Instructions
Schedule training sessions with your cockatiel. Ideally, training sessions should only be 5 to 10 minutes, with no more than three sessions per day and at least four hours between sessions.
Choose a short word or phrase to focus on, such as "hello" or "pretty bird." The simpler the phrase, the easiest it will be for your cockatiel to repeat.
Repeat the word or phrase clearly and slowly. Make sure your cockatiel can see your face and hear your voice. Make sure your cockatiel is comfortable, whether it is in or out of its cage, and that there are no distractions. This will help it focus on you and what you are saying.
Listen to your cockatiel, and not just during training sessions. The inflection or rhythm of the word will come first, and then the sounds, although the sounds are likely to be garbled at first.
Reward your cockatiel with a favorite treat and praise whenever it attempts a word or phrase. Parrots are very perceptive, so a pleased tone of voice and a smile make positive reinforcement that much more effective.
How to Make Cockatiels Talk
You can encourage a cockatiel to talk and try to train it to talk, but not all parrots talk. Training a cockatiel to talk will take a lot of patience and persistence. Males usually have a better talking ability than females.