120. History behind Get Rid of your Accent brand

By Olga Smith, the co-author of the books in the series Get Rid of your Accent and the founder fo the brand

Speech workshop by Olga Smith

I joined the oldest public speaking club in London in 2004. People in my club were seasoned public speakers with very sophisticated English. I, on the other hand, had a very quiet voice, a strong foreign accent and monotonous speech. I felt I would definitely benefit if I improve my pronunciation and someone in the club recommended that I take elocution lessons. The elements of elocution are voice control, articulation and good pronunciation. Exactly what I needed to become a good public speaker. I started my elocution lessons with a top London speech tutor Linda James in 2004 and fell in love with her method. I found it practical, very useful and enjoyable. I have decided to make Linda's method available to a much wider audience. In 2006, together with Linda, we co-authored our first Speech Training Manual with audiotracks Get Rid of your Accent. Later we produced books and courses for different levels of English, Public Speaking and Business English. Then we converted our books into apps. In order to make our courses complete and offer a total solution to speech mastery, we finally created amazing video courses to accompany our apps and books.  

In 2006, I set up a company BaTCS, Business and Technical Communication Services specialising in products and services for people who want to have a high level of English speech and become competent public speakers.

We started doing workshops in corporations and banks in the city of London, in English language schools (EFL) and in colleges in London. Our books and apps are used in the famous School of Speech and Drama in London. EFL teachers use them with their students.

We offer individual lessons and courses for top-level professionals in London and on Skype worldwide.

118. Elocution Courses

Our history: I joined the oldest public speaking club in London in 2004. People in my club were seasoned public speakers with very sophisticated English. I, on the other hand, had a very quiet voice, a strong foreign accent and monotonous speech. I felt I would definitely benefit if I improve my pronunciation and someone in the club recommended that I take elocution lessons. The elements of elocution are voice control, articulation and good pronunciation. Exactly what I needed to become a good public speaker. I started my elocution lessons with a top London speech tutor Linda James in 2004 and fell in love with her method. I found it practical, very useful and enjoyable. I have decided to make Linda's method available to a much wider audience. In 2006, together with Linda, we co-authored our first Speech Training Manual with audio- tracks Get Rid of your Accent. Later we produced books and courses for different levels of English, Public Speaking and Business English. Then we converted our books into apps. In order to make our courses complete and offer a total solution to speech mastery, we finally created amazing video courses to accompany our apps and books.  

Our method: make sure you have the correct placement of your tongue, lips and jaw for each English sound with the help of our video course. Then practice the sound in words, phrases and verses. Practise on your own with the app and/or books. Read and listen to the model pronunciation, record yourself, and compare your recording with the model.  Below is the list of our courses with their short descriptions

Elocution Course # 1: Get Rid of your Accent # Our bestseller!
This course is ideal if you want to get rid of a regional or foreign accent and speak Standard English or RP (Received Pronunciation). It has 42 lessons; it contains effective practical exercises to make your English clear and easy to understand. The course consists of:
1. The book Get Rid of your Accent Part One, ISBN 9780955330001
2. The app Get Rid of your Accent (iOS) or  Get Rid of your Accent (Android)
3. The video course Get Rid of your Accent Part One

Elocution Course # 2: Fluent English Speech
This course is a follow-up to our first course Get Rid of your Accent.  It is ideal if you want to sound more like a native English speaker. It contains the most difficult speech patterns in English and connected speech patterns for good English fluency. The course consists of:
1. The book Get Rid of your Accent Part Two, Advanced Level,  ISBN 9780955330018
2. The app Fluent English Speech (iOS ) or Fluent English Speech (Android)
3. The video course Get Rid of your Accent Part Two 

Elocution Course # 3: Presenting and Public Speaking
This course is ideal if your want to become a successful presenter and public speaker. It contains practical exercises for voice modulation and the use of pauses. The course consists of:
1. The app 4Ps, Power,Pitch,Pace,Pause (iOS) or 4Ps, Power,Pitch,Pace,Pause: (Android)
2. The video course Get Rid of your Accent Part Two

Elocution Course # 4: Business English Speech
This app was designed for top-level professionals, diplomats and lawyers. It is the only course 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. The course consists of:
1. The book Get Rid of your Accent for Business, Part Three, ISBN  9780955330025
2. The The app Business English Speech  (iOS) or Business English Speech (Android)
3. The video course Get Rid of your Accent Part One

