Will these Donald Trump speaking tips really work? Can Trump really help you to improve your English?
I’m not going to jump into a political debate about Trump or politics. But, I will analyse his English.
We can learn something from Trump – specifically from the way he communicates. One of his strengths is how he communicated his ideas. I’ve found three tips that you can learn from Trump to help your English speaking.
Trump’s Speaking Tips 1:
Use common language
One of the things which helped Trump to win was his ability to communicate his views directly. He didn’t use many big, long words or complex sentences.
Nope.
Trump used really simple language like:
“It’s gonna be great.”
“I’m gonna build a wall.”
“Mexico’s gonna pay for it.”
“Let’s make America great again.”
Notice anything about these?
That’s right – they’re all short, simple sentences with really common words which anyone could understand.
One mistake that a lot of learners make is trying to use long, complicated words. You don’t really need to use technical language unless you are presenting or if your job requires you to use that language.
So, if you want to be easier to understand, use commonly used words.
Trump’s Speaking Tips 2:
Use expression and emphasis
Now, the problem with using simple sentences and common words is that it can get quite boring. This is especially true if you just say one short sentence after another with no change in voice.
So what can you do?
Well, look at what Trump does. Throughout his speeches he changes how he talks, he raises his voice, and he stresses certain parts of words.
Take a look at this clip. (3:44-3:54)
“But if I’m forced to fight for something I really care about I will NEVER EVER back down.”
Here, Trump is giving a speech, but you can do a similar thing in conversation. Just put stress on the words that contain the most meaning.
This is another mistake that many learners make. They focus on the words too much (or they just don’t feel confident), and they sound like a robot when they speak. If you want to use expression and emphasis in your voice, you need to practice.
Trump’s Speaking Tips 3:
Use variation
Finally, here’s one last Trump Tip that you can use to improve your English speaking.
It’s called variation.
If you’ve learnt English in a classroom, you’ve probably practiced the same sentences again and again.
For example:
- I’m going to go shopping.
- I’m going to go swimming.
- I’m going to go to the library.
The problem with this is that you probably think you are just saying the same things again and again.
Well, take a look at Trump. If you listen to just five minutes of a Trump speech, you’ll realise something:
He keeps repeating himself.
That’s right. Trump says the same things again and again, too. Sure, he doesn’t JUST say the same things, but it is a large part of his speeches.
But how does he do it without being boring?
He uses variation. He says the same things but in different ways. Let’s look at the examples from before:
- I’m going to go shopping – could be – I’ll buy some things from the shop later.
- I’m going to go swimming – could be – I’m going to take a dip.
- I’m going to go to the library –could be – I’ll get some books from the library.
The classroom where you learnt English isn’t the place where you should stop learning. Instead, you should find different ways to express yourself.
Final Words
There you have it, three English speaking Tips from Trump. Try these speaking tips in your own English learning and speaking, and if you have any questions, send me an email.
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