With English being the universal language, mastery of it gives you several advantages both in your career and in your everyday life. Jobs that require public speaking or communications, especially when working in outsourcing companies as a call centre agent, English Proficiency is an indispensable skill. The most common misconception is that speaking fluently or writing flawlessly in English is only reserved for people with higher intelligence: this is actually far from the truth. English Proficiency, just like any other skill can be learned by anyone willing to put in enough work to develop it. In this article, we compiled a few simple steps you can incorporate into your daily routine to help build your vocabulary and eventually enhance your language skills.
Open yourself up to continuous learning.
Free apps like Duolingo and Memrise help learners of any level master English and several other languages. What’s remarkable about these apps is that they present new and engaging ways to help you learn, with short training exercises in the form of games you can play in under 5 minutes. Keeping up with a regular schedule and practising every day will eventually develop into a learning habit that offers visible results. These apps are also designed to track your progress and offer you different exercises in increasing difficulties to help you learn more. Aside from apps, there are also websites that offer free courses that you can take at home, sites like Coursera and Khan Academy are known for their expansive collection of free online classes that include English Proficiency crash courses.
Expand Your English Vocabulary
Constantly exposing yourself to new words and learning how to use it will broaden your knowledge of English and other languages. Merriam-Webster’s official website has a “Word of the Day” section which features accompanying definition, and several facts or the etymology of the featured word. You can incorporate this into your daily language exercises by writing at least 3-5 sentences using the featured word. Another fun way to expand your vocabulary is to play word-based games such as Wordscape or even the classic Text Twist, Words with Friends and other free apps you can easily find in the PlayStore. By simply establishing familiarity with words you won’t regularly use in daily conversations through games or daily writing exercises, you learn new ways on how to express thoughts and widen your vocabulary.
Make Reading a Habit
Most people think reading is boring and time-consuming because reading has been ingrained in our heads as something you only do for school. What’s more surprising is that reading actually has health benefits, and even casual reading of around ten minutes per day can bring you staggering advantages. To start off, reading decreases mental decline by 32%, with elderly patients who are reading regularly being two or three times as less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. In children, teaching them to read before they go to preschool increases the likelihood of them performing better in all facets of formal education. Reading gives you a better understanding of how language is used to communicate ideas and help you learn. Staying updated with the news through print or digital media, subscribing to online magazines or even just browsing short articles while you’re on your way to work, in the bathroom, or just relaxing at home–these are simple ways to incorporate reading into your daily routine. It doesn’t have to be a 500-page novel or volumes of encyclopedia, you can easily find topics that interest you in sites like Mix, Cracked or even Reddit.
Join Discord and make new friends
Discord is popularly known as a gamer’s hub but a lot of people also use it for group discussions. The difference with Discord is that voice channels can be opened to the public, making it a go-to chat program for YouTubers who love connecting with their fans. There are different Discord channels open for all sorts of discussion, but a great way to start is to check out your favourite Streamer or Youtuber’s Discord group and join the discussion. Discord allows you to talk with people all over the world who are tuned in to the same voice channel. This offers people who want to practice their language skills a good platform, to begin with, and be part of international discussions and make new friends. Since working at a BPO company will require you to talk to clients about their queries or purchases, chatting via Discord will help you get used to speaking in English.
Your progress in mastering the English language depends on the amount of effort you put into learning. Practice, read and repeat–you’ll see improvement in no time! Did you find this article helpful? Check out our other resources that might interest you: