Enroll in an adult education course, usually offered at a local community college or high school. Adult education courses are short-term, may be held in the evening and usually require no prior experience or education. Students in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, for example, will find schools such as Wake Technical Community College that offers "Chinese Beginning Part 1." The course includes how to write Chinese characters, pronounce the alphabet, and listening comprehension. Taking a course allows you to practice the new language in a live setting with others.
Purchase a beginner's textbook, such as "Chinese for Dummies" by Wendy Abraham; "Speak E-Z Chinese in Phonetic English" by Fang Zhao and Timothy Green; "The Chinese Language for Beginners" by Lee Cooper; "Beginner's Chinese" by Yong Ho; or "Get Talking Chinese" by Elinor Greenwood.
Review introductory Chinese websites, such as Chinese Tools and California State University/Long Beach, which provide audio lessons on topics such as phonetics, numbers, greetings, time of day, getting around in public places and transportation.
Practice at home at your own pace by using Chinese language CDs, which you can pause and speak along with out loud. You can also use the CDs while driving in your car or exercising. CDs such as "Mandarin Chinese Vocabulary Builder," "Beginner's Chinese" and "Teach Yourself Chinese" are available from booksellers such as Barnes and Noble and Borders, plus online vendors such as Amazon.com.
Join a social organization such as Meetup.com, which lists clubs and groups based on interests. Search the site for your city or zip code to find Chinese-speaking groups that are welcoming newcomers and beginners. You will have the opportunity to practice with native and long-term speakers. Residents of Phoenix, for example, have "The Phoenix Learn Chinese Group" and in Louisville, Kentucky, members can join the "Louisville Chinese Language and Culture Group."