A spoken English checklist for clearer, more confident communication in the new year!
Key Takeaways
Many spoken English problems aren’t about grammar or vocabulary — they’re about bad habits. Speaking too fast, filling every silence, weak intonation, over-explaining, and ignoring pronunciation details all reduce clarity and confidence. This checklist helps you spot the habits that quietly hold you back and shows simple, practical ways to fix them.
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As the year draws to a close and the winter holidays approach, it’s a good moment to pause and reflect on 2025. It’s a time to feel good about what you’ve learned and accomplished — and also to notice which habits may be quietly holding you back when you speak English.
Most spoken English problems we see in professional contexts aren’t about vocabulary, grammar rules, or intelligence. They’re habits. Automatic behaviours that once helped you cope, but now reduce clarity, confidence, and impact.
Before setting new spoken English goals for 2026, here’s a practical checklist of common habits worth leaving behind — and what to do instead.
Many professionals speak too fast because they associate fluency with speed. In reality, fast speech often overwhelms the listener. Important ideas get lost, and your message feels rushed rather than confident.
What it often sounds like:
“So what I wanted to say is that we need to move forward on this but there are a few points we still need to consider and I think—”
What works better:
“So. What I’d like to focus on is this. We need to move forward — but carefully.”
What to do instead:
Slow down at structure points: the start of an idea, transitions, and conclusions. Chunk your speech into short phrases and insert micro-pauses between them.
Try this:
Explain one idea out loud. Record yourself. Then repeat it, pausing slightly at commas and full stops. Compare clarity — not speed.
Filler words (um, uh, so, actually, well, basically, you know) appear when we’re thinking. We use them because we fear silence — or worry someone will interrupt us.
In English, silence is not weakness. It’s control.
What to do instead:
Replace filler words with a pause. A short silence sounds deliberate and confident, especially in meetings and presentations.
Try this:
Choose one filler word you use often. For one day, consciously replace it with silence. It will feel uncomfortable. That’s normal — and effective.
Ending statements with rising pitch makes them sound like questions, even when the content is strong. This habit quietly undermines authority.
Example:
“I think this is the best option?”
(You sound unsure — even if you aren’t.)
What to do instead:
End important statements with falling intonation. Save rising pitch for real questions.
Try this:
Take three sentences you often say at work. Say them once with rising intonation, once with falling. Notice how different you sound.
Some speakers focus so much on correctness that their intonation becomes flat. Others repeat the same melody again and again. The result: speech that sounds monotone or hard to follow.
English relies heavily on stress and melody to signal meaning.
What to do instead:
Highlight key words with stress. Let your pitch move. Intonation guides the listener through your message.
Try this:
Underline one word per sentence that carries the main meaning. Stress only that word when you speak.
Thinking in your first language and translating into English slows you down and makes your speech less natural.
What to do instead:
Learn spoken English in chunks — fixed phrases, collocations, and sentence patterns. This reduces processing time and improves fluency.
Example:
Instead of building a sentence word by word, learn phrases like:
Many non-native speakers add extra explanation to sound precise. In speech, this often has the opposite effect.
What to do instead:
Lead with the point. Pause. Add explanation only if needed.
Try this:
Answer a question in one sentence. Stop. Let the listener ask for more.
Word stress, final sounds, rhythm, and sentence stress may feel “small,” but they strongly affect intelligibility.
What to do instead:
Focus on being easy to understand, not on sounding native. Clear stress and rhythm matter more than individual sounds.
Trying to sound polite by being indirect often leads to vague messages.
What to do instead:
Use clear professional framing:
Clarity is polite in English.
Speaking more does not automatically lead to improvement. Without feedback, mistakes become habits.
What to do instead:
Get targeted correction. Feedback feels uncomfortable — but it’s where progress happens.
Be honest. This is for you.
Answer Yes / Sometimes / No.
If you answered “Yes” or “Sometimes” to three or more, these habits are likely limiting your spoken English more than your vocabulary or grammar.
Strong spoken English isn’t about sounding native. It’s about sounding clear, confident, and intentional.
Leaving a few old habits behind can make a bigger difference than learning a hundred new words. Want to work on it with us? You can start with a free intake.
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"9 Spoken English Habits to Leave Behind in 2026" was written by Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA, Director, The English Center. Brenda is an American expat who's lived in Amstelveen since 2009.
