How to Become a Successful Speech, Elocution, and Accent Reduction Tutor

In today’s globalised world, effective communication is more important than ever. Many people seek guidance to improve their speech clarity, elocution, and accent. If you want to become a good and well-paid speech, elocution, and accent reduction tutor, here is a comprehensive guide on how to excel in this field.

1. Develop Your Expertise

Before you can teach, you need a solid foundation. Understanding the mechanics of speech is essential. Focus on:

  • Phonetics and Phonology: Learn how sounds are produced and how they differ across languages and dialects.

  • Articulation and Pronunciation: Master the positioning of the tongue, lips, and jaw to produce accurate sounds.

  • Intonation, Stress, and Rhythm: Train to help clients sound natural and fluent in their target accent. To obtain this knowledge efficiently, use professional apps and books that contain over 25 years of teaching experience by a top London speech coach:

British English Books and Accompanying Apps:

  1. Get Rid of your Accent for Beginners. The accompanying app: Elocution Lessons

  2. The accompanying app: Get Rid of your Accent UK1

  3. Get Rid of your Accent Part Two, Advanced Level. The accompanying apps: Fluent English Speech and Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause

  4. Get Rid of your Accent for Business, Part Three. The accompanying app: Business English Speech

  5. Pace, Pitch, Pause, Power: Public Speaking Skills Training Manual. The accompanying app: Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause

The book Get Rid f your Accent For Beginners contains a whole chapter with tips and drils for teachers to make their lessons fun and enjoyable

American English Apps:

The Audio and Kindle book: GET RID OF YOUR ACCENT, PART ONE AND TWO: GENERAL AMERICAN ACCENT TRAINING MANUAL, Second Edition

2. Hone Your Teaching Skills

Knowing how to speak clearly is one thing—teaching it effectively is another. To become an excellent tutor:

  • Be Patient and Empathetic: Accent reduction can be a sensitive subject. Do not jump on students’ speech with corrections; use a measured pace and a calm, friendly attitude.

  • Adapt Your Approach: Every learner is unique. Tailor lessons to individual needs, learning speeds, and goals.

  • Praise often, do not overcorrect: Let a student feel that they are making continuous progress. Focus on actionable corrections, celebrate small wins to build confidence.

  • Make your lessons enjoyable: The book Get Rid of your Accent for Beginners contains a whole chapter with tips and drills for teachers to make their lessons enjoyable and fun!

3. Gain Practical Experience

Practical experience is invaluable. Start by:

  • Offering free or low-cost sessions to friends, colleagues, or community groups.

  • Observing experienced tutors and noting their techniques.

  • Recording your own practice sessions to analyse your teaching style and speech clarity.

The more you practice teaching, the better you’ll understand common challenges and how to address them effectively.

4. Build Trust and Professionalism

Your reputation as a tutor depends on your reliability and professionalism. Key strategies include:

  • Establishing clear lesson plans and learning objectives.

  • Communicating openly about progress and areas needing improvement.

  • Being punctual, organised, and prepared for each session.

  • Maintaining a positive, encouraging learning environment.

5. Market Yourself Effectively

Once you’ve honed your skills, it’s time to attract clients. You can:

  • Build a professional website highlighting your expertise and testimonials.

  • Create Quora and Reddit Profiles. Answer questions related to English Speech.

  • Publish LinkedIn Newsletter

  • Use social media to share tips, exercises, and success stories.

  • Network with language schools, corporate training programs, and public speaking clubs.

You can find free tips and resources on www.batcsglobal.com and contact me directly to get professional advice.

Warmly

Olga Smith

How to Start American Accent Training

What app to choose?

We recommend starting with the American Accent App. With this app, you master pronunciation and articulation to achieve speech clarity.

Then move on to the Fluent American Speech and an accompanying video course, Get Rid of Your Accent Part Two, to master speech fluency, sentence stress and difficult speech patterns such as word endings and consonant clusters.

These two apps and two video courses are essential for accent reduction.

For those who want to master their presentation skills, we recommend 4Ps Power. Pitch, Pace, Pause app.

