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In addition to the normal fear of being at center stage, non-native speakers of English face the burden of worrying about delivering a speech in a non-native language. If English is your first language, remind yourself of how difficult it would be for you to deliver a speech in another language. As you listen to a non-native speaker, place yourself in his or her shoes. If necessary, politely ask questions for clarification.

If you are a non-native speaker of English, think about public speaking as an opportunity to learn more about the English language and how to use it. As you listen to your classmates’ speeches, for example, you will gain exposure to spoken English. Practicing your speech will give you time to work on any accent features you want to improve.¹ Research shows that thinking positively about preparing speeches actually reduces anxiety and helps you prepare a better speech. So tell yourself that by studying public speaking you will find many good opportunities to improve your English and become a better communicator of English. In addition, by spending time writing and outlining your speech, you will gain confidence in your written language skills. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Listening is the key to learning a language. Using textbooks to study usage and grammar is important, but it is through spoken language—hearing it and speaking it—that we gain fluency.

Listening to the speeches of colleagues or classmates, as well as those broadcast by television channels such as C-Span, can help you hone the skills you need to become a better speaker. Nearly all college libraries own many DVDs and other recorded materials made specifically for ESL (English as a second language) speakers such as yourself, and the reference librarian will be happy to locate them for you. The Internet also offers many helpful listening resources. Among the many sites you can find is the Talking Merriam Webster English Dictionary (at www.webster.com/). This online dictionary allows you to hear the correct pronunciations of words.

Consider sharing a personal experience with the audience. Stories from other lands and other ways of life often fascinate listeners. Unique cultural traditions, eyewitness accounts of newsworthy events, or tales passed down orally from one generation to the next are just some of the possibilities. Depending on the goal of your speech, you can use your experiences as supporting material for a related topic or as the topic itself.

One freshman public-speaking student from Poland related what life for her was like after the fall of communism in 1989. She described how goods she had never seen before suddenly flooded the country. A wondrous array of fruit and meat left the most vivid impression on the then 11-year-old; both had been nearly impossible to find under the old regime. Her audience was fascinated with her firsthand account of historical events, and the speaker found that sharing her unique experiences boosted her confidence.

Most experts recommend that you prepare for delivering your first speech (as well as for subsequent speeches) by practicing with a video or an audio recorder.² Non-native speakers may wish to pay added attention to pronunciation and articulation as they play back the recorded speech. Pronunciation is the correct formation of word sounds. Articulation is the clarity or forcefulness with which the sounds are made, regardless of whether they are pronounced correctly. It is important to pay attention to and work on both areas.

Because languages vary in the specific sounds they use and the way these sounds are produced by the vocal cords, each of us will speak a non-native language a bit differently than do native speakers. That is, we speak with some sort of accent. This should not concern you in and of itself. What is important is identifying which specific features of your pronunciation, if any, seriously interfere with your ability to make yourself understandable. Listening to your speech on a video or an audio recording, perhaps in the presence of a native speaker, will allow you to identify trouble spots. Once you have identified which words you tend to mispronounce, you can work to correct the problem. If possible, try to arrange an appointment with an instructor to help you identify key linguistic issues in your speech practice recording. If instructors are unavailable, try asking a fellow student.

Non-native speakers may be accustomed to patterns of vocal variety—volume, pitch, rate, and pauses—that are different from a native English speaker. The pronunciation of English depends on learning how to combine a series of about forty basic sounds (fifteen vowels and twenty-five consonants) that together serve to distinguish English words from one another. Correct pronunciation also requires that the speaker learn proper word stress, rhythm, and intonation or pitch.³ As you practice your speeches, pay particular attention to these facets of delivery. Seek feedback from others, including your teacher, making sure that your goal of shared meaning can be met when you do deliver your speech.

Virtually everyone who learns to speak another language will speak that language with an accent. What steps can you take when your accent will make your oral presentation difficult for the audience to understand?

In the long term, interacting with native speakers in everyday life will help enormously. With immersion, non-native speakers can begin to stop translating things word for word and start thinking in English. Using a video or an audio recorder and practicing your speech in front of others are also very important.

But what if your experience with English is limited and you must nonetheless give an oral presentation? Robert Anholt, a scientist and the author of Dazzle ’Em with Style: The Art of Oral Scientific Presentation, suggests the following: