老潘来信之四：3个秘诀送给宅在家担心英语变“哑”的你掌握英语口语的三大秘诀！
摘要：记住这三大秘诀，并且坚持采用“学会一点就进行大量练习”的方式，你们也会像纪教授一样，像我在甘肃或四川遇到的那两位年轻人一样，或者像我三岁的孙女那样，能把英语学得很好。挖掘动力，找到方法（通过说英语来提高英语口语水平。
为了弥补这一短板，近年来，国家开始在升学考试增加英语口试，促使学生更加注重英语的实际运用。不过想要快速地提升口语能力，只靠优化课堂教学，还是远远不够的。
如何克服“哑巴英语”？针对中国学生在英语学习中普遍存在的这一通病，厦门大学美籍教授、新航道“用英语讲中国故事”形象大使，以及“用英语讲中国故事”活动总决选专家评委潘维廉教授，要给同学们支招了！
基于自身教学经验，以及家人和朋友的鲜活学习案例，作为在中国生活了三十余年，汉英双语可娴熟切换的“中国通”，潘维廉教授总结出了“掌握英语口语的三大秘诀”。打磨口语的灵招妙法，都融在了这封热情洋溢的信里，即看即学！
3 Secrets to Mastering Spoken English!
Good morning New Channel Family! We hope you are safe and well—and using this time fruitfully to hone your English with many of the online programs New Channel now has. English is important to you, and your career, but it’s also important to help you tell China’s story to the world.
And speaking of English, today I want to tell you 3 No Fail Secrets to Improving Oral English!
First of all—are you motivated to improve your Spoken English? If yes, hold your hand up until I ask the next question. Is your hand up? Now, keep your hand up if you spend at least 20 minutes a day practicing, aloud, your spoken English.
Wow—even from here I can see hands go down! If your hand went down, you are not motivated!
“But I am motivated,” some students complain. “I just have no time or environment.”
Nonsense! If you were motivated, you would find time or create the environment. What exactly is motivation? We cheapen the word to mean “hope” or “desire,” but that is only part of it. Motivation is not just daydreaming. The world is full of daydreamers—like people around the world who talk about ending poverty but do nothing about it. In China, however, a core belief has been that a modestly prosperous Socialist society cannot coexist with poverty—so China has fought poverty since Liberation in 1949; now that is motivation.
So motivation is the internal and external forces that arouse enthusiasm and persistence to pursue a goal.
Desire is important, but if you do not persist it is not motivation, just wishing, or daydreaming.
(I’m xiwanging I can improve my English.)
MBA students told me, “We really have no time!” So I encouraged them to speak to each other in only English during the 20 minute walk to the dorm, or during a 20 minute break. “We’ll do it!” they said. But after a few minutes, they were back to using Chinese. “We’re tired,” they said. “We need the rest.”
“I do understand,” I said. “But if you were truly motivated, this would be a priority and you’d make the time daily for it. And not a lot of time! Many people start out with a couple hours a day and quickly burn out. Better to set a smaller, reachable goal that you can stick to. Learn a little but use it a lot.
Marathons teach a lot about motivation. Every year, the day after the Xiamen marathon, many people are out running because they watched the race and want to run it themselves next year. A week later, fewer people are running. After a month, the only ones running each morning are those who run the marathon every year anyway because they have motivation. So, they have persistence.
But I have met some Chinese language learners who did have motivation. In 1988, I met Professor Ji Yuhua, who is now famous even outside China. His English was as good as mine. Well, David Symington at New Channel might say it was better than mine; David is from England and speaks real English; I’m from the US and only speak American.
Professor Ji had never been overseas and he had few foreign friends, but every day he listened to audio tapes and radio and repeated it. He was busy but he practiced his English, aloud, while doing other things—walking, cycling, cooking or cleaning (he was henpecked 妻管严, like me). Today, if you see someone talking to themselves, you assume they aren’t crazy; they’re just talking on a phone. Back then, we didn’t have cell phones. We barely even had landline phones. So when people saw Ji walking down the road talking aloud to himself, they probably thought he was crazy—especially when he answered himself!
Ji was very busy but he creatively made time, and made an environment. Today, he has taught on CCTV and has traveled to many countries to tell China’s story in English—even singing Chinese opera in English!
I remember MBA Professors who spoke good English asking me how to get their children to learn English.
