Working in the information technology industry, cultural diversity become as common as your morning coffee. Grasping technical concepts on its own is challenging but blend that with an unfamiliar sound and you will find that some colourful messages can surface from time to time.
Whilst working with colleagues and clients in the United States in particular, the sound of my South African accent seemed challenging to listeners at times. It was quite a mutual situation that caused telephone conferencing to result in requests for repetition of phrases or words. I decided to alter this in an attempt for more seamless discussions and decided to contact The Accent Coach. I was not sure what the outcome could be or even how one could coach on accents.
From the first word until the last, I have found this experience not only enriching but truly enjoyable. My coach understood exactly what the origin of my dialect was and helped me to understand the phonetic differences from early on during our coaching sessions.
This allowed me to focus on small but very effective ways of producing more American related sounds. Applying the changes had a huge impact on how I sounded right away! The learning tools suggested for our sessions were also easy to apply and very helpful. Claudette guided me into altering the syllabus sounds literally from word to phrase.
Each class had its challenges but it was a lot of fun al the way through. We worked hard on sounds unnatural to me but I never felt overwhelmed by the changes or never did I hesitate to apply the adjustment to my natural accent. Interventions with my American colleagues and clients showed immediate rewards and telephonic meetings became easier even the next day.
I felt confident to apply what I've learned from as early as the first lesson! This was an extraordinary experience that showed immediate results. Anyone can walk away from these sessions with The Accent Coach and experience not only immediate but also effective change to whatever their language objectives are.