Six Things to Consider In a Speech Training Program.

You've decided to make some changes in your speech. You want to speak slower, modify your accent, get rid of your lisp, make better presentations, communicate more clearly with your staff, or some other difference.

What should you look for in a speech coach or trainer?

First, ask about the person's training. For example, does the person have a master's degree or doctorate in speech-language pathology? Does he have a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP) after his name?  Is he state-licensed as a speech-language pathologist in your state?  Some speech-language pathologists specialize in corporate work, working with professionals in the workforce; they are called corporate speech pathologists or corporate speech trainers. Being certified as a "coach" is nice, but exactly how does this certification pertain to your communication issues?

Second, ask about his experience in working with your type of communication issues. You want someone who has experience, if possible.

Third, find out how services are provided: in-person, individually, in a small or large group, or online.
Some states have laws that limit if speech coaching can be provided to residents online, unless the corporate speech trainer is licensed in your state. If the speech coach is not licensed in your state as a speech-language pathologist, and won't take the time to find out what the laws are in your state, you should be asking him or her about this. Some reasons are legitimate, but other people are unaware of the laws.

Fourth, ask how often the services are provided. Intensive speech training often gets results faster, because less time is needed for review. It is done in full-day sessions, sometimes 3 or 4 days long, and should include a follow-up plan for skill maintenance.  Having 1 - 2  one-hour lessons a week often requires a long time to get results, and some clients may not remain motivated.

Fifth, after finding out the cost, ask your supervisor if the company will sponsor you for this training. Some companies will sponsor you if you seek out the speech program and ask for sponsorship.This usually is part of career development. The fact that you have taken the time to find the speech training program will show the company you are motivated.

Lastly, ask how many people are in the program at once. Are the lessons customized to your needs as a learner, or does everyone study all the material in the course? If everyone studies all the material, whether they need it or not, the course takes longer and motivation may decrease.
Customized lessons save your valuable time.

Great speech makes business sense! Get the speech training you need, and feel confident about it!

Business Speech Improvement, in Durham, NC, offers intensive speech training through small groups and individually. Details of upcoming seminars and types of training are at www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com.

Accent modification - the intensive way

Accent modification for strong foreign and regional accents can be done on many schedules. The most frequent one is one lesson a week for an hour, with the hope that learners will practice between sessions.  Some learners do practice as instructed. Others are busy and don't have time for this, or fear that they are practicing incorrectly and soon stop.

Intensive accent modification is done either 8 hours a day, for several days, or at least several hours a session or several sessions a week. There are 3 advantages to this.  Learners have less time to forget, so minimal time is spent in review. Learners make faster progress, because they are getting more lessons and errors are corrected immediately by the instructor if the learner does not catch them. Third, learners are more motivated, because progress is faster.

A follow-up plan of some type needs to be in place, to help the learner maintain his or her new skills. Newly learned skills must be reinforced by the instructor or others who are native speakers until they are habitual.

Intensive accent modification especially appeals to busy professionals who may have tight schedules,
those who need to speak clearly as quickly as possible for upcoming meetings or presentations, and
managers who need their employees to speak clearly as fast as possible.


Business Speech Improvement offers open enrollment small groups for accent modification. Other options are offered as well. Click here for details!

Silent letters in American English pronunciation Many readers of this blog come from other countries. If you are one of them, or know someone who is trying to speak English more clearly, this blog post is for you! American English, first of all, is pronounced differently than British English. Many of the vowel sounds are made slightly differently, and have a different intonation pattern as well, which is what gives it a British or an American sound. This blog is about American English. We have a lot of silent letters. In some cases, the letters are silent only in specific words. For example, "th" is written but not spoken in 5 words. One of these words is "asthma". When "l" comes after an "a", as in calm, walk, talk, and psalms, the "l" is not spoken either. A third example is when there is a "sch", as in school or schedule. In these cases, Americans pronounce this as a "sk" sound. Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training in American English Pronunciation Improvement for Non-native Professionals. Training is offered through open enrollment seminars, individual coaching, e-books and an mp3-file.

Foreign accent modification training: what do people learn?

A professional from another country reported, "I've wanted to speak English better, but I didn't know what to do. Now, after this seminar, I do."

In (American English) Pronunciation Improvement for Non-native Professionals, each attendee gets an individual speech assessment. Even two people from the same native language, such as Spanish, may pronounce English differently. Each person then receives a customized program so he learns what he specifically needs. Learners study the silent letters in English, such as the three words in which "th" is not pronounced.

Materials and activities are geared to professionals. For example, at the end of the session, a professor may give a short lecture using his new speech skills.
A physician may practice giving a case history. Someone else may interview a vendor. Attendees enjoy these activities! After the seminar, there is a detailed follow-up plan to help skills be maintained.

Past learners report they feel more confident speaking English, and know what to do to make their pronunciation better.

For those who cannot attend, e-books of exercises are onsite.

Isn't this what you are searching for, for yourself or an
employee?

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training in may aspects of verbal communication.