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Why reduce your accent with me?

I'm a non-native speaker just like yourself!

I've reduced my own accent

I know the struggle and can save you time

time proven acting methods that'll save you time and help you apply what you learn under pressure

English is also not my first language. I came to the US with a very noticeable German accent. I got tired of being asked to repeat myself, of not being clear, of being made fun of and being asked where I was from because of my accent very quickly.

I realized very quickly that I was missing out on money and social opportunities because of my accent.

Thankfully, I was studying acting and my program offered "neutral American speech classes". I got to work and after about a year, I was confident I could blend in with native speakers. I had spent MANY hours practicing what I was learning and am proud to say that the work paid off.

I got so into this process that, even when I hadn't even achieved my goal yet, I was helping out my peers with their accent homework. I realized I'm pretty good at this!

Fast forward to the pandemic. Laid off, like so many others. The perfect opportunity to start a business. That's how I started helping others just like you to sound more clear, confident and American.

How? Using time proven acting methods.

My teaching framework boils down to 3 steps: understand. drill. simulate.

That's it. It's simple. Not necessarily easy but if you commit to following those three steps, that'll take you from constantly being misunderstood, having to repeat yourself, stumbling over your words and speaking anxiously to speaking clearly, being understood the first time you say something, breezing through sentences and speaking with confidence.

Why should we do what actors do?

- They're able to completely transform the way they speak (and we don't even have to go full Daniel Day-Lewis mode)

- They emphasize not just pronunciation but also relaxation. Tense musculature is a lot more resistant to change.

- They don't just rely on talent but they use a system to acquire a new accent (non-native speakers can do the same!)

- They're able to use their new accent in high stress environments

Where to start?

It all starts with awareness, the first step in UNDERSTAND. If you don't know what you're doing wrong, how could you possibly try to fix it?

Request your $25 Accent Assessment
(Value: $150)

How does accent reduction work?

It all starts with "phonetics" (symbols that are supposed to be a universal sign for specific sounds). After identifying which sounds in your speech give you away as a non-native speaker, we work to adjust those sounds. This starts with mastering making that sound as well as understanding when to use it. After establishing a strong foundation in the phonetics of the American accent, we'll move on to advanced reading exercises outside of materials (e.g. books, articles) to bridge the gap from controlled practice to speaking. If you want to know more, read this blog post.
How long does it take to reduce your accent fully?

It depends on a variety of factors. These factors are: What’s your starting point How many classes a week are you taking? How consistently are you practicing outside of class? Are you re-watching the class recordings? Are you recording yourself as you’re practicing and listening to yourself and other native speakers very consciously? To learn more, read the blog post dealing with this subject.
I suck at languages, will I ever get rid of my accent?

Learning a language is certainly not easy. However, you need to know that when most of us learned English in school, our teachers didn’t teach us / didn’t know themselves, how to properly teach us the American pronunciation. Instead, we learned speaking English in their accent. In the process of accent reduction, you will be learning “phonetics” which will help you understand the proper mechanics of how the American sounds should be said as well as where to place them. There are a lot of rules and patterns we can follow to help us. At the same time, some of it will be vocabulary (i.e. memorization) as well.
Why would I want to reduce my accent?

These tend to be the main reasons: wanting to blend in with native speakers speaking with confidence being able to communicate clearly overcome subconscious bias in personal / work life
How do I get started?

Use the contact form to send me an email to book a 1hr A La Carte Session to start your accent reduction journey. Note, this session can only be booked after contacting me. If you'd like to just get your feet wet, ask more questions about the process and the materials, I recommend booking the Clarity Call instead.
What is "subconscious bias" ?

We encounter and also have subconscious bias in most parts of our lives. To give you an accent related example, every country has varieties of accents. At the same time, there is usually an “accent” that’s considered the “proper” way of speaking. Often, people in bigger cities will speak like this more commonly than people in rural areas. As a result, when people from cities listen to people from rural areas speak, they might (subconsciously) associate their way of speaking with a lack of intellect which, of course, is not justified. This exists everywhere, not just in the US. The UK can be quite a vivid example of this because they have a very large variety of dialects and even native speakers can sometimes have a hard time understanding each other, depending on how strong the dialects are. (e.g. London vs Scotland)
What's your cancellation policy?

Students must request to cancel/reschedule at least 24hrs before or session will count as completed and cannot be refunded. The only exception to this is if students paid for a 10 session package. Then you can cancel up to 12hrs before the session time.
Have you worked with somebody with my accent before? Does that matter?

In short, it does not matter. I have worked with students from all over the globe but not from every single country. Even beyond that, inside of one country, the accents will differ based on geography, social background, education, etc. However, the accent reduction process is the same, regardless of which accent you have. The sounds we need to start with or the kinds of mistakes you are making might be different from certain accents but all that means is that we'll be attacking the sounds from the angle that makes the most sense based on how you're deviating from American.
Where do the classes take place?

All classes are conducted online via Zoom.
How long does it take for you to reply to a message?

I strive to respond to everbody within 24hrs, within my office hours. Office hours: Mo - Fri: 9am - 4pm PT, Sa: 10am - 2pm PT

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Why reduce your accent with me?

Request your $25 Accent Assessment (Value: $150)

FAQ

Request your $25 Accent Assessment
(Value: $150)