Elocution Course # 5: Elocution Lessons
This course is ideal for different groups: children, people who just started learning English and all who what to pronounce essential everyday English vocabulary correctly. It contains 48 lessons. You will practice short, commonly used phrases, sentences and verses which are easy to repeat and it also has useful tips for teachers of English.  The course consists of:
1. The book Get Rid of your Accent for Beginners, ISBN 9780955330063
2. The app Elocution Lessons  (iOS) or Elocution Lessons  (Android)
3. The video course Get Rid of your Accent Part One

Elocution Course # 6: American English Accent and Fluency Training
This course is ideal if you want get rid of a foreign or regional accent and master Standard American accent, develop fluency in American English and sound more like an American  English speaker. The course consists of:
1. The book Get Rid of your Accent Part One and Two, General American Accent Training Manual, ISBN 9780955330087
2. The app American Accent App (iOS) or American Accent App (Android)
3. The app Fluent American Speech (iOS) or  Fluent American Speech (Android)

Elocution Course # 7: Get Rid of Chinese Accent
This course is ideal for Chinese speakers of English who want to get rid of their Chinese accent. The course contains 42 lessons Chinese translations. The course consists of:
1. The app Get rid of Chinese Accent  (iOS) or Get Rid of Chinese Accent (Android)
2. The video course Get Rod of Chinese Accent

Elocution Course # 8: Get Rid of Russian Accent
This course is ideal for Russian speakers of English who want to get rid of their Russian accent. The course contains 42 lessons with Russian translations. The course consists of:
1. The app Get Rid of Russian Accent  (iOS)or Get Rid of Russian Accent (Android)
2. The video course Get Rid of your Accent Part One

117. "You need an upper class English accent to succeed in London banking"

by Rajendra Shree 18 July 2022

“I am an Indian by birth. I left India over a decade ago and have worked around the world in the finance industry before coming to London. Now that I am here, I feel that my progress is blocked. And it has nothing to do with my expertise. 

In London, it's the people who speak English with an upper-class accent that get all the jobs. Time and again I have seen that the people who get promoted here are not the people with the best knowledge or the best expertise, but the best accents.

If like me, you have excellent domain knowledge, but you speak English with an accent from Hyderabad or Bangalore, you reach a ceiling. The expectation is that you will be a domain expert, but that you will stand behind the big boys - who all have the correct kind of articulation.

It's not like this elsewhere. In America, I see Indians from all kinds of backgrounds and with their original accents thriving - just look at the leaders of Alphabet or Microsoft. The recognition you get is completely different. In London, you are penalized. I have been told that I do the job of two or three people, but I also find my voice is absolutely suppressed. 

As a natural introvert, this is difficult to deal with. There are actions I could take to improve my situation: I have no doubt that if I went to elocution classes, it would make a difference. But I also think it's London's loss: there are plenty of talented immigrants in the City; they need to be given a chance”.

Rajendra Shree is a pseudonym. Source www.efinancialcarrers.com

P.S. by Olga Smith
In the USA the situation is not better, my ex-husband works in Silicon Valley and he told me that Indian guys get only $100k instead of $500k because of their unintelligible accents. He says he cannot understand them. I doubt City will lose as there are plenty of highly skilled people with good English speech. In my opinion, good speech is an essential tool of economic participation.

116. What habits should I develop to be more energetic?

My list of habits is based on my personal experience and I cannot guarantee it works for everyone, but it works for me. In order to feel energetic I do the following:

  1. Go to bed before 11.30 pm and ensure a good night's sleep of 7-9 hours. I perform Sundo belly button tapping and healing, stretching and toe-tapping

  2. A slow run or a walk in fresh air, a fast run takes my energy away and makes me tired, but a slow run or a walk improves my blood circulation and I feel great

  3. Set up daily goals and ticking boxes once I achieved them

  4. Communicate with people who I love and love me and make me laugh

  5. Eat delicious fresh food: mainly fresh seafood, salads and fruits

  6. Attend classical music concerts

  7. Swimming in the sea and pools

  8. Having short naps during the day

  9. Do things at a well-measured pace without rushing

  10. Planning activities well

It is equally important to remove certain activities from our lives in order to not waste or lose energy. I avoid:

  1. Alcohol

  2. Watching TV

  3. Shopping

  4. Talking too much and doing little

  5. Rushing, hustle and bustle

More on Get Rid of your Accent | Elocution Lessons

115. A very English sound /a:/ as in "car"

By Olga Smith

All people who take our elocution lessons start their speech training with this sound, it is the long [ɑː] vowel sound as in "father, car, clerk, calm". As you can see it has different spelling variations. In English, it is typical to have many spelling variations for a sound because English inherited many foreign words, they anglicised the pronunciation but left the original foreign spelling.

