There are people who doubt the effectiveness of this method because it relies heavily on the student’s ability to acknowledge and imitate subtle changes in pronunciation patterns based on the instructor’s models.

When you use the PESL method, you’ll first listen to your instructor highlight specific attributes in your English speaking patterns that are different from what most non-foreign-accented Americans consider standard or general American English. These differences, both in sounds and rhythm, are making your speech sound distracting and heavily accented.

It’s only once you know exactly what those differences are that you can begin to replace your old patterns with new patterns and begin to speak English in a less distracting manner. There may be 10, 20 or 30 of these specific differences, and only your PESL instructor can accurately identify them.

Once I know what those specific differences are, I can create a customized learning and practice plan built around your specific speech patterns. When you commit to practicing the techniques and targets in your learning plan, improvement is inevitable. There is no reason why any non-disordered, non-learning-disabled, motivated adult cannot learn these patterns. It’s a very simple and effective process.

But it only works when you participate.

It only works when you show up and practice. Daily. Frequently.

Want to find out what your learning and practice program looks like?

Your first step is free of charge and free of obligation. Take a quick 5-minute screening test to get some valuable personalized feedback about your speech patterns. You’ll receive a free short report that will teach you a few things about what’s making your speech sound heavily accented to American ears.

Click the big bold FREE PRONUNCIATION TEST box above, or just click right here.

The American Speech-Language & Hearing Association (ASHA),  the governing body that regulates the licensing process for the field of speech therapy in the United States stands behind the effectiveness of accent modification instruction, when it is done properly. Changing an accent is nothing more than learning how to change some habitual patterns. The typical adult professional does not have any limiting physical, neurological or cognitive impairments that would interfere with this learning process.

It’s like learning to become a better tennis player. If you’ve never picked up a tennis racket, you’ve got a long way to go before you can expect to win a match with an experienced player. That’s why there are beginner’s classes. People take classes because they need to learn or improve a skill – not because they already have a skill and want to waste time on something they are not committed to. Accent classes are for professionals who are committed to improvement.

Do you want to improve a critical personal skill set so you can…

pronounce American English clearly, cut down frustration between you and your professional contacts, speak confidently in all professional situations and settings? If so, let’s take the next step and make your introductory screening recording.

A Powerful 1-Day Workshop Using a Tested System

Maybe you’re speaking English for 5, 10 or 20 years and still struggling with the frustration of accented pronunciation. Maybe English is your first language but you grew up speaking it somewhere other than the United States.

You’re reminded of that frustration every time you have to present information to colleagues and coworkers, every time you describe a process or product to clients, and every time someone tells you they didn’t understand what you just said.

You’ve been ready to do something about it for a long time. (But you keep putting it off.)

Think you can do something about it in just one day?

Your accented speech is a pattern. A habit.

The Accent-Intensive 1-Day Training Seminar

You’re invited to an event that is going to break those habits and teach you some new clear speech patterns that will make your speech significantly less distracting and less difficult to understand the first time. You’ll learn how to apply the American Accent to your personal speaking style and how to turn it on whenever it matters most.

Like all of our training packages, it relies only on teaching you the areas of change that are relevant to your native language and your current pronunciation patterns.

Let’s be perfectly clear.

It’s a highly-interactive, break-out-of-your-shell total-immersion training day that you can only attend by completing a Personal Speech Analysis. Your analysis results will ensure we don’t waste any time and get right down to the business of turning your heavily-accented Korean, French, Arabic, German, Afrikaans, Gujarati or any-language influenced speech into clear, easy-to-understand speech that more closely resembles general American English.

An investment in this training includes private, personal follow-up consulting via phone or web-conferencing at a time that is convenient for you. And once you learn how important your listening skills are for accent transformation, you won’t believe how powerful telephone consulting can be for the maintenance and support of your newly-learned speaking skills.

After years of working with individuals from around the globe, this is becoming my most sought-after program. It gives you a detailed blueprint created just for you on how to achieve great-sounding American English pronunciation, and shows you how to use everything on your blueprint. Everyone at the event has their own blueprint. Each participant will implement his or her own new strengths while interacting with the instructor and each other participant.

You may truly surprise yourself at what you are capable of.

Will it really make you “perfectly” clear?

We don’t make that guarantee for two important reasons:

1. Nobody is a “perfect” speaker. American English varies tremendously from speaker to speaker.

2. I can’t predict how strongly you will apply your new skills.

I’m absolutely certain you’ll be extremely pleased with your results because I don’t want any of my clients regretting their investment.

Here’s what your intensive results-oriented day will look like:

Morning Session 1

• Rapid-fire techniques to get you using new speech targets (based on your personal analysis results) with ease and accuracy. This is where we introduce your specific blueprint and targets.
• The Secret that makes almost every word sound complete and clear (you won’t believe how simple and effective it is). It’s a technique and concept based used in speech clinics and classrooms around the country, and it’s not taught in any ESL class.

Morning Session 2

• Continued Rapid-fire round-the-room full-participation exercises that get everyone speaking, clarifying, laughing and having a great time with confident and accurate speech. You’ll be experimenting and acclimating to more new sounds and using them in dynamic speaking exercises.
• Making your Voice sound as confident as you feel (we’re going to break down some walls). We’ll explore resonance, vocal energy and your strongest  sounding chest voice. And you’ll learn exactly why every accented speaker must use this.

Afternoon Session 1

• “And Now For This Breaking News” – reading, role playing and report cards. We’ll use your new speech skills in graded reading activities (ripped right from the headlines!) and also use some “everyday” authentic conversational speech
• Rapid-Fire Spontaneity! (No net! No trainer! You’re on your own with each other!) Your instructor will set you up for an engaging, interactive speech exercise that involves direct interaction with other participants, while he sits back and watches the sparks fly!

Afternoon Session 2

• Stand and Deliver – The Easiest and Most Enjoyable Presentation You’ve Ever Given. You’ve got 3 minutes to save the world. Don’t worry – your instructor will show you how.
• How to Complete Your Final Analysis (Measurable Results!) and Get Your Personal Private Follow-up Session

Course Fee per person:

One-time payment of $1495.00
or 3 monthly payments of $549.00

Workshops are kept small to guarantee individual attention.

Call (888) 249-1936 from within the U.S.

All others, please email joe@myspeechcoach.com

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.