RP or not RP? accent reduction takes on a whole new meaning
Looking in detail at the differences between one speaker and another, with broadly the same accent, reminded me that although RP is its own distinctive accent, it's tempting to observe that no two British English RP speakers sound the same!
Does Public Speaking Have to Be Surprising to Be Interesting?
Unconfident speakers, especially those nervous about public speaking in front of even a small audience, often focus heavily on their content to avoid addressing their delivery. This common public speaking challenge highlights the importance of balancing engaging content with confident presentation skills.
Accent Softening in Action: Lessons from Prince Harry’s Transatlantic Transition
Last weekend, I was in the Sunday Telegraph doing some (ex-) royal watching: that paper ran a story about whether King Charles' second son’s accent has become more American since resettling in California with his wife Meghan Markle and family.
Accent Reduction: Could You Spot a Fake Accent?
Discover how accents impact trust and communication. Learn accent reduction tips for clear British English and professional success in London and beyond
Does Pronunciation Matter More Than Grammar or Vocabulary?
A few listeners might notice your impressive vocabulary or spotless grammar. What they remember, though, is when you spent the whole presentation talking about 'copyright' and pronouncing it 'corporate'.
‘Dramatic pause’? Here’s the Real Reason Pauses Matter in Public Speaking
With recent high-profile political speeches in the spotlight, there’s been renewed interest in what makes a good election speech. One of the key elements? The power of pacing and pauses.
All together now: group coaching or one-to-one?
This week I've been developing a tailored program of public speaking and personal impact coaching for the sales team of a big corporate client.
Masterclass: how to speak well and move people (try the exercise at the end)
Chris Packham is a professional communicator with decades of experience of speaking on and off camera. The bar is high.
But I'm especially fascinated by the speech as an example of all the things I encourage speakers to do, when I talk about 'doing the listeners' work'.
I Hate Public Speaking: What to do with your hands*
Most of what the internet says about hand gestures in public speaking is BS. Read my insightful thought leadership (ie. marketing) on the subject. Then click through to the BS, naturally.
Speaking with purpose: using speech to change the world
Powerful movements need powerful speakers. Read my latest newsletter to hear about how I've been helping a climate activist to inspire direct action.
The highlight of your presentation is… YOU
The highlight of your presentation is not your slides. It’s not even your content. The highlight is YOU
Online courses: tell me what you think
Anyone on the internet can show you what to do, and pronounce the sounds for you. But coaching means you have an expert to listen to you and guide you.
How to sound authentic, part 2
This time yesterday, I found myself asking a group of professionals to try to sound as unprofessional as possible.
If you sound boring... make your work less boring
What we can learn about how to work smarter, based on how we feel and behave in speaking situations where we don't deliver
‘When in France, speak as the French do?’
Speaking French and trying to perfect my pronunciation gave me some great insights into how to work on accent reduction and still feel confident and authentic
My business is YOU: the benefits of working with freelance coach
This post is all about me. No really, it is all about how it’s all about ME
Switch to which? Does it work to have ‘two accents?’
Does it work to have 'two voices'? Or do you have to settle for one sound, one accent, in order to truly be yourself?
‘What?? I’ve only had a couple…’ how your voice can let AI know you’re too drunk to drive
Using tongue twisters to gauge whether someone is too drunk to drive is just another way of telling us what we already know: people judge our competence based on how easy it is to understand us
Should you change your accent? My review of You’re All Talk by Rob Drummond
There's some challenging ideas here for me as a practitioner of what I still call 'accent reduction' and sometimes 'elocution'
Have these top politicians had speech coaching? (and how you can tell)
This week I was featured in an article in the Daily Telegraph, one of the UK's main national newspapers, to talk about politicians' voices, and whether it’s possible to tell if they’ve had public speaking coaching.