Talking with a familiar teacher may feel comfortable, yet meeting someone new while travelling or at a gathering can suddenly feel difficult. Their pace and accent are different, and they ask questions in ways you did not expect.
You may think, “Perhaps my English isn't ready for the real world.” But one unfamiliar conversation does not determine the value of everything you have learnt.
Practise checking what you did not understand and explaining again when your meaning did not get across. A conversation is not an answer you have to complete and submit on your own.
Does listening well mean understanding everything the first time?
If you miss something, start by identifying what you did understand. You can ask to hear everything again, or narrow your question to the part you need.
If you understood the meeting time but missed the place, you could say the following. This is a practice example.
“I got the time. Could you tell me the place again?”
Confirm that you understood the time, then ask for the place again.
Checking the information you need can help keep a conversation going more than hiding that you missed something. For important details such as times, places and requests, you can also repeat them in your own words to check.
Do not let one unfamiliar accent define your ability
It can take time to get used to a new person's speech. Understanding one person easily does not mean you will immediately understand everyone. Missing something once does not mean you are unable to listen in English.
Alongside listening to different voices, practise asking again about the part you did not catch. You can listen to a short video or audio clip, summarise the main points and connect that practice with asking questions in a real conversation.
If your goal is work in a particular region or a particular exam, you can prepare the listening and pronunciation that setting requires. Being open to different kinds of English can go together with having a specific learning goal.
Try another way to explain what you mean
When you cannot remember a word, try describing it differently. You could explain what it is used for, what it looks like or what it is similar to.
For example, if you cannot remember “thermos”, you could say “a bottle that keeps drinks hot”.
After the conversation, look up the expression you could not find. Keep practising how to explain things with words you know while learning new vocabulary.
Make room to ask the other person questions
When you feel you must speak well, it is easy to focus only on your own answers. But a conversation needs space for the other person to share a story too.
Ask about something they would like to talk about, such as food they enjoy, a film they recently watched or how they got into their work. You do not need to assume that people from the same country share the same tastes or ask someone to speak for an entire country.
Following up on one interesting part of their answer can take the conversation beyond your prepared list of questions. Along with speaking at length, you can gain experience in listening with interest and asking questions.
Connect your practice to a real situation
Choose where you might use an expression from a lesson: while travelling, at work or at a hobby group. If there is no immediate opportunity, you can role-play the situation with a teacher or conversation partner.
Your first conversation may end quite quickly. Note one part where you got your meaning across and one part you would like to practise again. Decide what you will try differently in the same situation next time.
Your goal does not have to be sounding flawless. It can be becoming someone who asks for what they need, checks what the other person means and shares their own thoughts. Build towards that in real situations, a little at a time.