Expressing Ideas and Opinions.

Are you fed up of the everyday trials of life, perhaps struggling to express your thoughts and
opinions? These days people want to talk and not listen! It can all become too much in this
day and age no one wants to be a shadow in the crowd having your thoughts and opinions
heard is a priority.

The very achievement of being able to express yourself and more importantly be listened to is
an extremely rewarding feeling. Just how can you express your ideas and opinions clearly
and maintain that you are listened to?

Below are some factors that will help you to voice your opinions and ideas:

1) Know what your aim is

Make sure that before attempting to open your mouth and the words begin to flow that your
100% clear on the ideas that need to be expressed. Knowing where you want to go with the
conversation will help to give you that extra confidence boost.

When your audience can see that you are confident then they will more alert and want to
listen.

2) Ignore the definition of perfection

Just sit and ask yourself, exactly what is perfect? Is there anyone out there that is 100%
perfect? The fact is that we are only human and the reality is that not one of us is perfect
without flaw. A small error is acceptable, there's no need to be stringent to the point that you
begin to struggle voicing your opinion! As long as you know the topic of importance, a
simple error can be overlooked.

3) Keep it basic

Think why you cut off when someone is voicing their opinion; remember your days at school
and college with teachers lecturing in front of the class. Being lectured is boring!

There really is no need to use big words. The simple facts voiced in an exciting manner will
be more than enough to keep the audience tuned in. It's extremely annoying to have someone
chatting away for 30 minutes, when the conversation could have been kept basic ending in
half the time.

Stay on the straight and narrow; turning left and right really is not going to turn into a success
story. Don't make the listeners fall asleep!
4) Pretend that you are alone

One of the major fears of having to express your opinion in front of a crowd is how you will
be perceived by the audience. Can you really afford to let negativity like this get in the way?!

Picture that you are alone and voicing your opinion to yourself! Your nerves will remain
calm and allow you to remain focused on the topic that you need to address.

5) Revise before you talk

Yes simple revision of your conversation will help you take it to the next level. The very
factor that you are confident and know what you are talking about will help significantly.

When people that you're talking to know that you certain on what you're expressing then they
will have faith in you. Think about possible questions that might arise from your topic of
conversation and have the answers readily prepared in your head!

Learning to voice your thoughts and opinions really is a simple process, we are all human and
each of us has worries and fears. Talking should be fun not a drag; you should have
confidence in yourself. If you know that the topic that you are addressing is of relevance than
don't fear! Let the words flow.

By reading the above tips and putting them into practice you will be able to become a lot
more confident and expressing your thoughts and opinions will become a piece of cake!

Stating your opinion

One of the most straightforward ways to introduce your personal
opinion is to simply say, “I think that . . . “ However, if you want to spice
up (make something more interesting) your argument, try some of
these common variations.
1. In my opinion 
In my opinion, it’s important to express your thoughts in English.
2. From my point of view 
From my point of view, English grammar is confusing.
3. As far as I’m concerned 
As far as I’m concerned, phrasal verbs are the worst thing about learning
English.
4. Personally 
Personally, I think it’s interesting to listen to different  English accents.
5. If you ask me 
If you ask me, my favorite way to learn English is to listen to music.
6. The way I see things 
The way I see things, memorizing long lists of vocabulary is really boring.
7. I feel like (Note: This usually expresses a weak opinion.) 
I feel like I could carry a conversation in English, but I’m not sure.
8. I take the view that (Note: this is formal, and may be more
appropriate for written English.) 
I take the view that learning English is important for business professionals.
Agreeing and disagreeing with someone else’s opinion
It’s important to be able to state your own opinion. However, it’s equally
important to be able to respond to others when they express their
opinions. Aside from saying “I agree”, there are plenty of ways that you
can respond to somebody to show that you are in agreement with
someone.
1. Exactly / Totally / Definitely.
2. Of course.
3. That’s a good point.
4. You’re absolutely right.
5. That’s so true.
6. That’s for sure.
Sometimes, you really  agree with somebody’s opinion. Other times, you
only agree with some of it, but not everything. Here are some useful
phrases that can express strong and weak agreement:
7. I’m with you one-hundred percent. (strong agreement)
8. I couldn’t agree with you more. (strong agreement)
9. I guess so. (weak agreement)
10. I suppose. (weak agreement)
Showing that you disagree with somebody is hard, because you don’t
want to come across as (seem) rude or argumentative. Indeed, saying
“I disagree” can sometimes appear to be a bit harsh in spoken English.
The next time that you take issue (disagree) with something that
somebody says, try one of these alternatives.
1. I don’t think I completely agree.
2. I’m not so sure about that.
3. I don’t think that’s the case.
4. That’s not necessarily true.
Occasionally, somebody says something so erroneous (wrong) that you
can’t be polite. In these circumstances, you can use more harsh
statements of disagreement. For example, if somebody said, “I think
learning English is extremely easy”, you could say:
5. No way!
6. Absolutely not!
7. Are you kidding me?
Of course, when you disagree with someone, it’s important to follow up
by explaining why. That’s a great chance to use the vocabulary that we
learned earlier for stating your opinion.
Finally, sometimes, there are people who just see things differently
from the way you do. If you can’t reach an agreement even after stating
your opinion and listening to theirs, it can be best to simply stop
arguing and move on (change the topic to something else). If you want
to end an argument, you can use some of these phrases:
1. Let’s just drop it.
2. I think we need to move on.
3. We’ll have to agree to disagree.
Now, you’re prepared to clearly state your opinion, as well as express
agreement and disagreement. These handy phrases will help you hold
your own (do well in a difficult situation) when you find yourself in an
argument or debate. Of course, the best way to practice expressing
your opinion is to actually do it! So, readers, leave a comment: in your
opinion, what’s the hardest part about learning English?