How to Start Training

  1. Explore common pronunciation challenges for your nationality in the American Accent App

  2. Begin with the video course to see how sounds are formed in the mouth. Use the mirror to check that your speech organs match those of the teacher in the video.

  3. Follow up with practice using the apps

  4. Focus on one lesson at a time and practice for 20–45 minutes per day

  5. Continue for three consecutive days

  6. Move on to the next lesson after three days

Which App to Choose?

Which App to Choose?

We recommend starting with Elocution Lessons and Get Rid of your Accent apps, and an accompanying video course, Get Rid of your Accent Part One. With these apps, you master pronunciation and articulation to achieve speech clarity.

Then move on to the Fluent English Speech app and an accompanying video course, Get Rid of your Accent Part Two, to master speech fluency, sentence stress and difficult speech patterns such as word endings and consonant clusters.

These three apps and two video courses are essential for accent reduction.

For those who want to master their Business English and presentation skills, we recommend Business English Speech and 4Ps Power. Pitch, Pace, Pause apps.

How to Start British Accent Training

  1. Explore common pronunciation challenges for your nationality in the Elocution Lessons or Get Rid of your Accent apps

  2. Begin with the video course to see how sounds are formed in the mouth. Use the mirror to check that your speech organs match those of the teacher in the video.

  3. Follow up with practice using the apps

  4. Focus on one lesson at a time and practice for 20–45 minutes per day

  5. Continue for three consecutive days

  6. Move on to the next lesson after three days

262. iOS Apps to Master English Speech

This article will help you choose the best apps to master Received Pronunciation, clear articulation, expressive voice modulation, and the strategic use of pauses. These core speaking skills are essential for public speakers and professionals who use English as a second language and want to sound confident, polished, and persuasive.

All the apps featured share powerful, user-friendly functionality. You can listen to expertly recorded audio by professional actors, record your own voice, and instantly compare your pronunciation with the model, making progress measurable and motivating.

British English:

Elocution Lessons. This app is ideal for children and people who have just started learning English. This app has 48 lessons. It contains short, commonly used phrases, sentences and verses that are easy to repeat, and it also has useful tips for teachers of English. It is actually useful for everyone as it contains essential, everyday English.

Get Rid of your Accent. This app is ideal if you want to get rid of a regional or foreign accent and to speak with Standard English or RP (Received Pronunciation). It has 42 lessons; it contains effective practical exercises to perfect all English sounds and perfect your articulation.

Fluent English Speech. This app is a follow-up to the Get Rid of your Accent app.  It is ideal if you want to develop fluency in English and sound more like a native English speaker. It contains exercises for difficult and connected speech patterns, natural flow of speech, intonation, sentence stress and onomatopoeia.

Business English Speech. This app was designed for top-level professionals, diplomats and lawyers. It is the only app on the market that has both English pronunciation and business vocabulary training. It contains 43 lessons with material gathered from interviews with CEOs, CFOs and MDs of global companies and helps to develop proficiency in English.

4Ps, Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause. This app is ideal if you want to get rid of monotonous speech and become a successful presenter and public speaker. It contains practical exercises for voice modulation and the use of pauses.

Get rid of Chinese Accent. This app is the same as the app Get Rid of your Accent, with an additional bonus - Chinese translations.

Get Rid of Russian Accent. This app is the same as the app Get Rid of your Accent, with an additional bonus - Russian translations.

General American English:

American Accent App. This app is ideal if you want to get rid of a foreign or regional accent and master the Standard American accent. It has 42 lessons. It contains effective, practical exercises to perfect all American English sounds.

Fluent American Speech. This app is a follow-up to the American Accent App. It is ideal to develop fluency in your American English speech. It contains exercises for difficult and connected speech patterns, natural flow of speech, intonation and sentence stress

More on www.batcsglobal.com

251. Did You Know “O” Can Be Pronounced Five Different Ways?

In many languages, words are pronounced in the same way they are spelt.

