Does It Really Matter to Have a Strong Accent?

In 2004, I, Olga Smith, was looking for an elocution tutor. My American husband could not understand some of the words I was saying. People often asked me to repeat what I said. Then I was saying it in the same way; it was a vicious circle. I felt my foreign accent was a nuisance for me and others.

After a long, difficult search and failed attempts with numerous "elocution tutors”, I found Linda James, a qualified phonetician with 20+ years of teaching speech in London drama schools and accent reduction to international professionals. From the very first lesson, I fell in love with Linda's teaching method and could see the progress straight away.

In 2006, I told Linda I wanted to write a book based on her method and asked her to co-author it. I wanted to make Linda's exclusive and very enjoyable lessons available to a wide audience. This is how the international bestselling book Get Rid of Your Accent, Part One (Audible/Amazon) was born.

Linda and I later co-authored Parts Two - Advanced Level and Three - for Business, and our most recent book is Get Rid of Your Accent for Beginners.

We recently created accompanying video courses for the mentioned above apps:

All our books have been converted into iOS and Android apps by developer Yury Kravchenko. Yury himself had a strong Russian accent, and his elocution tutor recommended our Get Rid of Your Accent book. He enjoyed the book and the progress he was making with it. Yury proposed turning the entire series into apps:

British English

Elocution Lessons

Get Rid of your Accent:

Fluent English Speech

Business English Speech

4Ps, Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause

Get rid of Chinese Accent

Get Rid of Russian Accent

American English

Today, nearly 20 years later, what started as my personal struggle has become a global resource.

If you've ever felt held back by your accent — in meetings, on stage, or simply in conversation — I want you to know: clear, confident speech is a skill. And like any skill, it can be learned.

Whether you prefer books, apps, video courses, or 1-to-1 coaching, we have a path for you:

  • 📗 Bestselling books on Amazon & Audible

  • 📱iOS & Android apps (British & American English)

  • 🎓 Video courses on Udemy

  • 🎙️ Online & in-person coaching in London

Find free tips on www.batcsglobal.com

Warmly

Olga Smith

How to Enjoy Elocution?

Elocution does not have to be a long and exhausting practise. It works whe it is consistent.

It can be a lot of fun.

Do not wait for a perfect moment.

Let’s say you have a spare 5 minutes before starting an important meeting or task, or you are waiting for something.

Waiting can be boring.

Instead of another coffee or useless social media scrolling, take your phone and start practising with the app for 5 minutes.

Listen to amusing sentences and verses, repeat, record yourself, and then listen to how your speech becomes more precise and clear.

I recommend downloading all our apps to give yourself a variety of practice:

British English

American English

Do not wait for a perfect moment, practise one lesson today for 5 minutes.

Try not to miss a day of elocution practice.

Warmly

Olga Smith

How to Develop Confident Business English Speech?

In order to develop confidence when speaking English in business, practise business vocabulary with Received Pronunciation, good vocal variety and English intonation patterns:

Start with the book Get Rid of your Accent for Business, Part Three

and an accompanying app Business English Speech (iOS/Android)

About the book:

Get Rid of Your Accent for Business, Part 3 is a groundbreaking first of its kind — the only book on the market that combines Received Pronunciation training with contemporary business vocabulary to communicate with authority in the workplace.

This book is based on the material we prepared for our elocution lessons and accent-reduction courses for diplomats and professionals. Below is what our clients told us before they mastered their speech:

"If I don't speak clearly, I will just remain a junior IT guy making peanuts who is staring at the computer all day and never even allowed to go to meetings." — Yago, IT Consultant

"My boss told me: If I don't lose my accent, I will lose my job." — Gulnara, Financial Advisor

"In our company, we have two bosses: a Japanese one who does everything, and an English one who does very little apart from talking, but makes more money as he has great speech and presentation skills!" — Judy, Marketing Firm

The book covers:

  • 🔤 Long vowels, short vowels, diphthongs and consonants — with clear speech organ positioning guides for every target sound

  • 💼 Contemporary business words and expressions used in today's professional world

  • ✍️ Quotes and proverbs that make learning both effective and enjoyable

  • 🔗 Contractions, silent letters and French expressions used by educated English speakers

  • 🗣️ Warm-up articulation exercises to build crisp, dynamic speech from day one

 

The Method

As with our previous books, the approach is rooted in drama-school technique:

  • Understand the precise positioning of lips, tongue and jaw for each sound

  • Build muscle memory through words, phrases, sentences, verses and tongue-twisters — 10% theory, 90% practice.

  • All exercises are supported by audio tracks recorded by professional actors, available on Audible and through the companion app Business English Speech

 

Get Rid of Your Accent for Business is the definitive guide for any professional who understands that how you speak can be just as important as what you say.

👉 Available on Amazon and in UK Flagship book stores such Foyles and Waterstones.

How to Pronounce the /w/ Sound?

/w/ sound does not exist in many languages, for example, in Hindi, Russian, French, and Hebrew.

My native language was Russian, and it took me 6 months to strengthen my lip muscles in order to pronounce this sound correctly without thinking about it. In the past, I was substituting it with the /v/, and people could not understand me. As you can see from the examples below, the meaning of the word changes if the pronunciation of the /w/ sound is incorrect:

wet - vet, west - vest, whale - vale, wane - vain, worse -verse, wheel - veal.

If you want to achieve great results, practise the long /u:/ sound for three days, Lesson 2 and then /w/ sound, Lesson 25, in the apps:

·        Elocution Lessons

·        Get Rid of your Accent

·        Business English Speech

You will feel your lip muscles getting used to the forward position. The practice will take 10-20 minutes a day.

307. The Day I Recorded Myself and Got a Shock

I was confident. I thought my English was excellent.

I had a linguistics degree, an MBA, and I had been living and working in London for years. I genuinely believed I communicated well.

Then one day I recorded myself.

I played it back and I was shocked. I could not understand some of the words I was saying. Not because my vocabulary was wrong or my grammar was poor — but because my sounds were unclear, my speech very quiet, and what felt clear inside my head was actually quite difficult to follow from the outside.

That recording changed everything.

Not because it embarrassed me. But because it fascinated me. As a linguist I immediately wanted to understand the gap between how we sound in our own heads and how we actually sound to others.

That gap, I discovered, is where some communication problems live.

Here is what I found after years of research and teaching:

The professionals who struggle most are rarely struggling because of where they are from. They are struggling because of unclear sounds, rushed speech, swallowed endings and hesitant delivery.

These are technical problems. With technical solutions.

I know because I solved them myself — systematically, as a linguist. And that process became the Get Rid of Your Accent series — books, apps and video courses now used by international professionals in over 40 countries.

The recording feature in our apps exists for exactly this reason.

Because you cannot fix what you cannot hear. And most people — just like me — have never actually listened to themselves properly.

Try this today: Record yourself for 60 seconds talking about your work. Play it back. Listen not as yourself — but as a stranger hearing you for the first time.

What do you notice?

That moment of honest listening — however uncomfortable — is where transformation begins.

I'd love to know — have you ever recorded yourself and been surprised by what you heard? Share in the comments below.

Warmly, Olga Smith

296. The List of Our Apps, Books and Video Courses

294. Accent Reduction Method

⭐ How Our Method Works

Step 1: Practice the sounds that challenge you most

  • Start with your video course, app or book.

  • Focus on the specific sounds that are difficult for your nationality.

  • Track your progress with exercises and recordings built into the apps.

Step 2: Work on fluency and intonation

  • Gradually practice words, sentences, and natural speech patterns.

  • Apply your learning in real-life speaking situations, like meetings, presentations, and conversations.

Step 3: Optional Personalised Support: Speech Analysis & Elocution Lessons

How Sounds are Produced

You learn how to physically produce sounds correctly:

  • Where to place your tongue and

  • How to shape your lips;

  • Jaw position: open, half-open or half-closed, etc. Many people have very stiff jaw muscles, which affects pronunciation.


Fluency Training Involves:

  • Connected speech patterns

  • Sentence stress

  • Natural flow of speech

  • Strong and weak forms of words

  • Schwa and fluency

  • Difficult speech patterns: words anding s and consinant clusters

  • Use of colloquial expressions and idioms

  • Intonation

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

How long will it take me to get rid of my accent?

This is one of the most common questions we’re asked—and the honest answer is: it depends.

Your progress is highly individual and influenced by several factors. Accents are deeply connected to muscle memory and personal identity, so changing them takes time and consistent practice.

Here are four key factors that affect how quickly you can get rid of your accent:

1. Your native language
Some languages are closer to English than others. For example, speakers of Italian or German may find it easier to adapt to English pronunciation, while speakers of Japanese or Chinese often face more differences to overcome.

2. How long you’ve been speaking English
The longer you’ve used certain pronunciation patterns, the more ingrained they become. Changing established habits takes time—but it’s absolutely possible.

