Accent Connections Helps Individuals Find Their Professional Voice

IRMO, S.C. - July 19, 2013 - PRLog -- How does your accent or dialect affect your communication in the work place?  Whether you speak English as a second language or have a regional American English accent, what people think about you and your effectiveness on the job may hinge on how you speak and present yourself.

“Dialect is the specific way in which we communicate including our accent (how we pronounce specific sounds and intonation patterns), as well as our vocabulary, grammar and our social use of language,” according to Dr. Leigh Ann Spell, Director and speech-language pathologist at Accent Connections.  Spell states that Standard American English (SAE) is the most accepted dialect in American professional environments.  When someone uses a dialect that varies too much from SAE, s/he may be perceived as being not as intelligent, not as educated or incompetent based just on that dialect.  Many people are not even aware that they use a “non-standard” dialect and don’t realize that they are not projecting a professional image when they communicate with others in the work place.

Marva, who is originally from Barbados and currently works in Columbia, South Carolina, is an employee of The Protocol School of Washington (PSOW).  Marva was self-conscious about her Barbadian dialect and felt that she did not always communicate effectively with clients.  She enrolled in an 8-week course with Accent Connections which included a comprehensive communication evaluation, weekly sessions at her office and home practice activities.  Her individualized program consisted of working on pronunciation of specific sounds, intonation and stress patterns, grammar and effective vocal projection techniques.  After the 8-week class, Marva made a professional presentation to her co-workers which successfully implemented all of the areas addressed in her program.  Marva’s supervisors reported that they were very pleased with the positive change in her professional communication skills and Marva reported that she felt much more confident both in her personal and professional communication interactions.  As can be seen by the photo, her final presentation was rated very highly by her colleagues at PSOW!

Accent Connections provides individualized, comprehensive, accent modification courses to help people improve their professional communication skills.  Programs help identify how an individual’s dialect differs from SAE and how one can change speech and language patterns to improve effective communication skills and become more successful in professional communications.  Courses are offered one-on-one, in small groups or online via videoconferencing.  For more information, please see our website at http://accentconnections.com and/or contact Dr. Leigh Ann Spell at 803-960-4158 or info@accentconnections.com.