The Great Communicator Blog
Accent Reduction is Just a Keyword
I notice on my social media accounts that occasionally people become offended when they hear the words, “Accent Reduction” or “Obtain an American Accent.” I get that. People are everywhere calling it bias. When my clients want a proposal for their firms they ask me not to call it Accent Reduction because it’s seen as discrimination. So let’s put it
Why We Speak
Why do we speak? Why did humans develop communication skills, to begin with? In general, we talk because we need something. We need our basic needs met; we need to survive in life. And today, that means succeeding in our workplaces. What do we need at work? We need people to think we’re smart. We need people to believe that
The #1 Reason You Suck at Public Speaking
It’s a fear worse than dying! The things that happen are awful–drawing a blank, sweating, shaky knees, embarrassment, to name a few! The things we imagine happening are worse. Why does this happen? What’s the real reason you suck at public speaking? How To Speak Better Evolution Isn’t Done Yet. The reason you suck at public speaking is evolution.
Obtaining an American Accent is Not What You Think
Yes, you can get rid of your accent & obtain a standard American accent. The debate as to whether you can obtain an American accent is over. My clients have been doing it now for 25 years. It’s easy. But you’re probably doing it wrong. Have no fear! We’ll straighten this right up 🙂 Why do you want to obtain
Is How You Speak Your Identity?
Ashley Milne-Tyte interviewed me at thebroadexperience.com. Ashley is a former NPR journalist who’s set out on her own. A really huge topic on NPR is women’s voices. People are discussing whether a woman has a too-high pitch or uses “upspeak” (going up at the end of an utterance) or “glottal fry” (a crackly voice). Basically how you speak. Ashley said
How to Make Small Talk with Ease
A show of hands: How many of you have, within a minute or 2 of meeting someone asked, “Where are you from?” or “What do you?” Be honest–I can tell when you’re lying. 🙂 Again, by a show of hands: How many of you are not terrifically fond of answering those questions? So why in the world would that
Get Rid of Your Accent in 4 Steps
Padma wanted to get rid of her accent for a variety of reasons. One being that she hated when everyone asked her, “Where are you from?” as soon as she opened her mouth to speak. Another reason was that she knew that people had to work too hard to understand her & that it was limiting her prospects at work.
What Crimes are Getting You Interrupted, Micromanaged & Ignored?
Lots of clients come to me because they aren’t taken seriously at work. They report that they’re very often interrupted in meetings. They frequently stay quiet when they have brilliant ideas to share. Or their ideas are overlooked for someone else’s. They wanted to learn to talk so people listen. Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant wrote a fantastic article
Get What You Want With More Persuasive Speaking–Pt. 2
We need to be highly persuasive to get what we want and need out of life. We need to convince people to like us, buy our widget, and hire us for jobs and gigs. Especially in our very competitive environment. And guess what? That’s hard to do for nearly everyone! Do people find you to be credible and authoritative when