3. When you started learning English
Early exposure can make pronunciation more intuitive, but starting later doesn’t mean you can’t make significant progress.

4. Your listening ability (“your ear”)
Some people naturally pick up sounds and rhythm more easily, while others need more focused listening practice. The good news is that this skill can be trained.

Here’s a realistic timeline (if you practice regularly):

  • 1-2 weeks: You’ll start noticing specific sounds

  • 1–3 months: Your speech becomes clearer and easier for others to understand.

  • 6–12 months: You can sound quite close to your target accent in many situations.

  • 1+ year: Near-native fluency is possible, but subtle traces of your original accent often remain.

 What speeds it up:

  • Daily speaking practice (even 15–45 mins)

  • Recording yourself and comparing

  • Shadowing native speakers (copying rhythm + intonation)

  • Focusing on patterns, not just individual words

291. Confusing Sounds for Japanese, Chinese and Spanish Speakers of English

Many English learners struggle with certain pronunciation sounds, especially when those sounds do not exist in their native language. Based on my experience teaching students from Japan, Spain and China, two of the most common pronunciation mistakes involve the /v/ and /b/ sounds, and the /l/ and /r/ sounds.

Confusing /v/ and /b/ sounds change the meaning of words:

  • berry - very

  • boat - vote

The /v/ sound is made by placing your top teeth on your bottom lip and letting air pass through.

The /b/sound is made purely with lips: the lips are pressed tightly together and suddenly move to allow the compressed air to escape in a small explosion

Practise articulation exercises 3 times a day for a week, repeat each line 3 times:

  1. Vet, vote, very, van, veal

    Virtually everyone voted to leave the village undeveloped.

  2. Bet, boat, berry, ban, bill

    The brace of brown birds was bagged by Billy Butler.

The second most common mistake for Japanese, Chinese and Spanish Speakers of English is mixing up /l/ and /r/ sounds:

  • light - right

  • glass - grass

To pronounce the /l/ sound, the tip of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge.

To pronounce the /r/, the tip of the tongue curls back but does not touch the roof of the mouth.

Practise articulation exercises 3 times a day for a week, repeat each line 3 times:

  1. link, lake, love, late, loan
    The lanky Lord of London built a castle and a mill.

  2. rat, right, role, ring, rock
    Three red lorries drove over the rusty railway bridge.

Pronunciation improves with consistent practice. Spend just a few minutes every day repeating these exercises, and you will notice your clarity and confidence improving. Small daily practice can make a big difference. With patience and practice, the correct pronunciation will become your second nature.

You can find more exercises for these sounds in Lessons 26, 35, 33, 42 in the app Get Rid of your Accent (British English) and American Accent App (American English)

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com

289. One-Minute Tongue Exercise to Improve Pronunciation

Most people trying to improve their English pronunciation focus on learning more vocabulary or memorising rules. But pronunciation is actually a muscle skill.

Like any muscle skill, sometimes a tiny exercise can make a huge difference.

Here’s a simple one-minute tongue exercise you can try right now:

Step 1: Place your tongue on the alveolar ridge, about 1 cm above and behind your top teeth.

Step 2: Tap your tongue lightly against that spot. Do this rhythmic exercise from the app Get Rid of your Accent, Lesson 27:

t-t-t-t-t

tt-tt-tt-t

ttt-ttt-ttt-t

tttt-tttt-tttt-t

Step 3: Practise the sound in words, sentences and verses:
time, today, test, talk, terrible, torts, table, tennis, try, tend

Two toads totally tired of trying to trot to Tetbury

You’ll notice your /t/ sound becomes clearer and sharper.

Many learners keep their tongue too low or too relaxed, which makes pronunciation sound unclear. This quick exercise wakes up the tongue position used in many English consonants /t, d, l, n/: Lessons 27a, 27b, 30, 33 from the app Get Rid of your Accent.

Think of it like a one-minute warm-up for your mouth.

Try it before:

  • a meeting

  • a presentation

  • a job interview

  • recording a video

Small habits like this can improve clarity more than hours of passive listening.

Do this exercise 3 times a day for one week and notice how much easier certain sounds feel.

Sometimes improving your pronunciation isn’t about studying more — it’s about training the right muscles that create the sound.

Have you tried any pronunciation warm-ups before?

Share your favourite technique in the comments

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com

285. Accent myth: Adults can’t change their accent

Most students who come to our elocution courses and take elocution lessons are adults aged 30–65.