This exact English sound does not exist in many other languages and that is why it is absolutely essential to master it if you want to adopt RP (Received Pronunciation) or Standard British model of pronunciation.

There is a sound that is similar to the long [ɑː] sound and it exists in many languages, it is a cardinal vowel [ɑ] as in the French word "grave". Both sounds have an open jaw position. The placement of the tongue for the English sound is a slightly different, it is flat at the back of the mouth, but not quite so far back.

Foreign students often suffer from Americanisms because they learned English from American films and sitcoms. We recommend getting rid of them if you want to master RP.

Here is a list of words that are pronounced with a long [ɑː] sound in British English and with  short [æ] as in "cat" in American English:

"fast, example, demand, chancellor, dance, pass, past, can't, chance, answer, last, laugh, path"

This sound often has the letter /r/ in spelling and in British English you should not pronounce it, below are a few examples:
"bar, mark, party, garden, pardon, park, dark, art, star, hard, start, chart, heart, heart, smart". In General American /r/ is pronounced.

We have a wonderful video course where we make it absolutely clear how to produce this sound and all sounds of Received Pronunciation in the mouth. Once you know the exact placement of this sound, you can practise it with the apps ‎Get Rid of your Accent UK1, Business English Speech and Elocution Lessons.                    

114. Start learning English with Elocution Lessons app

by Olga Smith

Many people are coming to us to fix their English because they learned it with bad pronunciation and as a result, their social and professional lives suffered. We had people with degrees in the English Language, but their speech was too quiet and unintelligible because they didn't know how to project their voice, how to pronounce English sounds correctly, etc. When we asked how it happened they told us that the main focus in their study was on English grammar, reading silently and writing.

We think, that the best way to master English speech is to listen to native speakers who have Received Pronunciation (RP or Oxford English), repeat after them and memorise phrases rather than separate words. But it is not always easy to find someone for that. Nowadays many native Brits speak with regional accents and their speech is not the best example to follow if you want to be understood globally.

We have the solution for you: we have published a new accent app Elocution Lessons  It contains essential English words, phrases and short snappy sentences, amusing verses, rhythmic and articulation exercises and passages, all of them so useful and easy to repeat.

With this accent app you can:

·       Listen to the same phrase/ sentence/verse to master the English sounds of RP a few times;

·       Repeat and record yourself, imitating the actor’s pronunciation, intonation and the stresses;

·       Compare your speech with actors on the app.

Find more information and tips on www.batcsglobal.com

113. The rule of communication

Great communication makes life wonderfully enjoyable. Many people who take our elocution lessons ask us how they can become good at expressing their thoughts and communicating them to others. The key word is “others.” This word defines the main rule of communication: think of others when communicating.
Ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Is what I am saying interesting to my listeners? Am I saying it in an interesting way?

  2. Is my speech clear to understand and follow?

  3. Can what I say in any way offend others?

  4. Do I understand a person I communicate with? Who is this person? What are their needs and wishes?

When people are eager to share their thoughts with others often get excited and speak without pauses which makes it hard to follow. Good communicators make pauses and allow listeners to absorb one idea at a time and get ready for the next one.

Many, particularly shy people, tend to avoid eye contact. Eye contact helps us to see if the person is engaged with what we are saying or not. It helps to connect with the person on a deeper level.

When people communicate on an international level they might find that not many people understand their accent because they are not used to hearing it. As a result, they are often asked to repeat themselves which can be frustrating and embarrassing for both parties.

You can finetune your communication with the apps Elocution Lessons, Get Rid of your Accent, Fluent English Speech, Business English Speech, 4Ps, Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause, American Accent App, and Fluent American Speech. There are also supporting video courses Get Rid of your Accent Part One and Get Rid of your Accent Part Two.

