11 Sep How do I adjust a strong accent for professional settings?
Do people ask you to repeat yourself at work?
When the speech patterns from your native language are affecting how you articulate in English, people may frequently ask you to repeat yourself.
People may also tune out when you are speaking because they are having trouble following your intonation. The rhythm of your English is probably also being affected by the rhythm your native language.
When this feels like a problem, fear not! At British Accent Academy, we specialise in helping people reduce native language transference. We teach clear speech. Read on to find out how we can help you improve the clarity and effectiveness of your articulation and cadence for the workplace.
It’s time to move on from repeating yourself and move toward clear articulation and clear delivery the first time!
Why do people stop listening in presentations?
People stop listening to you when you deliver presentations because the cadence of your speech is not what they are used to hearing.
You’re using the speech patterns of your native language instead and it’s not working for your English.
You may be speaking too fast and you’re probably using speech patterns from your native language (e.g. pronouncing every English “o” letter the same way when this letter should be pronounced differently depending on its surrounding speech sounds).
/ɒ/ > as in “sock”, “gosh”, “bother”
/ʌ/ > as in “love”, “mother”, “rough” (like the “u” in “fun”)
/uː/ > as in “prove”, “move”, “to”
/əʊ/ > as in “so”, “rope”, “moment”
Fixing these issues with British Accent Academy’s guidance will make people listen to you and hang on your every word.
You’re placing the stress in the wrong place in your cadence
Consider the sentence: “THIS is the house that JACK built”. Notice a little stress on This (a pointing word) and a big stress on Jack.
The rhythm of British English stretches and contracts and stretches again. We place stress on words with meaning and we don’t normally stress grammatical words.
At British Accent Academy, we will teach you precisely how to master the cadence of British Received Pronunciation.
So, how does this all work in practice?
How do you adjust a strong accent in professional settings?
1. Practise the exercises from the e-books and courses in our training suite daily for 2 minutes.
We call this drilling. Watch our video modules, pay attention to our speech sound animations, use our worksheets, and our minimal pair exercises, and practise the drills in our e-books with audio (part of our training suite) using a mirror, touching your throat, for 2 minutes at least once per day. Try repeating this after my colleague, listen closely, and try to match the quality of her speech sounds. Try matching the cadence of Karen’s speech.
2. Listen to BBC podcasts and National Theatre YouTube videos and shadow the speakers
The BBC produces a number of podcasts and the National Theatre releases a number of YouTube videos regularly. Try finding some with Received Pronunciation (a non-regional accent model) and shadow them.
Shadowing means speaking with the recording. Imagine you’re singing along (instead of repeating). Like an annoying echo! Try to match the rhythm of the phrase, match the stretching and compressing of the syllables, and match the rising and falling of the pitch within your natural range.
Listen to the following recording once then try saying it with Karen, at the same time as her. How does it feel?
Well done!
3. Learn the positions of the English vowels
At British Accent Academy, we help you to create a new speech sound system for your English vowels. We show you how to place your lips, jaw, and tongue for the sounds of British Received Pronunciation. We also show you how to use muscle exertion and subtle movements to ensure that your vowels sound natural. There’s no need to sound fake or affected. All you need to do is sit back, watch our video modules, take a mirror, make some faces, and you’ll begin to notice that your speech sounds clearer at work. And people will stop asking you to repeat yourself! Trust your background practice and gradually, the training you’re doing for 2 minutes per day in the mirror will work its way into your professional speech.
4. Adjust your consonants
In professional environments, your consonants need to be sharp and crisp. In informal speech and in relaxed meetings, connected speech features such as the glottal stop work very well. But you may need help recording a podcast for work in English. In that podcast, you may wish to use fewer glottal stops. You may also need English articulation help for recording videos, interviewing CEOs, or delivering speeches. In these contexts, sharp, clear consonants can make you come across more clearly and with greater authority. Learn how to release your consonants with clarity every time with drills that are made to sharpen your consonants. Try recording yourself and adjusting your consonants until they are so sharp, that even the person at the back of the conference room can hear you as clear as day.
5. Practice stress placement and pitch usage using our intonation and rhythm book
Our exercises will show you the precise rules and exceptions of the flow of Modern Received Pronunciation for professional contexts. You’ll begin noticing that you’re stressing the first and final word with meaning in the phrase. You’ll begin finding your groove when it comes to the pitch patterns you like to use (within your own vocal range). You’ll begin noticing more positive reactions to your speech. People may even agree to even your most audacious asks at work when you have persuasive intonation! This can lead you to new heights. Think promotions, more money, and more professional success! Who knows, maybe even early retirement!
We can’t wait to see you thrive with your new, clear, professional British accent!
Discover this training (which comes with LIVE Zoom workshops).