I think they just hoped I’d teach them, but I asked them, “Do you speak to your children in English?”
“Oh, no!” they’d say. “They don’t want to talk in English to their parents!”
They weren’t really motivated, just wishful. But Prof. Ji was so motivated for his 3-year-old daughter to learn English that he only spoke to her in English, even if she cried.
“How cruel!” Chinese neighbors said. “How will she ever learn Chinese?
“Nonsense!” he’d say. “Her mom and grandparents speak Chinese; other children speak Chinese. I’m the only one who only speaks English to her!”
Now that is motivation!
So the first secret to improving spoken English is motivation—which is desire plus persistence. But there is another very important secret!
Many students ask me, “Professor Brown, how can I improve my spoken English?” They’re looking for some trick or secret—so I tell them the secret.
“Do you really want to know the secret?” I asked.
“Yes, I do! Please tell me!”
I lower my voice, look around, and say softly: “The secret to improving your Spoken English is to…SPEAK ENGLISH!”
Chinese, like language students around the world, have two problems. One, they lack motivation to persist long-term. But two, they spend most of their time reading and writing; they don’t speak aloud. If you’d learned Chinese that way, you would not be speaking Chinese today!
Ten hours a day of reading and writing will not improve your spoken English one bit because Spoken English is a physical activity. You have to speak aloud, move your mouth and tongue to get used to the motions. That’s why Prof. Ji’s English was perfect—he listened to English all day, regardless of what he was doing, and repeated everything aloud!
Of course, Prof. Ji is a smart guy—but if you learned a first language, you can learn a second one. But you have to learn the second spoken language the same way you learned your first—by speaking it aloud, unafraid of making mistakes. Do this and you will improve. 100% guaranteed. The best proof is my granddaughter.
When my granddaughter Kate was only 3, she spoke Chinese, English and Spanish because my son Matthew only spoke Chinese to her, his wife, who studied medical Spanish, only spoke Spanish to her, and other children spoke English. Of course, she did mistakes. I remember her using all 3 languages in one sentence: I want to chuan zapatos—I want to wear shoes. But who cares about mistakes? That’s how you learn, and if someone laughs at your mistakes, that’s their problem, not yours.
Mistakes are natural. I remember when Matthew was 3, he asked me, “Dad, how do you say “cai” in Chinese?”
“Matthew, cai is Chinese!”
He said, “ Hum, how do you say it in English?”
When I drove 40,000 km around China in 1994, in remote Gansu and Sichuan, I met two young men who both spoke great English, better than university students, even though neither had finished high school and neither had ever met a foreigner! Their secret?
They dreamed of learning English, even though they never thought they’d be able to use it, so they learned it exactly the same way as Prof. Ji—listening to audio all day and repeating, aloud, what they heard.
I was so impressed by these youth. I think China should scour the countryside for such talented youth and give them opportunities.
In conclusion, those are two Secrets to learning any spoken language. You need motivation—which isn’t just wishing, hoping or xiwanging—and motivation includes persistence. And you need to get your nose out of the books and learn to speak English by SPEAKING English.
But there is one last secret, and this is why New Channel is important. Unless you are extremely disciplined (do you spend at least 20 minutes a day on English?), then you, like most people, need some external accountability.
It is hard to stick to a goal alone, just as it is easier for a marathon runner to finish the race if he has someone with him to encourage him to keep up the pace. In the same way, it is good to have someone who will ask you, “How have you done today? This week?” This can be your New Channel teacher or classmates, or friends and family with whom you’ve shared your goals.
If you really want to consistently improve your English, I dare you to make yourself accountable to someone.
Motivation, method (improve spoken English by speaking English!), and accountability. These three, and being consistent—learn a little and use it a lot—and you too will master English like Prof. Ji, the youth in Gansu or Sichuan, or my 3-year-old granddaughter.
And improving English will not only help you with your career, regardless of what field you pursue, but also help you to better tell China’s story to the world!
Stay healthy and safe.