In English, spelling and pronunciation are not identical. English has inherited many foreign words, including those from Latin, French, Dutch, and German, and it has anglicised the pronunciation while retaining the original spelling.

In this article, I will give examples from our elocution apps of how one letter “o” represents several sounds:

  1. In words, “come, oven, front, company” it represents the / ʌ/ sound as in “duck” (Lesson 9)

  2. In words, “those, phone, no ” it is pronounced as a diphthong /əʊ/ as in “blow” (Lesson 16)

  3. In words, “corner, storage, form”, it is pronounced as a long /ɔː/ sound (Lesson 3)

  4. In words, “stop, office, box”, it is a short /ɒ/ sound (Lesson 10)

  5. In unstressed syllables, it is pronounced as schwa /ə/, as in “the”. I highlighted the schwa: “confirm, London, potatoes” (Lesson 6)

You noticed that I mentioned lesson numbers from our elocution apps in brackets. This is to help you practise these sounds.

British English

American English

When using the apps, avoid looking at the spelling the first time you practise a sound. This helps you overcome confusion caused by English spelling and focus purely on pronunciation. Listen carefully and repeat the sound in words, phrases, and verses.

There are no fixed rules for when a particular sound is used. However, by working with our elocution apps, you’ll start to notice pronunciation patterns and have plenty of opportunities to practise them.

Subscribe to our newsletter and visit www.batcsglobal.com to receive daily pronunciation tips.

Warmly

Olga Smith

249. One Letter Pronounced in Five Sounds

In many languages, words are pronounced in the same way they are spelt.

In English, spelling and pronunciation are not identical. English has inherited many foreign words, including those from Latin, French, Dutch, and German, and it has anglicised the pronunciation while retaining the original spelling.

In this article, I will give examples from our elocution apps of how one letter “o” represents several sounds:

  1. In words, “come, oven, front, company” it represents the / ʌ/ sound as in “duck” (Lesson 9)

  2. In words, “those, phone, no ” it is pronounced as a diphthong /əʊ/ as in “blow” (Lesson 16)

  3. In words, “corner, storage, form” it is pronounced as a long /ɔː/ sound (Lesson 3)

  4. In words, “stop, office, box” it is a short /ɒ/ sound (Lesson 10)

  5. In unstressed syllables, it is pronounced as schwa /ə/, as in “the”. I highlighted the schwa: “confirm, London, potatoes” (Lesson 6)

You noticed that I mentioned lesson numbers from our elocution apps in brackets. This is to help you practise these sounds.

British English

American English

When using the apps, avoid looking at the spelling the first time you practise a sound. This helps you overcome confusion caused by English spelling and focus purely on pronunciation. Listen carefully and repeat the sound in words, phrases, and verses. 

There are no fixed rules for when a particular sound is used. However, by working with our elocution apps, you’ll start to notice pronunciation patterns and have plenty of opportunities to practise them.

Subscribe to our newsletter and visit www.batcsglobal.com to receive daily pronunciation tips.

244. How Long Does It Take to Get Rid of an Accent?

This is one of the most common questions we hear from people starting our elocution lessons.

The answer depends on two main factors:

 1. Your ear for language – how well you can hear and imitate sounds.

2. Your commitment – whether you can dedicate 15–45 minutes a day to focused practice.

People with a naturally good ear often make faster progress. However, the second factor is far more important. Accent reduction is not just about listening — it’s about retraining your speech organs (your tongue, lips, and jaw) to produce the correct English sounds consistently.

Like any physical skill, it takes regular, mindful practice. The more you train, the faster your muscles and mind adapt — and the sooner you’ll sound clear, confident, and natural.

You can start your practice today with our apps:

Get Rid of your Accent (British English, RP)

American Accent App (American English)

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com

235. The Power of Three

Have you noticed how often the power of three shows up in our daily lives? A good meal consists of a starter, a main course, and a dessert. A good day includes work, rest, and play.

