New Strategies for Developing and Enhancing English Speaking Skills among Students: An Exploratory Study

The English language serves as a global lingua franca owing to British imperialism and colonization.Earning widespread dominance, it has fostered international relationships across various areas, including education, health, environment, science and commerce.Speaking is considered one of the most essential skills of all the four language competencies -Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing.Mastering speaking skills in the English language reflects an individual's confidence and personality, enhances critical thinking and leadership abilities, and also unlocks limitless opportunities.This present paper explores varied strategies to improve English-speaking skills among undergraduate students and reviews previous research papers as secondary sources of data.The paper adopts qualitative, thematic analysis (time frame) and examines various pedagogical approaches proposed by different researchers.The investigation revealed that strategies such as games and activities, role-play, music, minimal responses, task-based learning, visual materials, self-talk, movies and songs, monologue, debate, and many more could be used effectively to cultivate and enhance speaking skills of students.The findings reveal that using immersive and multiple strategies can successfully lead to improved speaking skills.The study highlights the need for encompassing multiple approaches and incorporating innovative strategies in the curriculum to foster linguistic development.Further recommendations by the research advocate promoting best practices for educators for developing and enhancing English speaking skills in undergraduate students.