Every day in my voice studio I hear people tell me… 

“I want to lose my accent”.

“I hate the way I sound”. 

“I want to sound more British/Australian/American”.

Here in Australia, like many other countries in the world, there are many people that speak English as a second language – and many of them don’t like the way that they sound.

So, if this resonates with you – I have some good news for you today.

In this blog, I’m going to share with you 3 inspirational and effective tips that will make you feel more empowered about your unique accent. 

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INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES: 

 

FULL VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Today, we are talking about accents. 

Let’s dive into 3 tips today that will help you understand what you need to do.

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TIP #1: Accent is Routine   .

When we grow up in another country and speak in the native language of that country, you learn to move your lips, tongue, teeth and jaw in a particular way as we learn the local language. This is true for any language of course. 

When I moved to Holland years ago, I found it really hard to get my mouth around the particular shapes I needed to make to sound the Dutch language out. I actually had a sore throat for months because I was pronouncing the G sound too harshly. It didn’t feel natural at all to me and I found it really difficult.

When our muscles are used to moving in a certain way for decades, it becomes routine. 

What we are talking about is the Vocal Mechanics – which make up the pronunciation of the words we say. Vocal mechanics are important; however, they are not everything. 

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TIP #2: Accent is Relative 

When people say they want to change their accent, it usually means they are comparing themselves with another person from another country. So, when people say they have an accent, they usually mean “not an English-Speaking accent”

Here’s the thing though – everyone has an accent. 

When I was living in Europe and also travelling across America as a singer and actor, everyone I met said “wow! I love your accent!” Every country I travelled to; people would comment on my accent. 

Accent is relative. So, what are you comparing your accent to? 

If you want to sound more native in the country that you are now living, there are steps you can take to sound clearer, and they will be determined by what accent you are comparing yourself to.

If you live in the USA, you might want to work on a different kind of pronunciation than if you moved to the UK or Australia.

So first decide what you want and then you can start to make better decisions on HOW you are going to reach your goal.

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TIP #3: Accent is Relational 

Since everyone has an accent and now we understand that mechanics play a part in being understood, it’s time to look at the final and most important tip today. 

All of us learn to make sounds that are relational to our native language, so these are issues that can play a big part in communication and have nothing to do with the mechanics of speech. 

The third tip is the most important one. It plays an enormous role in communication skills: The way we structure our sentences and the flow of the English language itself. 

Many people that are ESL speakers are also lacking in confidence due to constantly thinking and speaking in a different language, especially if they are self-conscious or worried about it that their vocabulary is not yet good enough. That can lead to being anxious and insecure and can really affect the way they communicate. It makes it very hard for people to understand what they are trying to convey. It doesn’t mean that the command of the English language is bad, necessarily. It simply means the correct flow and patterning of the English language is NOT YET used. What you need to do to fix this is invest in some public speaking skills and communication training. 

Do not forget: Speak up. Speak out. Be ready to be heard because remember: YOUR VOICE MATTERS.