“I’m so tired of people not understanding me.”
You’ve got customers, employees and professional contacts who are possibly just as frustrated. Even everyday interactions with coworkers and friends can be a challenge when your spoken English skills are not as good as you’d like them to be.
It’s true – there is no such thing as un-accented speech (we all have accents), but American-born speakers of English, whether it’s fair or not, may hear your accent and instantly stereotype you as someone who is less intelligent, less competent, and probably difficult to deal with.
In fact, studies have suggested that accented speech may play a role in missed promotions and lack of advancement in corporate or professional settings.
Nearly anyone who can find the time to participate in guided practice can learn to modify their speech and use the patterns of clear spoken English as it is spoken in the United States. A dramatic increase in clarity and effectiveness is possible in just a few weeks with consistent practice and the guidance of a professional speech instructor.
It’s not difficult to learn how to use clear speech patterns and improved pronunciation once you know exactly which patterns and sounds to target. You can probably think of some words and sounds that are difficult for you to pronounce correctly. Did you know there is an underlying pattern causing those pronunciation errors? In a MySpeechCoach Accent Teleclass you’ll likely discover 12, 16, 20 or more specific problem sounds that are making your speech sound heavily-accented and difficult-to-understand to American ears. Once you know what those patterns are, you can set out to correct them and begin using new, accurate, clearly pronounced patterns.
Ready to work with your personal speech coach? Just want to get more info? Call 888-249-1936 or email joe@myspeechcoach.
Since 1998, I’ve been helping people improve their speaking skills. In 2003, I discovered my passion for helping professionals and goal-oriented adults put their best image forward in their presentations, business transactions, professional interactions, and networking activities. The clients I work with know their game well and have quite a bit of professional responsibility. I introduce them to the speaking and presenting skills they have neglected to develop.
Can you find a quiet place and devote one hour per week to a 60-minute Improvement Session with your speech coach? Your speech coach is a clinically trained speech-language pathologist certified by the American Speech and Hearing Association. My clients have come to me from companies such as Sprint, BB&T, Cisco, Hanes Brands, IBM, various U.S. universities, hospitals and their own independently-owned businesses.
Once we develop a coaching package thats’s right for you, you can take the call from wherever is convenient for you. Your daytime office. Your home office. Your bedroom or kitchen table… as long as you’ve got an Internet connection ready and access to a land-based phone.
The teleclass atmosphere is enjoyable and supportive. Your coach will lead you through speech, reading, and conversation exercises, and then provide honest, constructive feedback. You will also be encouraged to practice frequently to attract a higher rate of success and change. And since coaching is a major part of the game, we’ll explore and discuss real-world scenarios and situations that are unique and critical to your professional success.
Reach your personal speech coach at 888-249-1936.
If you have a high-speed (Cable or DSL) Internet connection and can access it during your teleclasses, you can participate in real-time interactive tasks and exercises screen-to-screen with your coach. You won’t need to download any special software or make any technical adjustments to your computer. If you can open an email and view a Web page, you can take advantage of some great technology in your teleclasses. If you prefer eye-to-eye contact and have a computer equipped with a camera, webcam meetings are also an option. The minimum requirement for effective coaching and training is a simply a telephone.
If you’re unable to access the Internet while you’re on the phone, you can still have a great accent coaching course. All courses are designed to give maximum results with meaningful, helpful, and enjoyable content. If you can learn based on what you hear (and most adults can), you’ll enjoy and benefit from accent teleclasses.
You will learn to improve your speech rhythm, the movement of American speech, and your conversational style to create a more natural and professional sounding result. I’ve heard my clients make drastic improvements and changes time and time again. Your teleclass sessions will be instructional, informative, practical, and fun. You have my word, and you’ll be able to hear the changes with your own ears. Every teleclass package concludes with a Before-and-After recording, providing you with unquestionable and measurable results. It’s a highly motivating feature of the training package. Most client simply cannot wait to hear their Before-and-After results, and many want to continue the coaching relationship even after the results are delivered.
You’ll address specific skills that will empower you in your own business, social, or educational setting, and you’ll get honest feedback to help you keep track of what you’re doing well and the areas that are in need of improvement.
Plus, your course is designed around your interests and your needs. If Information Technology is your field, that will be a primary focus of your course. If your line of work puts a high priority on customer service (and shouldn’t we all?) we’ll make sure your course focuses on the vocabulary and speaking skills that will make your service outstanding. Business owners, consultants, programmers, analysts, students, department leaders and technical engineers have all had success with MySpeechCoach teleclass coaching.
Your course tuition includes:
- A personal recorded speech evaluation which reveals the sounds and patterns you are currently using that are making your speech sound heavily accented
- A Personal Communication Profile that shows the results of your evaluation, and tells you what you’ll be working on with your coach before your course begins (You’ll know your goals in advance and we’ll start with Results in mind.)
- A one-hour private teleclass instruction and coaching session each week, for 8 consecutive weeks
- Weekly interactive Audio Practice Files in MP3 format with PDF supplements, targeting improved speech using Common Words & Phrases, Personal Success Vocabulary, and American Conversation Skills. 20-30 minutes of interactive and personalized recorded practice material will be delivered to you weekly.
