I read many books about accent modification (and I really should write on of my own). What I see in most books are lengthy (and in my opinion mostly unnecessary) explanations of all the different types of vowels. Some books even begin with an overview of every vowel sound in American English. There are between 15 and 23 depending on how you say certain words, whether you add an “r” to some of them, and which reference you use to verify this.

Truth is, you’re going to learn to produce vowels the way your instructor teaches you to say them. And your instructor is going to teach you the way he or she considers the accurate way to say them. So in one area of the United States you may learn that the words caught and cot have the same vowel sound, but not in another area.

Some teachers will rhyme dog and frog. Some would never.

Who’s correct?

As long as they are teaching you to sound natural and authentic in conversational speech with a style that attracts much less attention than your current accent, they are all correct.

There’s too much variation – acceptable variation – across the US to accept one way as the only way. The best teachers will show you exactly how the acceptable ways are different from your habitual way, and how to change them with practice and repetition. The best teachers will also inform you about these acceptable variations.

Don’t learn vowels from a book, and remember as you work on your new speech sounds that you already know and use them accurately. If you are burdening yourself with learning all of them, it will prolong your studies and practice efforts.

Nicole Kidman.

Collin Farrell.

Ewan McGregor.

Daniel Craig.

Pierce Brosnan.

Heath Ledger.

Russel Crowe.

Christian Bale.

Gary Oldman.

Anna Paquin.

Jim Sturgess

Robert Pattinson.

Emilie de Ravin.

Matt Damon.

Hugh Laurie.

Don Cheadle.

Clive Owen.

Everyone on the list has demonstrated impressive, convincing and seemingly authentic skill at speaking with an intonation, rhythm and style that is not truly their own. They can turn it on or off as needed. And they used this skill for career advancement.

Are all of them just smarter and more talented than you?

No. But they each devoted time to learning some very specific speaking techniques. Techniques anyone can learn and apply.

I am repeatedly told by my clients, usually after the third or fourth session, that if only they had known exactly what needed to be done differently to clear up their difficult-to-understand pronunciation of American English, they would have done it much sooner.

Call me at 888-249-1936 or email me at joe@myspeechcoach.com so we can discuss what you need to do.

Joe

Whether consulting with a co-worker, customer or client, if your accent is distracting it can have a serious and unwanted impact. It makes difficult interactions tougher, detailed explanations difficult, and your ability to influence diminished.

Your work might be unappreciated and misunderstood all because of the difficulty others are having making sense of what you say. And no one is going to tell you about it. (Most people consider it rude to openly bring attention to your accented speech.)

If you’ve become curious about working on the clarity of your speech and doing something about a distracting accent that is foreign to American ears, here are some guiding principles to keep in mind when you consider a course or instructor.

1. A detailed assessment will create an effective path to success.

Don’t settle for a general approach to learning pronunciation. Studying all of the sounds of American English is not necessary for significant change. You already know how to accurately produce some of the sounds of American English. But when the influence of your native langauge or dialect is present, it can ruin your best intentions at being clearly understood.

An effective accent instructor will begin the process by evaluating your current speech production habits and patterns, and then implement a strategic approach to achieving specific goals related to your specific speaking style.

2. Know your ultimate and specific reason for wanting to change.

There are some amazing demonstrations of non-American individuals using highly convincing and very natural sounding American accents in many Hollywood films. How do they do it? They have a very compelling reason to achieve success in their attempts. They also have a highly effective support system in place, typically involving extended periods of practice time and on-the-spot support and correction assistance. You may not find it practical to employ round-the-clock assistance and coaching, but it will be extremely practical to identify exactly why you’d like to change your accent. Where are you going to perform like a star? In which specific situations and interactions will your clear speech matter the most? Dig deep to reveal truly, specifically, ultimatley WHY it is so important for you to improve the power, influence and access to your verbal performances. Which part of your business or life needs it most? A compelling reason will serve as a powerful motivator. The more specific you can be, the more meaningful and valuable your practice will become. The individuls who demonstrate the most dramatic and quickest changes are those who practice at least one hour per day.

3. Know your outcome.

An effective course of study, practice and improvement is built upon a specific set of goals. Begin with the end in mind. Know where your training course is going to lead you. A specific target level of improvement can and should be identified. The accuracy of pronunciation can be measured. Comparing your pre- and post-instruction pronunciation skills within a defined timeframe will indicate how far you’ve come.