Take my belly dancing class today. It felt amazing because it had:

1️⃣ A nice warm-up

2️⃣ A well-paced rehearsal of our routine for the upcoming show

3️⃣ A wonderfully relaxing stretch to finish

The same principle applies to public speaking. A strong speech always has:

1️⃣ An engaging introduction

2️⃣ An interesting main part

3️⃣ A memorable conclusion

And yes, even in elocution lessons, the pattern holds true:

1️⃣ Warm-up muscular exercises

2️⃣ Practising a sound or speech pattern

3️⃣ A fun verse or rhyme exercise at the end

Why does this work? Because our brains love structure. Three feels complete, balanced, and easy to remember. If you’d like to apply the power of three to your own speech and communication, you can explore my apps:

Now, I’d love to hear from you. What’s an example of the power of three in your own life? Share it in the comments—I can’t wait to read your ideas

232. Overcoming the Fear of Speaking English in Public

Speaking English in public can feel intimidating, even for people who have studied the language for years. The fear of making mistakes, being misunderstood, or sounding “different” is common—but the good news is that it can be managed and overcome with the right mindset and practical techniques.

Why We Fear Public Speaking in English

There are several reasons why speaking English in front of others can feel scary:

1. Fear of Mistakes
Worrying about mispronunciation or grammar errors can make you hesitant to speak at all.

2. Lack of Confidence
Not being sure about your vocabulary or fluency can make public speaking stressful.

3. High Expectations
Many people compare themselves to native speakers and feel pressure to “sound perfect.”

Understanding the cause of your fear is the first step to addressing it.

Practical Steps to Build Confidence

Here are some strategies that can help you speak more confidently in English, whether in meetings, presentations, or social situations:

1. Start Small
Practice speaking English in low-pressure situations—like ordering a meal, speaking with friends, or reading out loud at home. Small wins help build confidence gradually.

2. Focus on Clarity, Not Perfection
Instead of worrying about sounding like a native speaker, aim to be clear and understandable. Your audience values clarity more than perfect pronunciation.

3. Use Pauses Effectively
Pausing after each idea gives you time to think and reduces nervousness. Practising Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause (4Ps) can make your speech more natural and easier to follow.

4. Record and Listen to Yourself
Recording your voice and listening back allows you to notice your strengths and areas for improvement. Apps like Get Rid of Your Accent or Fluent English Speech provide guided exercises for intonation, articulation, and fluency, making this process easier.

5. Practice Public Speaking Gradually
Start with a small audience, then gradually increase the number of listeners. Toastmasters, online language meetups, or even speaking to family members can help you practice in a supportive environment.

Mindset Matters
Remember, everyone makes mistakes, even native speakers. Mistakes are part of the learning process and do not define your ability to communicate effectively. Celebrate your uniqnes and your progress, no matter how small, and be patient with yourself.

Final Thought
Overcoming the fear of speaking English in public takes practice, patience, and perseverance. Start small, focus on clarity, and gradually challenge yourself. With consistent effort, you’ll progress and feel proud of your progress.

Useful Tip
Incorporate a few minutes of daily practice with guided exercises from apps like Get Rid of Your Accent or Fluent English Speech—you’ll be amazed at how quickly your confidence grows.

More on www.batcsglobal.com

229. American Accent App

American Accent App uses a proven drama school speech training method to help you speak clear, confident English. Trusted by actors, lawyers, diplomats, and professionals worldwide, it will help you neutralise your accent and master General American English pronunciation.

Content

  • Start with clear diagrams and explanations of how each sound is formed

  • Practise with words, sentences, verses, and articulation drills


    Functionality

  • Listen & Repeat – Hear model pronunciation for every sound.

  • Record & Compare – Match your voice against native RP speakers.

  • CD Function

With this app, you will:

✅ Neutralise your accent within 1–3 months

✅ Make your English clear, confident, and easy to understand

✅ Improve communication and public speaking skills

✅ Boost confidence and professional image

✅ Enhance career opportunities worldwide

228. Fluent American Speech App

Based on the international bestseller Get Rid of Your Accent Part One and Two, General American Accent Training Manual, ISBN 9780955330087, this app helps you reduce your accent, perfect your American English pronunciation, and speak fluently with confidence.

