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!
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'.
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.
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.
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'
How to sound ‘authentic’
Working with voiceover artists, I’ve learned that ‘authenticity’ is everything: it’s the same for people I see one-to-one for accent reduction and confident speaking
Accent Bias in Britain: what about foreign accents?
Bias: you can try to be colour-blind, but how about accent-deaf? I took a quiz on accent bias to find out whether I can overcome my own inherent biases…
‘Ats us nai’: an accent tour of Northern Ireland
I’ve recently come back from my first trip to Northern Ireland, and I learned some things about the famous accent… especially when I tried to do it myself…
‘How long does it take?’: 5 tips for changing your speech habits (for busy people who live in the real world)
Results: why changing your speech habits isn’t like getting a nosejob