent and integral aspect of language learning. Here are some strategies that educators can employ to optimize the teaching of pronunciation.

1. Focus on Comprehensibility and Intelligibility

Many teachers have expectations that their students should reach native speakers’ levels in pronunciation. They strive to make their students as proficient as native speakers, although research shows that very few EFL learners will develop native-like accents, and this gets especially difficult if learners start learning language at adolescence or older (Murphy, 2014). However, teachers’ focus should be on students’ ability to produce speech that is easily understood, which is referred to as intelligibility, and the degree of effort put in by listeners to achieve understanding, which is called comprehensibility. Now is the best time to embrace “world Englishes”, taking into consideration students’ different cultural backgrounds that could interfere with the acquisition of pronunciation. 

Practical Classroom Tips:

• Hold targeted feedback sessions and offer specific feedback on aspects affecting intelligibility. Encourage students to focus on improving components that are more likely to affect comprehensibility, such as grammar or suprasegmentals (e.g. intonation, rhythm, phrasing and linking), rather than striving for native-like perfection.
• Promote cultural awareness through discussions about the diverse cultural backgrounds of your students. Highlight how these backgrounds can influence pronunciation and emphasize that clear communication is the ultimate goal.
• Embrace varieties of English by introducing students to various “world Englishes” and dialects, showcasing their unique pronunciation features. This widens their perspective and helps them adapt to different English-speaking environments.

2 . Teach Pronunciation Through Real-Life Communication

Pronunciation is forgotten when taught in isolation. Teachers should allow students to participate in real-life activities that encourage authentic communication among students themselves and between students and teachers. Using a communicative approach to teach pronunciation also improves learners’ self-confidence and reduces bias based on pronunciation, as L1 accent interference in pronunciation may lead to broken communication, stereotyping and discrimination in the workplace (Kirkova-Naskova, 2023). Authentic communication will improve students’ fluency, accent, and other aspects of EFL pronunciation. 

• Implement role-playing and authentic dialogues that mirror real-life interactions, such as ordering food at a restaurant or conducting job interviews. This encourages students to use natural pronunciation in context. In addition, you can use authentic audio materials, like interviews, podcasts, or news reports, and engage students in discussions about this real-world audio content.
• Create opportunities for peer conversations where students engage in meaningful conversations with peers. Encourage them to provide constructive feedback to one another on pronunciation while focusing on comprehension.
• Incorporate storytelling activities where students share personal anecdotes or experiences. This allows them to practice pronunciation while conveying real emotions and narratives.

3. Structure Tasks Effectively

 When it comes to teaching a skill that has been ignored for a long time, EFL instructors may encounter challenges in designing purposeful tasks that facilitate the acquisition of intelligible and comprehensible pronunciation. To address this gap, it is imperative to structure tasks that provide learners with the opportunity to improve their sound production skills within the natural context of language. Moreover, instructors should diligently observe their students’ phonetic performance, noting the recurring trouble spots. Enough time should be granted to reteach and revisit troublesome sound patterns, instead of only introducing new patterns. 

 Practical Classroom Tips: 

• Get the lowdown on pronunciation . Start by figuring out what pronunciation issues your students are facing. Which sounds are tripping them up?
• Practice makes perfect. Make sure there’s enough time in class to keep revisiting those troublesome sounds with focused drills and exercises.
• Guide students to the role of articulators (lip and tongue positions). The English language has 44 sounds. It is useful to teach students the positions of lips and tongue when producing sounds, raising awareness of tense and lax muscles involved in sound production. 

4. Shift from Traditional Consonant/Vowel Approaches to Suprasegmental Aspects of Speech

Traditional methods for teaching pronunciation in EFL contexts have always focused on segmental production, including vowels, consonants, and consonant blends. New research suggests taking into consideration the suprasegmental aspects of speech, such as intonation, stress, and rhythm, that are essential for understanding the message of the speaker and the context of speech. 

Practical classroom tips:

• Tune into intonation . Introduce students to different ways of saying things with intonation. Try out dialogues, debates, and stories to show how tone can change the meaning of an utterance. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xUxyeKErXQ )
• Spot the stress . Get your students to find the beat in words and sentences. Show them how stress can change the whole game in communication.  ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HZ2c5G3SaQ )
• Feel the rhythm . Do some fun rhythmic exercises and clapping to groove into the rhythm of English speech. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkn3JCU9V9g )
• Context  counts . Teach students how stress and intonation can add emotion and emphasis to what they say. It’s like adding flavor to their words. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkgMFZMBfqQ )
• Listen up. Get students to listen to lots of English. The more they hear, the better they’ll get at understanding the melody of spoken language.