4. Practice is more valuable than lessons.

The best accent instructor in the world will have absolutely no effect on your speaking skills if you fail to commit to practicing new techniques, strategies and methods. It’s so important, so critical, that my personal training and coaching services do not come with a guarantee for improvement. It’s not my teaching that works the magic, it is your consistent use of what I teach you that will deliver results. Many clients have reported that it was so simple to begin changing the sound and clarity of their spoken English once they knew exactly what to change and how to change it. With a great deal of repetition (practice) the new speaking skills become natural and easy.

5. Speak boldly…

but be yourself. 

Changing your accent require a change in the verbal “face” you use to present yourself. Success in accent modification means applying the most effective speaking skills and strategies that serve your purpose best at that moment. In the end, most speakers emerge with two sets of speaking styles: the style most appropriate for being an effective and influential communicator (in business, professional and some social contexts) and the style that naturally reflects the personality that friends and family appreciate the most. Speech and communication style defines each of us to a certain degree, but learning to apply a new speaking style does not mean giving up your true personality and identity.

If these principles have stoked your interest in accent training, know that these principles form the core of each of my training options. I could easily re-write this description to explain how the coaching and training process at Capital Speech Consultants works. It begins with a personalized assessment. The assessment findings will enable us to create specific measurable goals for you. We’ll set a specific target date by which to acheive those goals, and we’ll find ways to set up the most supportive practice and improvement environment we can. Your results will never leave you sounding un-natural and phoney. You’ll have much more success building off of the foundation of your natural speaking style and personality.

Personalized coaching.

A safe and easy way to invest in presenting yourself clearly.

It’s the accent class without the classroom.

Audio Correspondence Coaching (ACC) is a new, unique and budget-friendly way to experience the benefits of personalized instruction in accent modification.

The ACC system is designed for students and professionals – individuals just like you – who have learned American English, have a strong need to communicate clearly, but are still struggling with pronunciation.

Much like the Accent Teleclass Coaching services, the Audio Correspondence Coaching program begins with a personalized assessment of your current pronunciation skills, delivers customized instruction and support for greater clarity and accuracy, and concludes with measurable results – at a fraction of the cost of live coaching.

Here’s how it works.

Begin the program, and each week you’ll receive an email delivery containing a set of simple instructions for tasks your coach would like you to complete. Using free Internet-based technology you’ll submit your recorded speech tasks to your personal coach for review.

Your coach – that will be me, Joe Comeau, creator of MySpeechCoach.com, will then submit to you a personalized audio report card to guide you with correction, support and detailed instruction for greater accuracy in your performance.

Your feedback will include spoken and written instructions and a percentage of accuracy measurement indicating your score on each task.

• If you achieve a certain score, you advance to a more challenging task in the 10-tier program.
  
• If there’s room for significant improvement (or in other words if I can help increase your accuracy score) I’ll ask you to repeat the task until you reach the desired accuracy level.

Set Your Own Goals – Control the Pace

You will have control of the progress of your coaching program by selecting the accuracy criteria level that matches your personal goals: 50%, 75% or 90%.

• A lower target will move you through the course quicker, but not support maximum clarity.
  
• A higher target will demand more precision and focus, and will contribute to a greater sense of achievement.

A Fraction of the Cost

$97. That’s the introductory price I can make the ACC system available for until the demand for this personalized correspondence coaching program makes it impossible for me to keep the cost that low.

For 12 weeks, I’ll share my training expertise with you and guide you toward better American English pronunciation skill. There is not another opportunity like this one.

“How Do I Start?”

Download the free ACC Quick Start PDF file. It contains the full set of instructions to enroll yourself in the program. Your correspondence coaching journey begins within 24 hours (1 US business day) of receipt of payment. The Quick Start guide is yours to review before taking the plunge.

There’s no obligation to invest in an expensive training program.

With one more click of your mouse you can begin a short set of tasks that will send a sample of your recorded speech to a live American English accent instructor. You’ll be given easy-to-follow instructions on how to record a short set of words, a short reading selection, and a brief recording of your own spontaneous, conversational-style speech. When you complete the tasks, click the submit button at the end to send your recording to a certified Compton P-ESL accent modification instructor.

Ready to start?

You’ll need to have a microphone plugged into your computer, or use a laptop computer that has a built-in microphone. Click here to go to the test page. Follow the instructions that appear on the next screen.

What’s the point?

The instructor who listens to your recording will identify specific sounds and patterns that are making your speech sound accented to American ears. The test is short because it’s designed to help the instructor give you a quick rating that describes your accent as mild, moderate, heavy or severe.

A mild accent is generally easy to understand. Although there may be room for improvement, typical speaking situations are not a challenge for the mildly accented speaker. Making the changes that will remove the most mildest indicators of an accent can require the most intensive and consistent practice. Just like the “final 5 pounds” that dieters often complain about, the final few traces of an accent can be the hardest to eliminate. Most people seeking an accent instructor are concerned with their general levels of clarity and accuracy.