With practical elocution lessons and vocal techniques, Fluent American Speech explains the rules of difficult American speech patterns, intonation, and sentence stress. Step by step, you’ll learn how to neutralise your accent and achieve a clear, natural speaking style.

App Content

  • Contractions for natural fluency

  • Liaisons for smooth connections between words

  • Strong and weak forms for authentic speech

  • Intonation and sentence stress for clarity and impact

  • Difficult word endings & silent letters with guided practice

Functionality
1. Native model audio tracks
2. Listen & repeat training
3. Record your voice
4. Compare pronunciation instantly

What You’ll Gain:

1. A fluent American accent in just 1–3 months of practice

2. Confidence in social and professional English speech as well as in public speaking

3. Improved job prospects, education, and social interactions

4. A professional voice that sounds natural, clear, and persuasive

Whether you want to get rid of your accent, prepare for public speaking, or simply improve your fluency in English, this accent app works like a personal coach in your pocket.

Start your journey to perfect American English pronunciation and fluency today and watch your career and social life blossom!

225. Fluent English Speech App

The follow-up to the bestselling Get Rid of Your Accent UK1 app. Designed for learners who want to speak English fluently, clearly, and confidently—just like a native speaker.

App Contents
Part 1: Master difficult speech patterns — word endings, consonant clusters, schwa, strong & weak forms.
Part 2: Connected speech — learn to speak in natural phrases instead of separate words.
Part 3: Improve intonation, sentence stress & rhythm — make your speech smooth, clear, and engaging.

Functionality
1. Native model audio tracks
2. Listen & repeat training
3. Record your voice
4. Compare pronunciation instantly

With this app, you will:

  • Develop English fluency and natural flow

  • Improve pronunciation, intonation & rhythm

  • Learn idioms & colloquial expressions to sound authentic

  • Reduce your foreign accent and speak with confidence

  • Boost career opportunities and personal impact through clear communication

    Meet the Authors

    Linda James (RAM, Dip. Ed., IPD, LRAM), Speech and Drama coach, trained at the Royal Academy of Music, with 20+ years of experience teaching RP and accent reduction in London drama schools, films, and TV.

    Olga Smith (BA Linguistics, MBA), Linguist, public speaker, and co-author of the best-selling *Get Rid of Your Accent book series. Having overcome her own strong Russian accent, Olga brings practical expertise to learners worldwide.

    Visit www.batcsglobal.com to book a professional speech analysis.

219. How to Reduce Your Accent in 3 Months or Less

Why Accent Reduction Can Be a Game-Changer

If you speak English as a second language, you might have noticed that sometimes people ask you to repeat yourself — not because your ideas aren’t good, but because your words aren’t clear. In professional settings, this can be frustrating and even limit your opportunities.

The good news? You don’t need years of training to make a noticeable difference. With the right tools and consistent practice, you can reduce your accent and speak English clearly in as little as three months.

Step 1: Understand How Accent Reduction Works

Accent reduction isn’t about erasing your identity — it’s about making your speech easier to understand. This means:

·        Correct pronunciation of English sounds

·        Clear word stress and intonation

·        Proper pace, pauses, and projection

Step 2: Use a Structured Accent Training Program

Random YouTube videos can help, but a structured accent reduction app like Get Rid of Your Accent gives you:

·        Step-by-step lessons for all English sounds

·        Audio models from native speakers

·        Record & compare tools to track progress

Step 3: Practice Daily for 15–20 Minutes

Just like going to the gym, you’ll see results if you train regularly. Focus on:

1. Repeating words, sentences and verses after the model

2. Recording yourself and spotting mistakes

3. Practising fluency in social phrases

Step 4: Apply Your New Skills in Real Conversations

Start using your improved pronunciation in meetings, networking events, or even casual chats with friends. The more you speak, the faster you’ll internalise your new habits.

 The Bottom Line

A heavy accent doesn’t have to hold you back. With consistent practice and the right guidance, you can sound clearer, more confident, and more professional — in just three months.