Thinking of others is a universal rule that works in other areas: if you want to be a good driver think of others and not just charge fast; if you want to be a good teacher it is not enough to showcase your knowledge, think of how you can best serve your students; if you want to be a good leader, think of empowering others; if your want to be a good business person, think of how you can satisfy the needs of others.

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112. The difference between the long /i:/ and the short /ɪ/ sounds

Many students who take our elocution lessons struggle to distinguish the long /i:/ as in “please” and the short /ɪ/ as in “big”. We found, that the long /i:/ is easier to pronounce for most nationalities.

The difference between these two sounds is in the tongue position. For the long /i:/ the front of the tongue goes up and for the short /ɪ/ the tongue position is only slightly lower. That difference is so slight and there is the difficulty.

It is important that students of English get it right. Below are a few examples that demonstrate the meaning of the word changes if they do not:

Long /i:/ Short /ɪ/

feel fill

leek lick

feet fit

deal dill

peak pick

I think my new shoes do not quite fit my feet.

Often our students ask us how they can know when to use the long /i:/ and to use the short /ɪ/. The first tip is spelling, the long /i:/ is spelt with “ee” and “ea” and the short /ɪ/ is spelt with “i”.

Secondly, students should practice both sounds and then comparison chapters with the books:

Get Rid of your Accent for Beginners, Get Rid of your Accent Part One and Get Rid of your Accent for Business, Part Three., and the apps:

Elocution Lessons, Get Rid of your Accent and Business English Speech.

It is advisable to take a few elocution lessons to make sure you are on the right track.

More on Get Rid of your Accent | Elocution Lessons

111. Slow down!

Many students who take our elocution lessons make the same mistake: they speak very fast and this results in a lot of pronunciation and punctuation mistakes. Fast speech can be difficult to listen to and irritating because the listeners cannot follow it. Even professional speakers such as TV presenters often make the mistake of speaking too fast. Slowing down is particularly important for public speakers.

There can be a number of reasons to speak fast. I will focus on the two obvious:

1. Feeling nervous. To overcome nervousness, we recommend that you take a couple of nice deep breaths to release the tension.

2. Fast brain 

A fast brain is something people are born with, you cannot change it.

One may ask: can I learn to slow down and overcome my fast brain that forces me to speak fast?

I personally have the tendency to speak fast. In this blog post, I will share with you a simple yet very effective exercise that can help you to slow down.

Exercises: 

1. When you speak, try to separate each idea of thought by using pauses. Count 1, 2, 3 in your head after each idea and allow yourself to breathe and relax. Don't link all ideas; don't deliver them all in one breath.

2. In a conversation with another person, make a pause after each question, do not jump on the answer straight away.

3. Read out loud using the punctuation. In your head, count 1,2,3 in place of a full stop, and count 1 in place of a comma. Make even longer pauses between paragraphs.

Conclusion 

To slow down, be disciplined with pauses. Take a few elocution lessons and practise pauses with the app 4Ps, Power,Pitch,Pace,Pause. 

More on www.batcsglobal.com 

110. How can you be confident in talking in any place?

What are the ingredients of confident communication? Is it the knowledge of the topic discussed? Well, I personally know brilliant PhDs and scientists who know their subject really well, but when it comes to talking about it they often sound boring and feel shy. The number one reason why people take our elocution lessons is their lack of confidence when communicating.

During our elocution lessons, we recommend that students pay attention to their physical presence, maintain a good straight posture and have a confident way of moving their body.

Together we work on:

  1. Clarity of speech and articulation with the apps ‎Get Rid of your Accent UK1, ‎American Accent App, Business English Speech

  2. Voice projection

  3. Stressing the key messages

  4. Using pauses effectively

  5. Developing measured pace

  6. Speech structure, you can read our popular blog about it.


    Many students who take our elocution lessons tend to rush their speech and it takes time to slow down. They speak fast and try to say all they know in a short period of time. In order to sound clear and confident, it would be better to speak less and pay attention to how you speak.

    Another common problem is boring, monotonous speech. To sound interesting, we work on:

    1. Inflexions. There are some useful exercises in the apps Fluent English Speech, ‎Fluent American Speech

    2. Voice modulation. You can find great material on that in the app Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause

We highly recommend our life-changing elocution apps, books and classes which will bring you confidence and success!