- A personalized Audio Reference MP3 File targeting correct pronunciation of a selection of words you provide to your coach, one recording per week
- A follow-up evaluation, that compares your new speech habits with the style you used at the beginning of your coaching course to give you unquestionable, measurable results. (This is the “After” in the Before-and-After analysis process.)
- Optional Add-on: MP3 audio recordings of every class, which are sent to you either weekly or upon completion of the course. Replay your classes, listen to your progress, and practice with the audio recordings after or inbetween classes
Clear, effective speech is a skill that is valued by corporations, universities, hospitals, churches, business parteners, students and customers.
Your speech will be analyzed by a speech pathologist who will uncover the patterns and habits that are creating barriers in your communication. We’ll determine your specific needs and areas of concern, and set specific, measurable goals for improvement. Your initial evaluation interview can be completed in less than an hour, and you will begin to experience increased clarity and accuracy at your very first session.
You”ll even learn a great deal about your own accented speech during your first no-obligation call if you’d simply like to learn more about the process.
Price
(valid throughout 2010)
Accent Teleclass Coaching starts with an investment of $295.00 for your first 4 teleclass sessions. Your evaluation and initial consult are free. You’ll have a no-obligation chance to discuss your detailed coaching plan and receive your personalized communication profile before deciding whether accent teleclass coaching sessions are the right next step for you. You can complete your initial analysis without any obligation to pay the coaching fee. No hard feelings, no pressure, no repeated requests. The information you gain from the analysis is yours to use as you wish.
Your follow-up evaluation, showing unquestionable and measurable results, will be conducted after your 8th teleclass session. It’s not a tactic to force you into more sessions. It’s the only way your progress can be assessed. You’ll be responsible for practicing the strategies and techniques you learn every day. With enough practice hours, you’ll develop new speech habits and change your level of intelligibility and accuracy. You may not be able to hear or monitor your own progress, but your follow-up evaluation will provide a specific measure of improvement by measuring you against your own initial evaluation performance.
Since your improvement and success is important to both of us, your follow-up evaluation can only take place after you’ve had a fair chance at changing your old speech production habits. That will only happen with consistent and focused practice. There is no guarantee you will improve. The responsibility of practice and application is yours. It will be evident to your coach if you are practicing as instructed each week.
We may also explore other aspects of how you present yourself verbally, such as grammar, voice, and assertive speech habits, that will strengthen your language mastery and increase your persuasiveness, effectiveness, and confidence.
The best results are achieved by individuals who have already learned a basic English vocabulary. TOEFL test takers are encouraged to include accent modification training as part of their preparation for the Speaking section of the exam. It’s the perfect next step for ESL learners.
One more thing: to keep you focused and committed, your sessions may expire if you don’t use them. We all have busy schedules and unexpected real-life events that may make it difficult to keep your weekly coaching appointment at times. That’s understandable. But when your commitment to changing your speech patterns is interrupted too often, progress and change becomes unlikely. MySpeechCoach teleclass sessions are designed for those who are committed to succes. Therefore, sessions may be postponed for up to 1 week. Postpone 3 times, and your session will be forfieted. You’ll need at least 8 full sessions to receive your follow-up progress check. (Your make-up sessions will be offered at an additional fee.)
Here’s a summary of what your course will include:
10 hours of personal instruction, coaching and evaluation via teleclass
Up to 5 hours of personalized, interactive recorded MP3 lessons
A “Before & After” recording highlighting your success and dramatic improvement
MP3 recordings of each telelcass (optional, for additional fee)
Increased chances of reaching your own personal, professional and business goals.
All calls for your personal teleclass will be made by the coach. You will not pay long distance charges. But you’ll have to make the very first call to start your coaching connection. 888-249-1936.
WARNING!!!
Your success and improvement are NOT guaranteed!
You will not experience your potential for dramatic improvement simply by chatting with a coach on the phone once a week. You will also not experience change and success if you’re taking a course just because a boss or supervisor wants you to.
Change requires practice. I will ask you to practice daily, and I will provide you with the tools and material you need to practice.
More importantly, you’ll need a strong-enough reason to change – changing your accent is changing the image you present to others. Are you ready?
You will not lose your cultural identity. No one can take that away from you. Learning new speaking and accent skills will only empower you to communicate on the same effective level as your colleagues and peers. Most people who have successfully made changes like these report a new ability to turn the better or more professional-sounding speech on or off as needed.
While no two individuals are the same, our guarantee is that your speaking skills are likely to improve if you actively participate in the training tasks as instructed. Your personal rate of improvement is directly related to the amount of practice and commitment you are willing to devote to your training. When you demonstrate your commitment with your actions, your results will be measurable and dramatic.
Yours with Best Regards,
Joe Comeau
President and Owner, Capital Speech Consultants
To schedule a no-obligation introductory call, please call toll-free in the U.S. 1-888-249-1936. If prompted, please leave a message letting telling me a little about yourself and letting me know when you’d like me to return your call. Please speak your name and phone number slowly. (We’ll work on improving the speed of your speech, too.)
Or, email me: joe@myspeechcoach.com. Please include your phone number. I’d love to hear from you.