Start your transformation today with the Get Rid of Your Accent app — your personal accent reduction coach, right in your pocket.

218. The Role of Voice and Accent in Job Interviews

When it comes to landing your dream job, most people focus on polishing their résumé, practising common interview questions, and researching the company. But there’s another factor that plays a huge role in how you’re perceived — your voice and accent.

In a job interview, your words matter — but how you say them can matter even more.

 Why Your Voice Matters

Your voice is more than just a tool for communication — it’s part of your personal brand. The tone, pace, and clarity of your speech can instantly influence whether you come across as confident, competent, and trustworthy.

Here’s what interviewers often pick up on: 

1. Clarity – Clear speech signals professionalism and attention to detail.

2. Confidence – A steady, well-projected voice makes you sound self-assured.

3. Energy – A lively tone helps you sound engaged and interested in the role.

A nervous, rushed, or monotone delivery can unintentionally send the wrong message — even if your answers are perfect.

 Accent and First Impressions

In today’s global job market, accents are normal — but they can still affect comprehension. If an interviewer struggles to understand you, they might (consciously or unconsciously) question your ability to communicate effectively with clients, colleagues, or stakeholders.

This doesn’t mean you need to erase your accent entirely. But reducing a heavy accent and improving pronunciation can make your speech easier to follow, helping you connect with your interviewer and keep their focus on your skills and ideas — not on deciphering your words.

Key Skills to Improve Before Your Interview

If you want to make a strong vocal impression, focus on these areas: 

1. Pronunciation – Aim for crisp, accurate sounds, especially for common industry terms.

2. Pace – Slow enough to be clear, but not so slow that you lose momentum.

3. Pausing – Use pauses to emphasize key points and give the interviewer time to process.

4. Intonation – Add variety to your pitch to sound natural and engaging.

5. Volume & Projection – Speak loudly enough to be heard without sounding aggressive.

How to Train Your Voice for Interview Success 

Improving your voice and accent doesn’t have to take years — with targeted practice, you can make noticeable changes in just weeks.

Get Rid of Your Accent for Business app provides: 

Audio models of clear, neutral English speech.

Step-by-step lessons to improve pronunciation and intonation.

Record & compare tools to track your progress.

Practice materials based on real-world speaking situations, including interviews.

By training your ear, practising key sounds, and mastering vocal techniques, you can walk into your interview sounding confident, professional, and easy to understand.

Your qualifications get you in the door, but your communication skills can seal the deal. A clear, confident voice helps interviewers focus on you — your ideas, your expertise, and your potential. 

Ready to sound your best in your next interview?

Start training today with the Get Rid of Your Accent for Business app — your personal voice coach, right in your pocket.

216. Disadvantages of poor voice projection

Have you ever felt invisible? You said something, and there was no reaction. You felt that what you said was not interesting enough to pay attention to. Most likely, people did not hear what you said.

The reason is poor voice projection. The power of our voice depends on breathing and lung capacity. Actors do regular exercises to master voice projection.

When your voice has power:

  • You appear and feel confident

  • You make it easier for people to follow you

  • People will be more likely to be persuaded that what you are saying is important

To master voice projection, I recommend 5 minutes of daily exercises from the app Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause. These exercises are easy yet very effective. You will see the results in a week.

More tips on www.batcsglobal.com

205. Nasal sounds /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/

Nasal consonants /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/are pronounced through the nose, however, there are differences in speech organ positions for each sound. Once you sort out the correct positioning, there is no way you can’t pronounce these sounds.

The /m/ sound as in “money” is formed by complete closure in the mouth by speech organs. The soft palate is lowered so that the air is free to pass out through the nose. The lips come together so that the breath cannot be released through the mouth. It escapes through the nose where the sound is produced.

Speech organs position for the /n/sound as in “nun”
The tip of the tongue is on the teeth ridge so that the breath cannot be released through the mouth. It escapes through the nose where the sound is produced.