 Almost all of them ask the same question:

“Is it possible at my age to change my accent?”

 The short answer is yes.

 In fact, 99% of our students are highly motivated, which is a key factor in their success. With our method and their dedication, they achieve remarkable results. Their speech becomes clear and easy to understand, and their accent becomes neutral, making it difficult for others to identify where they originally come from. 

They are no longer placed in a box: French, German, Russian, or another nationality simply based on how they speak.

Many students later tell us that they wish they had started this process years earlier. They often explain that before coming to us, they had tried different tutors and courses, but the results were minimal.

At BATCS Global, we combine professional elocution training with specialised learning apps to help students practise every day, which is essential for lasting change.

 So why do many accent reduction attempts fail?

From our experience working with adult learners, there are two common reasons why accent training does not produce results.

1. An Unqualified Tutor

Accent training requires specialised knowledge. Only a trained phonetician understands how sounds are formed in the mouth and how to correct pronunciation effectively.

A general English tutor usually has limited training in phonetics and pronunciation mechanics.

Other professionals focus on different areas:

  • Speech therapists specialise in correcting speech disorders and problems with speech organs.

  • Voice coaches focus on voice projection and vocal quality.

While both professions are valuable, their training is not focused on accent reduction. Nevertheless, speech therapists and voice coaches sometimes promise accent improvement, which often leads to disappointing results.

Accent reduction requires phonetic expertise, structured exercises, and a proven methodology.

2. Irregular and Insufficient Practice

Even with an excellent teacher, success depends on consistent practice.

Accent training works best when students practise every day using targeted exercises. Regular repetition trains the muscles involved in speech and helps build new pronunciation habits.

This is why we developed a range of specialised video courses, iOS and Android training apps that allow students to practise anywhere and reinforce what they learn during lessons.

Three apps to master all the sounds of Received Pronunciation:

An accompanying video course for these three apps: Get Rid of your Accent Part One

One app to master intonation, sentence stress, fluency and connoceted speech patterns:

An accompanying video course for these three apps: Get Rid of your Accent Part Two

One app to master public speaking skills

American English Speech Apps

For learners who want to master American pronunciation, we offer:

Accent-Specific Training Apps

Some learners need targeted help with pronunciation patterns typical of certain languages. For this purpose, we developed:

These apps focus on correcting the most common pronunciation challenges for speakers of those languages.

The Key to Success

Changing your accent as an adult is absolutely possible. What it requires is:

  • Expert phonetic guidance

  • Structured exercises

  • Daily practice

With the right method, consistent effort, and the support of tools such as the training programmes and apps developed by BATCS Global, adults can achieve clear, confident, and neutral English speech.

Many of our students tell us the same thing after completing their training:

“I only wish I had started sooner.”

Ready to Transform Your Speech?

If you want to change the way you speak English and reduce your accent, the most important step is to start with a professional speech analysis.

At BATCS Global, we offer students an individual speech analysis that identifies the exact pronunciation patterns affecting their speech. During this process, our trained phoneticians analyse:

  • how you produce individual sounds

  • stress and rhythm patterns

  • intonation and speech melody

  • pronunciation habits and speech patterns influenced by your native language

This detailed assessment allows us to create a personalised training plan targeting only the sounds and speech patterns that need correction. You will get a written report.

Because the training becomes precise and focused, students typically achieve results up to 80% faster compared with general pronunciation practice or traditional language lessons.

Instead of guessing what to improve, you will know exactly what to work on and how to practise effectively.

Combined with our structured lessons and specialised pronunciation apps, this approach helps learners achieve results very fast.

Take the first step today. Visit batcsglobal.com and book your individual speech analysis with BATCS Global to start transforming the way you speak.

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com

283. 4 Mistakes in a 4-Letter Word

Are you mispronouncing these common English words? Many professionals do, and it can affect clarity.

These words are: “work, word, worm”

I am a non-native English Speaker. It took me several lessons with my speech tutor and a few months of strengthening my lip muscles to pronounce these words correctly. Before learning and mastering the correct pronunciation, I made 3 mistakes in these 4-letter words

The first word: “work”

Mistake N1

The /w/ sound does not exist in my native language, and I used to substitute it with the /v/ sound as in “vet”.

Mistake N2

In my Native lanaguage, we pronounce all letters, so I pronounced the/r/ sound, but in British English, it is not pronounced in this word

Mistake N3

The long /ɜː/ sound as in “Sir” does not exist in my native language either, and I used to pronounce it as /o/.

