do not be afraid to make mistakes. . . surprisingly, they might teach us more than the books can. . ^^ and of course practice makes it all perfect. . ^^ 私も、日本語を学んでいるんですけど、私 の所で日本語を使っている人があまり いないんですから、日本語で話すのがちょっと難しいと思います。 。 ^^ だから、 鏡の前で、時々、自分と日本語で練習しているんです。 。

Try mimmicking TV shows after they talk, I think it's called shadow repetition in the classroom. You repeat slightly after the words have been said. This should help your speaking get to a more natural speed if you are tripping over your sentences like I do! Listen for pauses in words, changes in pitch or volume, and try to understand why the person's tone has changed which will help your own conversation skills. Try and converse with as many Japanese people as you can. Practicing with a non-native friend is ok too, but you won't learn native speaking skills from them. If you're really really keen, study Japanese pitch as well. Some words in Japanese have high-low pitches in them so maybe you can practice reading a passage with a Japanese friend correcting your pitch as you read. A study buddy is vital for natural speech I think!

I agree with Eric, and if I add one thing, "don't have to be perfect from the start".

Study and practice; the same way how everyone else becomes fluent in any other language.