Free tips are on Get Rid of your Accent | Elocution Lessons

109. Social dos and don'ts in a first meeting

By Olga Smith

Social dos and don'ts may differ in various cultures. In this blog post, I will focus on English culture.

The main principles or values upon which social dos and don'ts in England depend are:

1. Be polite and kind

2. Respect other people's privacy

3. Respect other people's space

What should be avoided when you meet people for the first time? That depends on who you are and who you are talking to.

There is a famous English proverb: "If you have nothing nice to say, do not say anything."

English society is class orientated and there is a pecking order to observe. For example, ordinary people cannot approach Royalty first, they have to wait for the Royalty to start talking to them. That trickles down to the other layers of society. People senior in social and business positions are expected to start a conversation.

It is advisable to not push yourself on people and allow them to come to you first. Do not be too forward and respect other people's space. Your friendly smile and open body language would signal that you welcome them to approach you. If you avoid eye contact, looking tense and uptight would signal that you are not quite ready to meet others.

It would be wise to avoid negative and sensitive topics, such as politics, religion and money to avert conflicts and offending others.

Another thing to avoid when you meet a person for the first time is to become too personal and say things like "Oh I like your earrings" - don't do it!

How can we start communication successfully when we meet people for the first time?

Once you have been approached, you can introduce yourself and start talking about something very general.  

For example, if you are at an international conference you may ask: "Have you come far?", "Are you a member or ..?" "This venue looks rather nice"

If you are at a parents' meeting for the first time, you can say things like "My boy is in year twelve, do you have a boy in this year?"

I have noticed, that some people try to talk a lot, and make silly jokes in order to feel comfortable. In my opinion, it is better to not say much and listen and smile more. Use active listening and pay attention to what people say, how they say it and their body language. I recommend avoiding judging what the other person is saying. Just listen and engage your mind and heart by listening to another person. This practice will help you to make a deeper connection with them.

Jacqueline Kennedy once said: "I sometimes have regretted what I said, but I have never regretted my silence."

More on www.batcsglobal.com

108. How can we make communication enjoyable?

Many people who take our elocution lessons want to feel comfortable in communication. They often tell us that they feel shy and lack confidence in business meetings, when presenting and socialising. In our apps, books and blogs we offer a wealth of techniques to master articulation, pronunciation, and voice modulation.

In this blog post, I would like to point out what makes communication enjoyable.

1. Feeling relaxed and calm.

2. Keeping it light.

3. Using humour

4. Enjoying using pauses

5. Positive attitude

6. Common interests

7. Exchange of emotions

8. Compliments and encouragement

9. Active listening. The value of active listening is that a person who you are listening to will like you and become open to listening to you. This way you can establish rapport with them.

In contrast, things that make communication hard are:

1. Tension

2. Heavy topics

3. Being too serious

4. Rushed speech

5. Negative attitude

6. Lack of common topics to talk about

7. Cold, robotic speech

8. Criticism and judging

9. Interrupting each other

To sum up, in order to enjoy communication do things that make it enjoyable and avoid those that make it hard.

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107. What speech tells us about a person?

In our elocution lessons we help to master various elements of speech:

  • vocabulary

  • pronunciation

  • accent

  • dialect

  • articulation

  • intonation and inflection

  • power, pitch and pace of one’s voice

Let’s see what these speech elements tell us about a person.

Vocabulary can be broad or basic, professional or colloquial. “In England, accent and vocabulary can stamp a person’s identity like a brand”. People with broad vocabulary are perceived as well-read and well-educated. People who speak with standard English or RP (Received Pronunciation) are often associated with exclusive private schools and Universities and a superior class, whilst a strong Cockney accent with a working class. In the UK, accents and dialects can tell us where a person originates from North or South, Wales or Scotland.

Below are a few common traits in one’s speech that may infer a person's character or behaviour. This is not absolute and of course, there are exceptions to these generalisations.

For example, when people feel nervous they tend to rush their speech. Such speakers lack power and gravitas and a person might appear as one who trying hard to prove something to others. In order to build your confidence, it would be better to speak less.

Our voice power and confidence level often work together. When we speak loud enough we feel more confident, and when we feel confident we speak loud enough. Vice versa, when we lack confidence, our voice often automatically gets quieter.