Mistake N4

Long words do not exist in my native language, and I could not pronounce the /ɜː/ as “Sir” as a long vowel

The result of these 4 mistakes:

Instead of “work” /wɜːk/ I was pronouncing /vɔrk/

Instead of “word” /wɜːd/ I was saying /vɔrd/

Instead of “worm” //wɜːm/ I was saying /vɔrm/

How To Do Right

Many learners of English struggle with these words. Because it is really a tough combination:

  1. For the /w/ sound, your lips should go forward into a tight whistle- shape circle for a split second, and then they should be pushed back into the neutral position.

  2. For the /ɜː/ as “Sir”, the lips should be in a relaxed, neutral position.

Pro Tip: Push lips forward and then quickly move them into the neutral position and keep them there for much longer to pronounce the long /ɜː/ sound.

What often happens is that students keep their lips forward in the round poision for too long and instead of /ɜː/ they say /ɔː/

“walk -“work”

Practice

Repeat each sentence 3 times:

  1. The word werm is hard work.

  2. I worked one term as a nurse.

I wanted to help many people and published apps where you can practise all English sounds. Practise /ɜː/ in lesson 5 and /w/ in lesson 25 with the apps:

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com

278. Executive Presence (3/4): Speech & Voice

In the third edition of my Executive Presence series, I’ll break down the features of executive language—and what undermines it. We’ll look at what to say, what to avoid, and how to speak with authority and a strong presence.

Words That Weaken Your Presence

  • Softening statements with “just,” “maybe,” or “I’m not sure”.

Instead of them, use definite verbs and deadlines, for example: “let’s get this done by 2 pm”, “I need this report on my desk by 4 pm today”.

  • Swear words and rude words.

Be careful and pause, select words carefully. If you cannot find an appropriate word, feel frustrated, pause.

  • Filler words such as "eeh, uh, like, basically, you know", etc.

Substitute them with pauses.

Executive Language Features

  • Concision. Executive language is clear and economical. “Brevity is the soul of wit.” — William Shakespeare.

Instead of: “I just wanted to quickly touch base and kind of go over a few thoughts I had regarding the project.”

Say: “Let’s review the key points of the project.”

  • Specific words. Executive language avoids vague expressions and replaces them with precise, measurable terms.

Instead of: “We need to improve results.” Say: “We need to increase revenue by 10% this quarter.”

Instead of: “There are some issues.” Say: “We’re facing delays in delivery and a 5% budget overrun.”

Specific language communicates control, direction, and leadership.

How to Say It

  1. Stress key messages and use optimistic and uplifting intonation. Download the app Fluent English Speech to master sentence stress and intonation.

  2. Use pitch and pace strategically to enhance clarity and authority. Download the app Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause and have a few elocution lessons to master the 4Ps of public speaking.

  3. Articulate clearly and precisely. Strong articulation reinforces credibility and presence. You can master it with the app Get Rid of your Accent.

In the final edition of this series, I will focus on the body language and nonverbal cues that complete executive presence.

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com

277. Executive Presence (1/4): The Components

In our elocution lessons, we don’t focus only on speech and accent. We also help students develop a stronger presence and greater confidence overall.

This is something many of our students actively want to work on — what is often called executive presence.

With this article, I’m starting an Executive Presence series based on more than 20 years of teaching and coaching top-level professionals and diplomats.

In this edition, I’ll walk you through five core components of executive presence, explain why they matter, and show how they work together.

You can think of executive presence much like a good golf swing. It isn’t built on one single movement, but on several elements working together — posture, balance, timing, and follow-through. If one part is off, the entire swing suffers. Executive presence works the same way.

The five core components are:

  1. Authenticity: the ability to act as your true self without pretence

  2. Physical presence: energy level, dress code, fitness level

  3. Confidence: ability to act decisively

  4. Body language: eye contact, gestures, posture

  5. Speech and voice: pronunciation, articulation, voice modulation and use of pauses

The key point is this: to look and feel truly confident, a person must be authentic. Confidence is communicated through actions and body language — gestures, eye contact, and tone of voice. Clear speech and good articulation further strengthen executive presence and how others perceive you. In just a few seconds, your physical presence communicates a great deal about you, including energy level and overall status. All these components send signals about who you are and determine how people treat you.

In the next editions of this series, I’ll share practical techniques you can use to build executive presence and show you how to remove the obstacles that often get in the way.

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com

271. 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

269. 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

268. 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

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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.