Getting past the stage where reading is comfortable but speaking freezes

I can read a simple article in my target language and understand almost all of it. Ask me a basic question aloud and my brain offers nothing for five seconds, even though I know the words. It feels less like lacking vocabulary and more like never practicing retrieval under time pressure. I'm trying two-minute voice recordings about my day, without editing each sentence afterward. Did small daily speaking drills help anyone cross this gap, or did you need actual conversation partners?