Speech organs position for the /ŋ/sound as in “ring”
The tip of the tongue is behind the bottom teeth, and the back of the tongue rises to contact the soft palate, so the breath cannot be released through the mouth. It escapes through the nose where the sound is produced.

In our experience, Spanish people often substitute the /m/ sound for the /n/ sound and visa versa.
Chinese students struggle with all three sounds, particularly at the end of the word.
The /ŋ/ does not exist in Russian, for example, and they say /dʊɪng/ instead of /dʊɪŋ/.

The /ŋ/ seems the most difficult for most people to pronounce, even for native English speakers. People with a heavy New York accent pronounce it as /n/, they say /dʊin/ instead of /dʊiŋ/ and so on. Because the /ŋ/ sound is spelled as “ng” some Brits add /k/ and /g/sounds, and instead of /dʊiŋ/ they say /dʊink/ or /dʊing/.

Another spelling variation for the /ŋ/ sound is “n” before “k” as in the words:

Spelling - Phonetic
bank -/bæŋk/
honk - /hɒŋk/
wink - /wɪŋk/
As you can see in this case /k/ is pronounced.

You can master these and all sounds of English with the apps ‎Elocution Lessons, Get Rid of your Accent UK1, ‎Business English Speech.

More on www.batcsglobal.com

200. How do you get started mastering your speech?

How do you get started mastering your speech?

If you are confronted by enemies such as laziness and procrastination, there are tools that you can use to overcome them:
1. 5 seconds rule. Do not allow your brain a chance to be lazy. As soon as you want to do something, your brain will try to find reasons why it would be better to do nothing, so you have just five seconds to start with what you want to do, count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and get started.

2. The power of small steps.Do small actions regularly. Small actions are not frightening for our brain and we choose to do something simple. Our brain likes to do not what is important but what is simple. Break an important task into baby steps and do them regularly. Speech is a very technical subject. To master your speech, effectively break it into simple steps and exercise regularly. My favourite app based on RP is ‎Elocution Lessons because it is very easy to use.

3. Develop a habit of achieving small goals: set up a goal, do small steps, get results, reward yourself, acknowledge your risen self-esteem, set up a higher goal and repeat the same cycle. When can we be sure that a desired action is our habit? There is a common opinion that it takes 21 days for a habit to set in. I disagree. Some habits take longer. The habit is set for sure when doing something is more comfortable than not doing it. Many people have developed some bad speech habits: they mumble, do not articulate, use too many parasite words, rush their speech, etc.

4. What do all great people have in common? They have great goals. Imagine the benefits of having good speech and how it can help you achieve other important goals.

5. Surround yourself with people who have good speech and motivate you. It can be a public speaking club and other societies.

More on www.batcsglobal.com

197. How long does it take to speak like native English?

It depends on five factors:
1. Your age
The earlier you start speaking English the easier it will be for you to talk like a native English speaker. When you start speaking in your native language your tongue, lips and jaw muscles are trained for your native language and the older you are the more difficult it would be to retrain them for English.

2. Your environment
Even if you live in an English-speaking country but your family and friends, peers and teachers speak with foreign accents you will unconsciously copy their accents. If you listen to music, watch films and news in your native language and not in English that too will contribute to you having a foreign accent. If you want to speak like a native English avoid speaking in your native language.

3. Hearing abilities
If you have good hearing abilities your chances of speaking like a native are higher than for those with poor hearing abilities

4. Time and effort you are prepared to invest in mastering English
To learn to speak like a native train daily for 10–30, rather than once a week for two hours. Regularity and consistency are the key.

5. Method of learning English and teachers
Choose an effective method with professional apps and a qualified speech tutor.
We had many students with strong foreign accents who told us they had a degree in English. In EFL colleges pronunciation is often neglected and qualified speech/accent tutors are very rare. The difference between an English teacher (TEFL) and a speech or elocution tutor is vast. EFL teachers focus on grammar, use of English etc, whilst speech tutors know how sounds are formed in the mouth and by listening to students they know exactly if their tongue position is too low are the law position is too closed, for example.