Different patterns of intonation show different emotions. To name a few: aggression, excitement, indifference, anger, sadness, happiness and many others. Read our blog about the power of intonation.

Power, pitch and pace of one’s voice tell us about temperament, intellect and character. People who are calm and quiet often have measured pace.

Highly intelligent people often speak very fast as their mind is bubbling with ideas.

People who have a low pitched voice sound grounded, whilst people with high pitched voice may appear lighthearted and childish.

There are apps, books and video courses that help you to master your speech to become the best version of yourself:Get Rid of your Accent:, American Accent App, Fluent English Speech:, 4Ps, Power,Pitch,Pace,Pause.

Video Courses to master English speech:
 Get Rid of your Accent Part One and Get Rid of your Accent Part Two

More on www.batcsglobal.com

106. Get rid of Chinese accent

Chinese is spoken by billions of people in China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore. The importance of speaking good English became vital for international communication with the increased role of China on the global stage. Many native Chinese speakers who enjoyed our elocution lessons had good grammar and vocabulary, but, at first, their speech was difficult to understand because of their bad pronunciation. The result is that they often had low-paid jobs despite their high intellectual level. They told us that they were not even invited into meetings as others could not understand their speech.

We help all of them to master their speech and in this blog post, I will outline the most important recommendations for the Chinese speakers of English.

Chinese speakers of English often have good grammar and vocabulary, but it is hard for others to communicate with them because of their bad pronunciation. People who are not tuned in or used to Chinese accents find it hard to understand Chinese people's speech. I had a colleague in my public speaking club and when I hear her speeches I can only understand 30% of what she said. Because their speech is difficult to understand they have low-paid jobs and are not even invited to meetings.

Six main challenges for Chinese speakers of English
1. English consonants, particularly at the end of words such as “and” in words “pound, sound, found” etc. I hear that instead of /nd/ sounds they pronounce the /ŋ/ as in “sing”.

2. /t, d/ at the end of the word in the past tense such as “learned, studied, hoped” etc.

3. The /l/ sound as in “London” and the /r/ sound as in “rat”

4. Fricative consonants /θ/ and /ð/ as in "think" and "that", /f/ and /v/ as in “fake”and “victory”.

5. Diphthong /au/ as in “cow, pound, sound”, particularly followed by /nd/ as in words "pound, found, sound".

6. Intonation, connected speech patterns and sentence stress

Our recommendations
Start working on consonants and then on vowels and diphthongs with the apps ‎‎Elocution Lessons, Get Rid of your Accent UK1, ‎and Business English Speech. The same apps are also available on Google Play. They are based on bestselling books in the series Get Rid of your Accent and have audio and recording buttons. Work with these apps together with the accompanying video course Get Rid of your Accent Part1.
When you practise the sound in words give enough time to every syllable, connect sounds together and pay attention to pronouncing final consonants. When you practise the sound in phrases and verses, pay attention to the intonation and English tune, do not separate words into syllables.

Once all the sounds are sorted, we suggest working on connected speech patterns, sentence stress and intonation with the Fluent English Speech app To get the best results book a few elocution lessons

A few elocution lessons would not be out of place to achieve the best results.

More on www.batcsglobal.com

105. Get Rid of Russian Accent?

I am a native Russian speaker and back in 2004, my American husband could not understand me because my accent was rather strong. After two years of elocution lessons with Linda James, my speech became clear and I wanted to help people like myself so together with Linda we wrote a book Get Rid of your Accent. In this blog post, I will tell how native Russians can soften their accents.

I recommend that you start with long vowels. In Russian, all vowel sounds have the same length, they are shorter than English long vowels, and so Russians have a tendency to shorten long English vowels. As a result, the speech may sound clipped and even a bit harsh.

Secondly, work on short vowels. Russian vowel sounds are closer to English long vowels and have slightly different speech organ positions which makes them rather hard to master.

Thirdly, think about the higher position of the tip tongue for the /t, d. l, n/ sounds.

Practise /r/ sound as in ”rat”. The difference between the English and Russian /r/ sounds is that Russians vibrate the tongue and English keep the tongue still thus making a much softer sound.

We recommend that you download the video course Get Rid of your Accent Part One to see how the sounds are created. Then download the apps Elocution Lessons and Get Rid of your Accent to practise the sounds in words, phrases, sentences and verses.