A heavy or severe accent creates confusion for the listener and frustration for the speaker. If you are frequently asked to repeat yourself, and if people often tell you they have difficulty understanding you, your accent is probably heavy or severe.

The terms moderate, heavy and severe don’t really describe why your speech patterns are difficult to understand, but a more throrough assessment (or evaluation) will reveal all of the specific speech patterns you are using that make your speech difficult to understand. When you know what the problems are, your instructor can begin to help you fix them.

Take the short test beginning on the next page. A P-ESL certified instructor will respond via email within 48 hours with your test results and recommendations for the most appropriate next steps. The test is free and there is absolutely no obligation for you to enroll in a training program.

The information is yours to keep.

You can use the sounds of your first language without giving much thought to how you produce them. The movements of your lips, tongue and jaw form those sounds (with the aid of your voice) with tremendous ease because those movement patterns were formed when you were very, very young. Your brain has memorized them just like the muscular patterns you use when signing your name or tying your shoes.

When you begin direct your focus to improve the clarity and accuracy of your American English pronunciation (or any other new language), you are forcing the movement of some new, unfamiliar patterns. Your first attempts will be a little awkward and “off-target” just as if you were to switch hands while signing your name.

If you don’t learn the sounds of American English and how to connect them with rhythm and intonation, you are only trying to create something that sounds like English using the sound set of your native language, which most likely does not match the sound set of American English. By the way, speech professionals use the term phonemic repertoire to refer to the set of sounds that comprise a language. They also call sounds phonemes.

It’s like trying to cook a great recipe even if you’re missing some of the essential ingredients. It might be edible, but everyone will know with one taste that it is not authentic. When you use only the phonemic repertoire and rhythm of your original language to produce American English, it results in what others perceive to be accented speech.

By the way, there are 21 consonants and 5 vowels in English, but these are only letters. They do not reflect the number of sounds used in English. The letters, alphabet and spelling of American English are not much help for learning the pronunciation of American English. The 26 letters of the English alphabet can be used to represent over 42 different spoken sounds. There are many instances of spelling that does not in any way seem to represent the spoken pronunciation of a word.

Like inappropriate work attire, a strong foreign accent in an American English-speaking environment is a big turn-off.

Accent modification instruction, for individuals who are already proficient in American English but have not yet mastered the pronunciation skills needed for clear communication, can remove 50, 60, maybe 70-80% of the barriers causing misunderstandings and poor quality communication.

If you or your coworkers or team members are difficult to understand, a little guided coaching and practice can add a great deal of clarity and productivity to your day or to your projects. Your sharply-dressed pronunciation skills may not always get noticed immediately, but no one will mind getting the job done with you on their team.

Can you totally eliminate all features of a distracting accent? With extensive, intense, training, and an extraordinary level of motivation, yes. If you need to show up every day and get the job done, 1 hour per week of guided coaching with some disciplined practice in between is all it takes to start communicating at a higher, and clearer level.

You can make “what did you say?” disappear from your office. Once your spoken English is easy to understand, your accent will become much less noticeable and much less distracting.

Your customers, team members, students, colleagues and clients won’t notice what’s missing. How much of a relief would that be?

When you’re ready to get coached by a professional who expects and demands results, contact Joe Comeau by phone or email. On-site training may be the right solution. We can only begin after we meet to analyze your specific communication challenges and design a course that is customized to meet your specific needs.

It is completely possible to remove those characteristics from your spoken English. Although some people find it challenging to remove every trace of their foreign accent, many are able to change their speech patterns to achieve much higher levels of clarity and accuracy in their pronunciation. There are many foreign-born professionals in the United States who speak with detectable accents that do not interfere with intelligibilty. When they speak, the message is clear.

With guided practice and instruction, this is exactly what P-ESL students achieve. When you know what sounds need to be changed and how to go about changing them and using them, the rhythm of your speech begins to sound appealing, intriguing, and maybe even just a touch sexier! Many professionals who invest in changing their accents have personal motivations, too! It’s not always all about the business.

Curious? Your first step toward clearer, more accurate (and maybe sexier sounding) speech is always a click away. Get meaningful feedback from a real instructor and coach by trying a complimentary screening assessment (click here and a new window will appear).

(MySpeechCoach.com offers no guarantee that your new clearer speech patterns will enhance your social status or make your phone ring more often. It is likely that after you eliminate at least half of the pronunciation obstacles that are making your speech sound heavily accented – a typical outcome for many P-ESL students – you will find it much easier to connect with people in all settings… whether you need to impress someone on the job or after work.)