Regional accents - and their impact

Many people report that having a strong regional accent, such as a strong New England, Midwestern, Southern or some other accent can impact their careers, even if they continue living in that part of the country. The reason is that they give presentations or make phone calls to people in other parts of the country, who may have trouble understanding them.

Have you had difficulty being understood or understanding someone else who has a strong regional accent? If so, what part of the country (and country) are you in? What did you have to do to communicate?

What kind of training would help in this case, if you were the speaker? Would you want regional accent modification alone, combined with customer service training or with public speaking training? Would you prefer it in person alone or in a group, in a webinar online (although you wouldn't get feedback), or in an e-book/mp3 file?

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive individual and group training, and e-books, on many topics related to communication.

New Year, New Opportunities!

It's New Year's Day; do you know where your goals are?? Many people choose to write goals, often one per topic relevant to their lives. These may include establishing relationships, health, career, hobbies, family, finances, and more.

The value of having clear, written goals was demonstrated in a Harvard study done in 1979. Read about the incredible impact of having these goals at http://www.lifemastering.com/en/harvard_school.html.

But my question is, "Where do you put your written goals so you see them and get the most impact from having written them?" Hidden goals may be out of sight, out of mind.

Share with me your most effective places to post those goals!