爱拼才会赢！
掌握英语口语的三大秘诀！
早上好，新航道的同仁们！希望此刻大家是安全健康的，同时，也希望大家在这期间通过新航道丰富的线上教学卓有成效地提高了自身的英语水平。英语对你们来说非常重要，不仅在今后的事业方面，对于你们向世界讲述中国故事也是大有帮助。
01、学习英语的动力
说到英语，今天我想跟大家分享三大屡试不爽的提升英语口语水平的秘诀！
首先，你有动力提高你的英语口语吗？如果有，请举手，然后我会继续下一个问题。大家都举手了吗？现在，每天至少花了20分钟大声练习英语口语的请举手。
哇，这个环节，举手的同学就变少了！如果没有举手，就说明你没有动力！
“我很有动力呀，只是没有时间和练习环境罢了。”一些学生抱怨到。
这完全没道理！如果你有动力，你就会挤出时间或创造环境。
动力到底是什么？我们习惯把它等同于 “希望”或“渴望”，但后两者仅是它的一部分。它也不是白日梦。
世界到处都有做着白日梦的人，例如世界上那些只在纸上谈兵要求消除贫困对此却毫无作为的人。不像在中国，人们之所以坚持消除贫困，就是将之作为建设社会主义小康社会的重要前提的核心信仰，所以自1949年解放以来就一直与贫困作斗争。而这就是动力！
动力是源自内部或外部的可激发人们追求目标的热情和毅力的力量。
渴望很重要，但没有坚持就不叫动力，那只是愿望，或者是白日梦。
我MBA的一些学生告诉我，他们真的很忙！所以，我鼓励他们在步行回宿舍的那20分钟，或者在一段20分钟的休息时间里，只用英语交谈。他们对此信誓旦旦。但没过几分钟，他们又切换回了汉语。他们的理由是，累了需要休息。
我说：“我当然明白，但真正有动力的人定会把它放在心上，每天腾出时间练习。但不建议花太多时间！不少人起初斗志高昂，每天都练上几小时，但如此以来倦怠感也来得很快。最好是设定一个你能坚持且易实现的小目标。学到一点，就大量进行练习。
对比马拉松赛事，我们对动力能有更深刻的认识。
每年厦门马拉松比赛结束后的第二天，会涌现出许多跑步的人。他们因为观看了比赛，便萌生了来年参赛的想法。但一周后，跑步的人就减少了。等到一个月后，每天晨跑的只剩下那些年年都参赛的人。这是因为心中有动力，所以行动能坚持。
但我在中国确实也遇到了真正有动力的英语学习者，如我在1988年认识的纪教授。他现已享誉海外，而那时他的英语就和我的一样好。嗯，新航道的大卫·斯明诚老师可能会说纪教授的英语比我讲得更好；大卫来自英国，讲的是真正的英语，而我来自美国，只说美国话。
纪教授尽管从未去过海外，也鲜有外国朋友，但他每天坚持播放录音磁带、收听收音机，并进行跟读。工作虽然繁忙，但他会利用散步、骑自行车、做饭或打扫卫生等空闲时间大声练习英语（他和我一样是个妻管严）。今天，你如果看到有人在自言自语，你不会认为他们是疯子，而是知道他们在打电话。但我们那时，不仅手机没有问世，就连座机也是稀缺物。所以那时纪教授走在路上大声自言自语，可能会有人认为他疯了，尤其是听到他自问自答的时候！
不以忙作为借口，反而创造性地腾出时间，给自己制造适宜的练习环境。因此，现在他不仅在央视开过讲，还到过许多国家用英语讲述中国故事，甚至还能用英语演唱中国的戏剧！
我的一些MBA的同仁能说着一口流利英语，记得他们曾问我如何让他们的孩子愿意学习英语。
我想他们只是希望我给出答案，但我却提出了问题：“你们会用英语和孩子说话吗？”
他们往往会说：“哦，不会！因为他们不愿和父母用英语交流！”
其实，他们这不算具备真正动力，只是在一厢情愿罢了。但说到纪教授对于他3岁女儿的英语学习，可以说是有着很高积极性了，即使小女孩为此哭闹不愿配合，他仍旧坚持只用英语和她交流。
我的一些中国邻居说：“真残酷！这样她怎么会愿意学习汉语呢？
他反驳道：“这完全没道理！她的妈妈和祖父母都同她说汉语，其他孩子对她也如此。我是唯一一个只跟她说英语的人！”
那就是动力！
