I've improved my Spanish loads and am now working on German using this method. Hope this helps.

I understand the frustration with charades for sure lol.

1. Use Pimsleur (speaking, listening and ad libbing) and Duolingo (vocabulary and reinforcemen)
2. The USA diplomatic training (Foreign Service Institute) -- It's free, gets super advanced (at least in Spanish), but you end up sounding like a diplomat
3. Find a language exchange partner -- I used Italki