Accent Neutralization is reducing the accent of your native language, and using the accent of your target language. Most times this target language is English.
The use of accent neutralization has become common as the economy transitions from local to global. With call centers and offices for American companies scattered all over the world, a method of teaching people to successfully communicate with American businesses and consumers became critical.
How can accent neutralization benefit you? If you’re living the USA, or working for an American company, then using the training developed for accent neutralization can help you communicate with your co-workers and employer. Even if you’re self-employed, running your own business, learning to reduce your accent and speak like an American can help expand your business, by easing communication with your clients, vendors, and customers. As an individual, if you have a heavy accent, it can reduce your opportunity for advancement. You may be the most qualified, but ease of communication is always considered as part of promotion decisions.
If you own a retail store, will you be more profitable and have more customers if they feel comfortable talking to you? I have watched the frustration in the eyes of a customer, as they tried to explain a problem to a store owner. You can be sure, if communication is difficult, they may try another store for their next purchase. Reducing your accent can help with keeping existing customers, and increasing your number of satisfied clients.
What are some of the things taught in accent neutralization? Changing the pattern of your voice, changing your intonation and emphasis on words, changing the rhythm at which you speak, learning common phrases used by most Americans. As you can see, there is a lot of things to cover in accent neutralization.
The process of accent neutralization basically involves listening to common ways to speak, and then practicing with your voice. You can find teachers, and classes for helping you with your accent, but normally that only involves one or two hours per week. That is not enough time to accelerate the process.
If you are serious about using accent neutralization to improve you career opportunities, I would recommend getting an audio based course. One you can listen to, and practice with, at home or in the car. Which is better, hearing someone speak once or twice a week, or everyday, maybe even multiple times per day while you commute? The more you practice, the faster your voice patterns will change.
You can speed up your learning by combining your audio course with a voice recorder. Recording yourself practicing and then listening, will give you the critical feedback you need. You’ll be able to identify which areas you need to spend more time practicing. That is another great advantage to an audio course, you can repeat lessons as many times as you want. In a class you may hear a lesson one time, and then it is over.
Using accent neutralization can launch your personal and career to new levels. Invest a little time, and see the benefits.