After you have mastered the sounds, work on connected speech patterns and intonation with the video course Get Rid of your Accent Part Two and the app Fluent English Speech.

The most successful of students book their individual speech analysis and book elocution lessons to get the results effectively and quickly.

More on www.batcsglobal.com

104. Get Rid of Spanish Accent

We have been running elocution lessons since 2006 and taught many students from Spanish-speaking countries. Their accent is quite strong and it takes time and effort to make their English clear.

We have identified four areas of English speech which are particularly difficult for them:

1. English spelling and pronunciation are not identical. English inherited a lot of foreign words, including Latin and they kept the original spelling but anglicised the pronunciation. Some English sounds do not exist in Spanish. For example, the sound / ʌ/ as in "come" does not exist in Spanish and it is spelt with the letter "o". Spanish speakers would pronounce it with the /o/ sound.

Another example is the use of schwa. Schwa does not exist in Spanish, whilst in English schwa is the most important sound. It is used in unstressed syllables and it is very important to master fluency in English because it is used in unstressed words.
2. There are long and short vowels in English, in Spanish, all vowels have the same length.
3. English consonants are crisp and well-articulated, whilst in Spanish consonants are softened. Spanish speakers of English often do not make a distinction between /b/ and /v/, /n/ and /m/, particularly at the end of the word. We suggest that you practise particularly these consonants because they do not exist in Spanish:
/h/ is in “hat”, /j/ as in “yes”, /dʒ/ as in “juice”, /v/ as in “victory” and /z/ as in “zoo”.
4. In good English speech, pronouncing/t/ and /d/ endings is important. Spanish often do not pronounce them at all.

What can we recommend to overcome the difficulties mentioned above?

1. When learning English words, practice them with the correct pronunciation. Most online dictionaries and Google Translate offer the sound version of a word. A more advanced step would be to memorise the phonetic symbols of English sounds.
2. Practise pure English long and short vowels.
3. Do articulation exercises every day for 2-5 minutes. It takes time and effort to build your speech organs muscles for English consonants.
We suggest that you practise English vowels and consonants with the apps Elocution Lessons and Get Rid of your Accent and the book Get Rid of your Accent Part One.
4. Learn and practise word endings with the app Fluent English Speech and the book Get Rid of your Accent Part Two, Advance Level

To get the best results we recommend that you book a few elocution lessons

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103. Direct, or diplomatic?

Being polite means being respectful and considerate of others. Telling little white lies is an important part of English culture. In the era of political correctness, the topic of politeness has reached a new level of importance.  

At the same time being direct and "calling the kettle black" has its advantages too. Direct speakers take less time and use fewer words to get to the point. 

Today I talked to a friend of mine and she told me that thanks to me she became more direct. She sees it as a good thing. In the past, she found it difficult to say "no" directly, and some people took advantage of her. I replied to her that I became less direct thanks to her. I see it as a positive change because in the past I sometimes felt regretful about my directness. 

Indeed, often people wonder: how can they be direct and remain polite at the same time?  Let's consider a couple of examples.
If a friend asks my opinion about her haircut, which I do not really like, what is better: to tell the truth or to be diplomatic and say: "I like it. It really suits you."? I would tell her that tastes differ and that the most important thing is that she likes her haircut; what I think about it is not really important. This way I would encourage her to rely on her own opinion rather than on others and thus help her develop higher self-esteem.

Another example: a friend of mine from Russia asked me if she could stay at my place for a week. My flat is not big and I really do not want her to stay at mine. One part of me feels the need to be kind to myself and say "no" to her.
How can I say "no" to her and not feel bad about it? I think that the main thing is the way I say "no" to her.
"Oh, I wish my flat was big enough to put you up! Unfortunately, it is too small for two people. I hate to say "no" to you. I hope one day I can put you up when I have a bigger house.” I used a three-step approach:

  1. I start with a positive wish and tone. It would be good to use a soft voice and rising inflection.

  2. Then I say "no" in a firm way. For saying "no", use a soft voice and normal inflection.

  3. I finish with a positive wish. In this, use a more energetic voice. 

You can learn how to modulate your voice and use different inflections with the apps Fluent English Speech and 4Ps, Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause. This will help you sound positive and firm at the same time.

