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.
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:
In words, “come, oven, front, company” it represents the / ʌ/ sound as in “duck” (Lesson 9)
In words, “those, phone, no ” it is pronounced as a diphthong /əʊ/ as in “blow” (Lesson 16)
In words, “corner, storage, form” it is pronounced as a long /ɔː/ sound (Lesson 3)
In words, “stop, office, box” it is a short /ɒ/ sound (Lesson 10)
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.
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