H-4 visa holders, congratulations!

Congratulations, H-4 visa holders!

It was announced today that H-4 visa holders, who meet certain conditions, will be eligible to apply for work permits on May 26, 2015. H-4 visa holders are the spouses of the H-1B visa holders. Many H-4 visa holders are highly skilled as well, but by the terms of their visas, could not apply for work permits previously.

Details of this announcement are here.

H-4 visa holders, while waiting to apply for work permits, may wish to work on their American English pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and idiomatic expressions so that communication during job interviews and at work will be easier.

Business Speech Improvement offers intensive coaching in 1 - 3 day seminars, hourly coaching in person for those in Raleigh-Durham, NC community, online coaching in selected cases, and concise, economical e-books. Visit us now to get started!

The speech coaching process - and you!

Have you ever wondered what happens during speech coaching?

It starts with goal-setting. What do you want to be able to do differently by the end of the process? Some clients want to pronounce American English more clearly, due to either a strong foreign or regional accent. Listeners have trouble understanding them, they report.

Other clients want to be able to speak more effectively at a department meeting, or to give a business or scientific presentation better.

Some clients want help to learn to speak slower, or to be more effective leaders. Others want help learning non-verbal communication, how to make "small talk" or how to speak more concisely, as their supervisor is requesting.

Others have different requests involving verbal communication.

After goal-setting, your communication will be assessed, and then customized training will be developed.

Coaching may take place in small groups, be done individually, or sometimes online. Concise e-books filled with practical tips are also available.

Clients comment that the speech coaching they received made a difference; they reported feeling more self-confident, were delighted that others understood them more easily, or did better with their careers. 

Better speech can have a big impact!

Learn more about Business Speech Improvement's speech coaching options now!

Offering foreign accent modification training to staff in the USA

The scenario goes like this. An employer hears about the availability of foreign accent modification training for his employees. He thinks about several of them who could certainly use it. Then he worries about either offending them and discriminating against them. The international employee, meanwhile, struggles to improve his American English pronunciation. He worries, too - about the puzzled looks on his listeners' faces, about his career growth and sometimes whether he will be kept on as an employee in the company. He wonders why his employer doesn't offer this training to him, like many employers do in other countries. As one employee told me, "I looked for this training for years on my own. When it suddenly appeared as being available on my computer at work, I immediately applied. I was lucky, and got in the class." The two different viewpoints are because Americans are often more individualistic, and think of their own career growth. We worry about offending others. In other countries, employees focus more on the growth and productivity of the work unit and company. Anything that can help that growth, such as American English pronunciation training for non-native professionals, is worth doing. When employees communicate better, they can contribute more, and more easily. So how does an American employer offer this training without offending a valued employee? Companies often try one of two approaches. First, the training can be offered as optional, fitting in a category of communication courses that are part of the number of mandatory hours of training per year. Two companies that did this reported considerable interest. As employees were self-selected, they were more motivated. A second approach is more directed. At a performance evaluation, explain the problem and the effect on the bottom line. Offer the training at that time, explaining clearly because you care about the valuable employee and his growth. Great speech makes business sense! Business Speech Improvement offers many types of verbal skills training. Training is offered through individual and small group seminars as well as e-books. The company is now located in Durham, NC.