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A great way to practice your pronunciation is to follow along with the complete transcripts or podcast review transcripts when reviewing lessons. Use any pauses between questions to sound out the answer in the script before listening to the native Chinese speaker. Compare your pronunciation with theirs; then repeat after them.

Another technique is called chorusing. This involves you saying the line along with the native speaker. The idea here is to mimic the native speaker as closely as you can in terms of speed, pitch and tone. If any of these aspects are performed incorrectly, they should be readily apparent when performed alongside the native speaker. This may take some practice but, done enough times, can yield impressive results.

If you live in a Chinese speaking community, try and learn how to play games with your local counterparts. These could involve simple card games or drinking games that don’t require much language. At first, you may benefit from just watching how they play before you join in. The trick here is to note their reactions. What expressions or comments do they yell out when they are excited? What do they say when they are losing or frustrated? If you watch and get involved enough, you may find yourself developing the same reactions. This will benefit you when communicating with people, by allowing you to understand and convey emotions along with your regular speech.