Comfortable Intelligibility: "Nobody asks me to repeat myself anymore..."

Heavily accented professionals are at a disadvantage because they lack what is called “comfortable intelligibility.” It is a fact that some non-native speakers, no matter how long they have lived in an English-speaking country, have poor pronunciation. In most countries, pronunciation is typically left out of English courses. Ingrained pronunciation patterns may therefore prevent professionals from being understood and hinder opportunities for employment and career advancement. And for companies, misunderstandings in the workplace can be very costly.

Here are some of the top issues that accent modification experts hear from professionals on a regular basis:

1. “My English is good, but I don't feel confident enough to contribute my ideas

to our team.” 2. “I'm tired of repeating myself.” 3. “I haven't received a promotion in years, and I know it's because of my strong accent.” 4. “I work by myself because people don't understand me.” 5. “I struggle with simply ordering a meal.” 6. “My English sounds so bad on the phone so I do everything by email.” 7. “I think people judge me to be unintelligent as soon as I start speaking, so I just don't say anything.” 8. “I only speak to people from my own country because nobody else understands me.” and, sadly... 9. “I will never reach my true potential.” What is essential to ensuring clear communication is that heavily accented professionals gain “comfortable intelligibility.” That means the listener(s) should be able to understand what they are saying with minimal difficulty. With the right guidance, learning to speak clearly is not as daunting a task as people often think, and the rewards last a lifetime! Accent specialists are trained to help their clients reduce first language “interference” within a few weeks. Their customized courses ensure that speaking clearly becomes second nature. For companies struggling with this communication issue, a solution is to offer employees efficient and effective, client-focused accent modification programs as part of their professional development package. Professionals could also request this service as part of their probationary or in-house training. Employers that have brought in accent modification experts are pleased to notice how poor communication and sub-par collaboration have been replaced with stronger team and project delivery performance. They recognize that improved communications results in fewer errors, and associated schedule slippages and revisions. The return on their investment is immediate, significant, and tangible. Furthermore, their accented employees no longer feel frustrated, isolated, and undervalued. They are more confident about engaging with their colleagues and contributing their creative ideas and expertise. And nobody asks them to repeat themselves anymore.