In conclusion, I want to say that being kind to ourselves and others is more important than being polite or direct. There is an expression the English use: you have to be cruel to be kind. In other words, being honest can be an act of kindness. For example, a man is in love with you and you are not in love with him. To say the truth would be painful at the moment, but kind in the long run, because both of you will have a chance to be in reciprocal love relationships with others.

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102. The power of pause

As a member of a public speaking club, I have to listen to many speeches, evaluate them and give my recommendations to the speakers. Almost always, I recommend that speakers use pauses more effectively.

Common mistakes

  1. Many people when delivering a public speech feel nervous and tend to rush their speech. They do not make pauses between sentences and paragraphs and thus do not separate their ideas and thoughts. Such speakers lack power and gravitas. It is very difficult for their listeners to follow them and to get engaged.

  2. Some people who take our elocution lesson complain that they are being asked to repeat what they said. During their speech analysis, we discovered that they have a tendency to speak very fast. They have no time to lean on long English vowels and diphthongs and pronounce the sounds properly. Because of their bad pronunciation, others do not understand them.

  3. It is a mistake to have too many pauses, for example within a phrase. It is a mistake to stress words that should be “thrown away” such as articles, prepositions and auxiliary verbs.
    Making too many pauses might weaken your performance and make it a bit boring. Read our blog about liaisons and fluency.

  4. People who do not know how to use a pause for effect often sound monotonous. The longer pauses can be used to make an impact and to highlight a particular point/word.

  5. Often, when we speak with others, we do not have the patience to listen. We are caught up in our thoughts and cannot properly reply to a question. Here is an example: I asked my tennis partner how many times she played tennis last week. She had replied that she was not going to become a tennis coach or compete and she just played for fun. But my question was not about her future tennis plans, it was simply about the number of times she played in a week.

    Below are a few tips from our apps and book on the use of pause:

    1. Separate your ideas in order to allow your listeners to absorb one idea at a time and prepare them for the next one. Usually, the speed of listening is slower than the speed of speaking.

    2. Make a pause before a word that you want to stress in a sentence to make it stand out. If you want to stress the first word of the sentence, make a pause after it.
    3. Make a longer pause between paragraphs and even longer to create a dramatic effect. This can be very effective in public speeches when a longer pause keeps the audience in suspense and creates anticipation.
    4. Listen, pause, think and reply. Pause for five seconds and think about the question and your answer or what you want to say. Try to answer only those questions that are being asked of you. It is particularly useful in business meetings, job interviews and sales pitches for investors promoting better understanding and pleasant communication.
    5. Substitute parasite words such as “so, you know, basically, like, em, ah” with pauses.

    Speaking without pauses is often a long-term habit and it may take time and effort to start using pauses correctly. A few elocution lessons, together with the book Get Rid of your Accent Part Two, Advanced Level and the apps Fluent English Speech and Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause will help you master this valuable technique for successful performances.
    The correct use of pauses will help you look and feel calm, confident and caring.

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100. Advantages of having good speech

I am a native Ukrainian. I started learning English in 1995. In 2004, I married a native English speaker who could not always understand what I was saying because of my thick foreign accent. In order to be understood by my husband, I started taking elocution/speech lessons with a drama school tutor, Linda James. I fell in love with Linda’s method and after taking lessons for two years I have decided to create a training manual: a book with CDs to help people like myself, and I did that in 2006. I have created twenty titles for this training manual, to name a few: “Perfect English”, “English Pronunciation”, and others. 100% of people who were participating in choosing the title opted for the title “Get Rid of your Accent”.

People who buy our books and apps and take our elocution lessons and course tell us their reasons why they want to get rid of their accents and have good English speech. Here are just a few.

  1. They feel that their colleagues do not always understand what they are saying and it can be disruptive and even frustrating at work.

  2. They are not invited to meetings and they cannot chair projects because of their thick and difficult to understand accents.

  3. They are not getting promoted and as a result, do not have a pay rise

  4. Their social life is not as good as it could be

  5. They are afraid to present and talk in public

After our elocution lessons and practising with our books and apps their speech and life changed for the better:

  1. They feel confident

  2. They feel they have the skills to present

  3. They get promoted and their salary increases

  4. Their social lives improve

  5. They enjoy their work more including chairing meetings and presenting

To date, we have five books and nine iOS and nine Android apps plus two video courses for speech mastery.

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