In conclusion, I want to mention that there are many accents and dialects in Britain: Northern, Scottish, Cockney, RP and many others. RP or Received Pronunciation is taught to foreigners because it is understood around the world and is called Standard English. RP is also a compulsory accent to learn for actors in British drama schools. American accents vary too: Southern, New York, Boston, etc.. You can learn to speak with a General American accent which is an accent of educated American people who have mastered their speech such as news presenters, diplomats and presidents. It involves working on your articulation, pronunciation and intonation.

You can master to speak like a native with professional apps based on RP:
‎Elocution Lessons, Get Rid of your Accent UK1, ‎and ‎Fluent English Speech (British English) or ‎ American Accent App and ‎Fluent American Speech (based on General American accent), and Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause.
There are also two accompanying video courses: Get Rid of your Accent Part 1 and Get rid of your Accent Part 2.

The apps are available on the AppStore and Google Play. The functionality is ideal: read, listen, record and compare your speech with the model (actors with perfect pronunciation were used to create soundtracks for these apps). The apps have spelling variations for all English sounds and mouth diagrams to help you make the correct speech organ positions in words, phrases and poetry.
When starting your practice with these apps, go to “How to use this app” and click on: the difficult sounds typical for your nationality, then click on your nationality to work effectively with a more focused approach.

The apps contain:

1.       A CD function, recording and comparing functions

2.       Spelling variations for all sounds

3.       Fluency and difficult speech patterns exercises

4.       Intonation and sentence stress exercises

5.       Pronunciation and articulation exercises

6.       Words, sentences, verses and tongue twisters to make your speech clear

More on Get Rid of your Accent | Elocution Lessons

194. When /r/ is pronounced and when not?

In British English /r/ is not always pronounced:

  1. In three vowels /ɑː/ as “car” and /ɜː/ as in “Sir”, /ɔː/ as in “fork”.

  2. In the three diphthongs /eə/ as in “pair”, /ɪə/ as in “ear”, and /ʊə/ as in “sure”

  3. In place of schwa: doctor, teacher, sponsor

    N.B: Unless it is a linking /r/ as in “car accident, under arrest” where the first word ends with /r/ and the next word starts with the vowel sound.

In American English /r/ is always pronounced, and they have two schwas:

1. Coloured schwa where /r/ is pronounced in words such as “sponsor, doctor, teacher”

2. Schwa in words such as “away, agree, the”

The /r/ sound should be pronounced between two vowel sounds in words such as “cherry, carriage, marriage”.

The /r/ is difficult to pronounce because of a particular tongue position.

Speech organs position for the English /r/ sound:
The tip of the tongue curls back slightly in the roof of the mouth, just behind the alveolar ridge, and the breath squeezes past whilst the tongue is still and not vibrating.

Some people with lazy tongues substitute /r/ with /w/ sound, Johnanat Ross does that, instead of “red roses he says “wed woses”. Some people do not pronounce /r/ at all. Japanese and Chinese often pronounce it as /l/ sound and they say “lead” instead of “read”.

You can master all sounds of English including the /r/ sound with the apps based RP:
‎Elocution Lessons, Get Rid of your Accent UK1, ‎and ‎Fluent English Speech (British English) or ‎ American Accent App and ‎Fluent American Speech (American English), and Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause.
There are also two accompanying video courses: Get Rid of your Accent Part 1 and Get rid of your Accent Part 2.

The same apps are also available on Google Play. The functionality is ideal: read, listen, record and compare your speech with the model (actors with perfect pronunciation were used to create soundtracks for these apps). The apps have spelling variations for all English sounds and mouth diagrams to help you make the correct speech organ positions in words, phrases and poetry.
When starting your practice with these apps, go to “How to use this app” and click on: the difficult sounds typical for your nationality, then click on your nationality to work effectively with a more focused approach.

The apps contain:

  1. Spelling variations for all sounds

  2. Fluency and difficult speech patterns exercises

  3. Intonation and sentence stress exercises

  4. Pronunciation and articulation exercises

  5. Tongue twisters

More on www.batcsglobal.com