5. Invest in Proper Feedback Techniques 

Corrective feedback is known to improve pronunciation skills in learners. EFL teachers can use prompts to correct learners’ pronunciation errors. Prompts aim at hinting at the error instead of explicitly correcting it. It requires the learners to think about the error and pushes them to think of correcting it on their own. Giving individualized feedback also helps learners to focus on their errors and find ways to improve their performance. Peer feedback is also welcomed in pronunciation classes, as learners can help each other while communicating in different natural contexts. 

• Provide timely feedback . Provide feedback promptly after a learning activity or assessment. Timely feedback helps students connect it to their recent efforts.
• Be specific in your feedback. Pinpoint what the students did well and where they can improve. Use concrete examples and refer to specific parts of their work.
• Offer clear and actionable guidance. Ensure that your feedback is clear and actionable. Students should be able to understand what they need to do to improve.
• Include AI in self-assessment . Encourage students to use AI-supported programs and apps like Pronounce for self-assessment. AI-based websites and apps provide merits like real-time scoring and interactive learning. 

Teaching pronunciation in EFL and ESL contexts should enhance learners’ abilities to achieve intelligible and comprehensible speech, allowing communication through real-life tasks that allow learners to use language communicatively, thus practicing pronunciation in a natural and authentic environment. Pronunciation is not only the knowledge of consonants, vowels, and blends. It is also about the stress, rhythm, and intonation that impact the message and meaning of speech. Investing time in practice and feedback can yield great improvements in learners’ performance in pronunciation. 

Galante, A., & Piccardo, E. (2022). Teaching pronunciation: Toward intelligibility and comprehensibility. ELT Journal, 76(3), 375–386. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccab060

Gordon, J. (2021). Pronunciation and task-based instruction: effects of a classroom intervention. RELC Journal, 52(1), 94–109. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220986919

Kirkova-Naskova, A. (2023). Engaging research: Empowering ESL/EFL teachers to teach pronunciation. Alice Henderson; Anastazija Kirkova-Naskova. Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on English Pronunciation: Issues and Practices, pp.122-137, ff10.5281/zenodo.8232364ff. ffhal04179644f

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14.3: Importance of Oral Presentations

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• Arley Cruthers
• Kwantlen Polytechnic University

In the workplace, and during your university career, you will likely be asked to give oral presentations. An oral presentation is a key persuasive tool. If you work in marketing, for example, you will often be asked to “pitch” campaigns to clients. Even though these pitches could happen over email, the face-to-face element allows marketers to connect with the client, respond to questions, demonstrate their knowledge and bring their ideas to life through storytelling.

In this section, we’ll focus on public speaking. While this section focuses on public speaking advocacy, you can bring these tools to everything from a meeting where you’re telling your colleagues about the results of a project to a keynote speech at a conference.

Imagine your favourite public speaker. When Meggie (one of the authors of this section) imagines a memorable speaker, she often thinks of her high school English teacher, Mrs. Permeswaran. You may be skeptical of her choice, but Mrs. Permeswaran captured the students’ attention daily. How? By providing information through stories and examples that felt relatable, reasonable, and relevant. Even with a room of students, Meggie often felt that the English teacher was just talking to her . Students worked hard, too, to listen, using note-taking and subtle nods (or confused eyebrows) to communicate that they cared about what was being said.

Now imagine your favourite public speaker. Who comes to mind? A famous comedian like Jen Kirkman? An ac

tivist like Laverne Cox? Perhaps you picture Barack Obama. What makes them memorable for you? Were they funny? Relatable? Dynamic? Confident? Try to think beyond what they said to how they made you feel . What they said certainly matters, but we are often less inclined to remember the what without a powerful how — how they delivered their message; how their performance implicated us or called us in; how they made us feel or how they asked us to think or act differently.

In this chapter, we provide an introduction to public speaking by exploring what it is and why it’s impactful as a communication process. Specifically, we invite you to consider public speaking as a type of advocacy. When you select information to share with others, you are advocating for the necessity of that information to be heard. You are calling on the audience and calling them in to listen to your perspective. Even the English teacher above was advocating that sentence structure and proper writing were important ideas to integrate. She was a trusted speaker, too, given her credibility.

Before we continue our conversation around advocacy, let’s first start with a brief definition of public speaking.