Tips for Clear Confident Pronunciation: The Past Tense
The key to mastering clear, articulate speech often lies in the details. One pronunciation detail that is often tricky, particularly for non-native English speakers, is how to pronounce the past-test -ed ending. This is because even though it’s written the same way, the past tense can be pronounced three different ways. Check out our […]
Which Behavior Interferes the Most with Business Success? The Results Are In!
Strong communication skills are essential to professional success. But what exactly are the elements of strong communication? As executive communication coaches, we’re aware that there are a range of factors that can make or break a professional interaction. However, we were curious to see which ones business professionals perceived as having the biggest influence […]
The Key to Sounding Like a Native Speaker? Idioms!
Idioms, or figures of speech (e.g., “It’s raining cats and dogs”), are so common, that people rarely realize they’re using them in their native language. However, when trying to master a new language in a professional setting, idioms suddenly seem to be everywhere. If you’re not familiar with common idioms in English, you may often […]
Is Accent Reduction Right for You?
“Can you get rid of my accent?” That is often the first thing that someone says to me when they call for information. My response is almost always, “Why do you want to get rid of your accent?” In my opinion, there is no reason
How Effective Is Accent Modification Training? A guest blog by Marcos Sastre III
Welcome to First Thursday! On the first Thursday of each month, Corporate Speech Solutions features an expert who has a skill or expertise that will enhance your professional skill set. Today, we’re joined by Marcos Sastre III. With a degree in Cognitive Brain Sciences and Communications and a background in scientific research, Marcos has recently […]
Communicating Around the Globe
As the professional world becomes increasingly global and interconnected, having clients, colleagues, and employees from around the world become the new normal. While this diversity can be great for business, it can also come with some complications in terms of communication. Communicating with people from different language backgrounds requires special considerations to avoid miscommunication and […]
Improving American English Pronunciation: Voice and Voiceless Sounds
One of the most difficult parts of learning English is mastering all of the subtle differences in pronunciation. Learning how to produce sounds with an American English accent is what makes the difference between sounding like a non-native English speaker, and sounding like you’ve mastered the language. Today, we’ll discuss one of the trickier parts […]
Five Benefits of Accent Reduction for the International Business Professional
Are you a non-native English speaking business professional looking to advance within your organization? Many non-native English speaking professionals find that they have a strong enough command of the language to communicate their ideas, but their accent and pronunciation make it difficult for others to understand their speech. If this sounds like you, you […]
What options do I have when I want to improve my pronunciation of spoken English?
Have you been trying to learn Standard American English on your own and feel you are not seeing your desired results? While self-study can be a great resource, there are many aspects of learning English as a second language that are best targeted with a professional who can tailor your training to your personal […]