所以，提高英语口语水平的第一大秘诀就是找到动力——既渴望又能坚持。但这还只是其一！
02、英语要大声说出来
不少学生问我：“潘教授，怎样才能提高自身的英语口语水平呢？”他们这是在找窍门、找秘诀，所以我如实相告。
“你真想知道吗？”我问。
“是的，我想知道！请告诉我！”
我压低声音，环顾四周，轻声说道：“提高英语口语水平的秘诀就是……开口说英语！”
和世界上其他国家一样，中国的语言学习者也有两大问题：第一，缺乏长期坚持的动力。第二，大部分时间都用于读写，缺乏大声练习。如果你用的是这种方式学习汉语，那么现在你的汉语口语肯定也是不行的！
每天读写10小时却不见英语口语水平有丁点提高，这是因为英语口语是一项体力活，你必须大声练习，让嘴和舌头适应这些发音动作。这也是纪教授能讲一口流利的英语的原因——不管在做什么，他都坚持天天听英语，并且会大声重复听到的一切！
当然，这和纪教授天资聪颖也不无关系。但如果你学会了第一语言，你就可以学习一门第二语言。并且，学习第二种口语时就该像学第一种口语那样，大声地说出来，不要害怕犯错误。这样，你就会得到进步。这种方法绝对是有效的。我孙女凯特就是个很好的例子。
她在3岁时就会说汉语、英语和西班牙语，这是因为我儿子马修只跟她说汉语，我那学习医用西班牙语的媳妇只跟她说西班牙语，而别的小孩同她说的又是英语。当然，她会犯错误。我记得她曾在“我想穿(chuan)鞋 (zapatos) ”就使用了三种语言。（译者注：chuan是汉语“穿”的拼音，zapatos是西班牙语的“鞋”。）但谁会在乎这些呢？这就是学习方式。如果有人为此嘲笑你，那是他们的问题，而不是你的。
犯错误很正常。我记得马修3岁的时候，他问我：“爸爸，用汉语怎么说“cai”？
“马修，cai就是汉语！”
马修又问道：“哦，那用英语怎么说呢？”
1994年时，我驱车4万公里环游中国，到达处于内陆的甘肃和四川时，我遇到了两位英语说得很棒的年轻人，他们的英语水平甚至高过许多大学生，但事实上，他们连高中都没有上完，也没见过外国人！那么他们的秘诀是什么呢？
尽管他们未曾想过能够用上英语，但他们怀揣着学好英语的梦想。于是，他们采用了和纪教授的相同的方式学习英语——整天听录音，并且大声跟读。
这些年轻人给我留下了深刻的印象。我认为中国应该在农村地区挖掘这类优秀人才，并且给他们提供施展才能的机会。
总之，这两大秘诀放之四海而皆准。你需要找到自身动力，了解到这不仅仅是愿望或是希望，还需要坚持。别只顾埋头书本，大声开口练习吧！
03、找到英语学习的伙伴
接下就讲到最后一个秘诀了，这也是新航道扮演着重要角色的原因。除非有着强大的自制力（看看自己能坚持每天至少花20分钟学习英语了吗？），否则你就和大多数人一样，需要外部督促。
独自一人坚持目标并不容易，这就像马拉松运动员有人在身旁给他鼓励时，他们能相对更容易完成比赛。同样，如果有人关注你每天、每周的学习状况，对你也是有利的。而这些关注你的人，可能是你在新航道的老师或同学，也可能是与你有共同目标的朋友和家人。
如果真想不断提高英语水平，就问问自己敢不敢接受外部督促。
挖掘动力，找到方法（通过说英语来提高英语口语水平！），接受外部督促。记住这三大秘诀，并且坚持采用“学会一点就进行大量练习”的方式，你们也会像纪教授一样，像我在甘肃或四川遇到的那两位年轻人一样，或者像我三岁的孙女那样，能把英语学得很好。
无论你梦想的领域是什么，良好的英语水平不仅会促进你事业的发展，还能帮助你更好地向世界讲述中国故事！
多多保重！
爱拼才会赢！
潘维廉
厦门大学管理学院OneMBA学术主任
新航道“用英语讲中国故事”形象大使
看完了老潘的秘诀，大家是不是得到了一些启发呢？这位热爱中国的“老内”有着很高的“出镜率”，刚才大家看到的这篇“秘诀”，已经是他的第四封来信了。结合他之前情真意切的来信，老潘在我们心中的形象更加丰满立体了！