How to practice public speaking skills as a non-native speaker?

As a sociolinguist and nonnative English speaker, I recommend 3 types of practice:

1. Practice on your own. Contrary to pervasive bias, acquiring American English accent is near impossible unless you learned it before puberty. Nonnative speakers can focus on pronunciation + intonation, both of which can dramatically improve your speech when you enunciate + adjust the speed.
2. Practice with others. Toastmasters offers a supportive and self-paced environment and general audience feedback, and many welcome nonnative speakers. To progress quickly in specific areas, work with a speaker coach who knows how language functions.
3. Practice your content! A nonnative speaker’s accent is often judged, stereotyped, and discriminated (even perpetuated by those who share their mother tongue). The good news is that content is still KING for any speaker, in any language, and for any audience.

SEE ALSO:

How to get more speaking opportunities at work?

How to handle mistakes when speaking extemporaneously?

How to maintain composure when speaking off the cuff?

How to help your team improve their impromptu speaking skills?

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