Questions?    Just call me, Corinne (English/German) on  +49 173 1688006    ***  Virtual Tea Break ***  “Very British”

 

English Speaking Experts Solutions Fav Icon

Experts! Speak English! #130

The English Speaking Expert Despite the Accent

What is an accent?

Definition of accent

An accent is a distinctive way of pronouncing words and sentences in a language, especially one that is associated with a particular country (British, German, Australian accents etc)

Accents can be regional too though or even associated with a social class:

In context…

“I love going to a city or conference for instance when you speak to people from all over the world, with different languages and accents!”

 

Accent Gif...

Who do I work with?

Non native speaking experts who have yet to be discovered as the experts, or get the opportunities that they feel that they deserve. Communication is often the key.

A mild accent is charming, but a stronger accent can mean that people are having to concentrate on understanding you much more. That can be frustrating and exhausting.

Sadly if you have a strong accent it will be more difficult for you to really make the right impression or impact. That’s because people will be concentrating on what you are saying, rather than the impact of your message.

I work with people from all over the world

Free Media Exposure to Accents

1. Podcasts (play in full, listen again with breaks to repeat)
2. Clubhouse (live 24/7) various topics
3. Internations News Channels
4. You Tube

Why do we hear ourselves differently to a recording?

Greg Foot from BBC Earth Lab, explains this brilliantly >>>

This is why it is essential, if you are to improve your English, to read out loud. I know – you might have hated this at school – with mean class mates, but we’re adults now so you can escape to the loo to speak out loud if you need to or take the dog for the walk or something but find a way, because it is only when you actually have to say the words that you hear the gaps in your pronunciation. That’s powerful.

Coco's Communication Challenge

Accents

1. Switch on transcripts to help you understand other people’s accent in an online meeting. (Teams and Zoom both have this option)

2. Spot your own shortcomings in the subtitles and actively work on them, pay attention to people’s gestures, they are a dead giveaway if they don’t understand you (eyebrows and wrinkled foreheads, lips)

3. Offer help to people struggling with words and phrases in your own language. You never know, if you help each other, this could be the start of a tandem arrangement where you can help each other more regularly.

4. Get a colleague to write down any words or phrases that they had to concentrate to understand for you and reciprocate by doing the same in their languauge if the opportunity occurs. (In many companies, the meetings are often in English but the small talk or heated discussions often defer to the participants own language)

Coco's Communication Challenge

Coco, help me to be a great communicator even with an accent

Speaking in a way that makes you less self conscious and more persuasive is easier than you think, all you need is three ingredients
1. A native speaking coach who is smart enough to understand your business world due to their international business experience
2. A proven system used all over the world with managers, experts and academics to make a better impression every time.
3. Motivation and Inspiring challenges to help you work on your accent even when you are dead beat and can’t face it

"Be the very best communicator that you can be"

Sold out

Sorry, sold out until September, new dates and prices coming soon.

If you need a leaving or maternity present for a colleague at work, get in touch and I’ll package your Pimp Your English Voucher irresistibly for you and send it in the post.

If you want to improve your accent we can do that online or outdoors so feel free to sign up for a Virtual Tea Break and we’ll find out the best option for your schedule, requirements and learning preferences.

Fancy a Virtual Tea Break?