Most professionals who contact us already use English every day. They have the knowledge, but they still struggle to speak English fluently due to hesitation, searching for words, pronunciation issues, and a lack of confidence in real conversations.
Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA
Director, The English Center
November 2024
Or check out our Spoken Business English Course page
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, fluency is the ability to speak or write a language easily, well, and quickly. We could say that fluency means flow. However, in common usage (and the way we will think about it in this article) fluency means speaking at an advanced or near native level (C2 on the CEFR scale).
Many people think fluency is simply having a big vocabulary. But in reality, fluency is built from several connected skills. Think of these as the building blocks of English fluency.
For professional English speakers, fluency is usually built from these components:
Fluency = Vocabulary + Grammar Automaticity + Pronunciation + Prosody + Confidence + Practice
Many professionals already have enough vocabulary and grammar. Their biggest barriers are often word retrieval speed, pronunciation, prosody, and confidence under pressure. Those are the areas where targeted training can produce noticeable gains relatively quickly.
First, and most importantly – don't worry about doing everything on this list. And don't worry about being perfect. Even native speakers make mistakes! Just pick the English fluency tips that suit you best and get started. Stay relaxed, but disciplined. Let's get fluent!
English fluency begins with words and phrases. Vocabulary is the heart and soul of any language! Build vocabulary with more words, especially those that are useful to you. It’s no good just knowing words, being able to produce words is essential to speak English fluently.
To speak English fluently, you need to use idioms or expressions that native speakers do. Build your vocabulary with more idioms. Using these sayings can allow you to express yourself more accurately and concisely, as well as making your language more interesting.
Firstly, accept the fact that English spelling is very often disconnected from English pronunciation. To speak English fluently you can’t rely on how words are spelled to guide how they should be pronounced. With that in mind, it is important to fix your pronunciation errors that interfere with how understandable you are, especially sound substitutions. Starting with a good TH sound so you can properly say common words like "think", "thought" and "through" is a great place to begin!
For a deep dive into the sounds of English, our Pronunciation for ESL post offers a complete map of challenging phonemes and the specific habits that might be holding your fluency back.
Learning and implementing intonation, the rise and fall of language, is essential as it carries meaning about attitude and emotion. If you can, start to use linking like omissions (e.g., pronouncing "you’re" not "you are") so you can produce English with flow. This also helps with ensuring that you stress the correct words in the sentence- often the content words like nouns and verbs that carry the most meaning.
Prosody is the hidden 'heartbeat' of fluent speech. To learn how to use pitch, pace, and pausing to your advantage, read our guide: Prosody in English: Secrets of Fluency.
Being polite and learning the “social graces” of English can help you to develop that native English speaker ‘sound’. Start by learning to use modal verbs (e.g., would, could and can) and other softening phrases so that you are clear but polite. Study techniques of how to persuade or ‘sell’ in English through diplomacy, like asking positive questions rather than disagreeing.
If you listen well you can respond well with accuracy and thought. Being a great listener and showing that you are listening with eye contact, facial expressions, appropriate body language, and accurate verbal response helps you to “win friends and influence people” (Dale Carnegie).
Read books, articles, blogs, magazines and newspapers aloud. This will help you to build your muscles and stamina helping you to reduce hesitations and filler words. Reading aloud is also a good opportunity to improve your pronunciation and even confidence.
• Learn by doing. You wouldn’t learn to dance by reading about it, would you? Language is no different.
• Build your muscles: Speak, speak, speak!
• Write in English: Write anything from a business report to a cooking recipe. Writing forces you to externalize and produce language and helps you see your errors.
• Be social but selfish: If possible, minimize contact with people who speak English badly. Maximize contact with native speakers and advanced ESL speakers.
If people often ask you to repeat yourself, read our guide on why you’re hard to understand in English and how to fix it.
Entertain yourself with movies, series and podcasts. If watching something, try both with and without English subtitles. Subtitles can help you to develop the vocabulary and idioms that are so necessary to speak English fluently. Equally watching without them is a great opportunity to improve your listening. With podcasts – and documentary films – you can learn about something that is important to you while improving your English. What could be better than that?
It is essential to accept and embrace the lifelong language journey. Language fashions change- the rules, styles and preferences you learned at school or uni may no longer be valid- so be ready to adapt. English is a rich and diverse language, even native speakers don’t know all the words so be prepared to keep learning!
Focus on speaking regularly, learning key phrases, and improving pronunciation and rhythm. Fluency develops when you use English actively, not just study it.
Your native language is automatic. In English, you may spend more mental energy choosing words, checking grammar, or thinking about pronunciation. With practice, English becomes more natural and easier to use.
Repeating mistakes is common because they become automatic. With targeted feedback and focused practice, you can replace these habits with more accurate and fluent English.
Focus on the language you use most in meetings, such as giving updates, asking questions, and expressing opinions. Regular practice reduces hesitation and helps you respond more naturally in real time.
Prepare key phrases, practice aloud, and rehearse your presentation in English. Fluency improves when you become familiar with the language you need and stop translating from your first language.
Many professionals notice improvement within 10–20 hours of focused training. The exact number depends on your level, goals, and how often you use English outside lessons.
For many professionals, yes. Our intensive Business English courses provide concentrated speaking practice, helping you build confidence, improve communication habits, and make faster progress.
Yes. Private lessons give you more speaking time, personalized feedback, and targeted practice. This usually leads to faster progress than a general course.
Ready to polish your business English? Our Spoken Business English courses help you communicate with clarity and confidence in any professional setting.
You can work with a professional native-speaker trainer and get real-world practice at our locations in:
Amsterdam (near Vondelpark or Central Station)
Amstelveen (easy parking, quiet setting)
The Hague (Zuid-Holland’s choice for English training)
Hoofddorp (close to Schiphol, central, accessible, modern)
Prefer a virtual course? Contact us about English Center courses online.
Authors: Brenda de Jong Pauley, English Center Director and Kerry Finlayson, Business English trainer, January 2022 - updated 29 May 2026 by A. Roberts, BA, English Trainer
About the author:
Brenda de Jong-Pauley is the founder of The English Center in the Netherlands, where she has worked with international professionals since 2009. Originally from the United States, she lives and works in the Netherlands, supporting professionals in developing clear, confident English for real business situations.
Brenda holds a Master’s degree in Psychology (focused on persuasive communication) and a Bachelor’s in Education. She specializes in high-level business communication and spoken English.
The English Center is a CEDEO-recognized training provider, working with professionals and teams from international and Dutch companies and municipalities.
