As a non-native speaker of English, sometimes it might be challenging for a native English speaker to understand you, and for you to therefore get your message across. This is true regardless of where you are speaking: at a meeting, a networking event, or a presentation to prospective customer. In these situations you won’t always be asked you to repeat yourself. Not only will your message not be heard, but your credibility might be put at risk.

Strategies for improving audience comprehension

1. Speak more slowly in English than you do in your native language. You can begin to do this right now and you may be surprised how this one simple change can result in such a large improvement.

2. Be careful not to connect words so tightly together that your listener will have trouble determining when one word ends and the next one starts. If your native language tends to make limited use of intonation in ordinary speech, as in Spanish, Korean, or Chinese, tightly connecting words can make understanding even more challenging for a listener.

3. Learn the proper stress for common technical words in your field. Consider the word “amortization,” a word often used in finances. The correct stress is on the fourth syllable, “amortiZAtion.” Say the word out loud and listen to its pronunciation at the online Merriam-Webster dictionary. Now pronounce it with the stress on the third syllable, “amorTIzation.” Do you hear the difference? Try saying it both ways to a native English speaker and ask if he can hear the difference. By using improper stress together with fast speaking speed, the result is likely to be that the listener does not understand what you said. Worse, it may be so distracting that the listener misses a part of your message because he’s so busy focusing on your stress or pronunciation.

4. Be aware of your intonation and stress when you speak. Intonation, the way you raise and lower your voice as you speak, imparts a lot of meaning in English. Stress, the emphasis you put on syllables and words, also conveys meaning and it helps a listener identify the important words. Even or “flat” intonation and lack of stress may cause a listener to lose interest in what you are saying because you may come across as not really interested in what you are saying. A “sing-song” style of speaking may distract a listener because it sounds unusual to a native English speaker. In English it’s common to strongly stress the content words, i.e., the ones that give the sentence its meaning. Here’s an example of a sentence with the content words underlined: “I went to the store to buy bread.” Ask a native speaker to say this sentence and listen to how he stresses the words.

5. Learn the typical mistakes you might be making in English based on your native language and correct them. You may not be aware of the mistakes you are making in English unless specific feedback is offered to you. This is where a trainer can help. Some of the common errors we come across are mispronouncing some letters of the alphabet when spelling names, or mispronouncing specific consonant or vowel sounds.

Where to go for help

I. Learner English will help you understand the kinds of errors you might be making that are a result of the characteristics of your native language. Each chapter provides many details for errors most commonly made by speakers of one particular language, such as

• pronunciation of specific consonants, vowels, and consonant-vowel combinations
• influence of spelling on pronunciation
• rhythm and stress
• intonation
• spelling, contractions, and punctuation
• general and specific grammar issues, such as verb tenses, word order, question formation, articles, gender, adjectives, pronouns, possessive construction, and prepositions

II. Armed with that information, you might want to continue with Sound Concepts. This guide will help you learn how to correct speaking errors that you may be making in stress, intonation, forming sounds, or word endings.

III. The website Phonetics – The Sound of Spoken Language will show you the details of pronouncing each sound used in the English language and let you hear each sound. If you would like professional help in accent reduction, we recommend Paul Meier Dialect Services.

We know that ultimately you will decide how important it is to improve in this area of your spoken English. For some of you, your accent has become a part of who you are and as such, you are willing to bring it front and center intially then move on from it to focus on more important things like your message. For the rest of you, we know this may not be true. We suggest you educate yourself about the effects your accent may be having on audience comprehension and seek help. Make this a goal for 2010, but whatever you do, do not let it hold you back from moving forward professionally.

References

Swan, Michael and Bernard Smith. Learner English: A teacher’s guide to interference and other problems (Second Edition). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-521-77939-1

Reed, Marnie and Christina Michaud. Sounds Concepts: An Integrated Pronunciation Course. New York: McGraw Hill ESL/ELT, 2005. ISBN 0-07-293428-X

Phonetics – The Sound of Spoken Language, a University of Iowa project

Striving to be noticed can be one of the biggest challenges, and for an international job candidate in the U.S., this especially rings true.  A business owner once gave me the advice, “You can be the prettiest or you can be the ugliest, just don’t be in between.”  What he meant, of course, was that you need to stand out from the hundreds of people competing for the same opportunities.

So for all this talk about being standing out this surely raises a few questions: What differences count as being “competitive” or unique in what they can bring to an organization? How might an accent, of all things, give someone a unique edge to a career opportunity?

According to an article published in Human Resources Management Review[1] “bilingualism and biculturalism are indicative of cognitive flexibility and openness to experience.” And even more recently, those who participate in global mobility programs, versus those who don’t, are looked at more favorably. Even more than that, larger companies with a more global presence are beginning to prefer membership in a global mobility program as a key ingredient in promotion. Thus, you can look at your accent in English one way: as an outward symbol for bilingual and bicultural diversity.

So if you are not feeling at home with your accent, it’s time to consider the benefits of your uniqueness in an otherwise homogenous setting. An accent can give others around you a rich impression of your cultural experience.  People from different cultures often have different ways of thinking about the same situation, and being able to think outside the box is important for the more lateral and team-based communications dominating organizations today.

It takes flexibility and adaptability to adjust to a new culture, and these are also traits that businesses seek out in their employees.  Bilinguals often have the sensitivity and insight necessary for successful intercultural engagement, not to mention the language skills needed for a new market opportunity.  Bilingualism, then, should be looked at as a highly sought after skill in business. Learn to embrace your accent as free advertising.

Do take note, however. While the range of acceptable pronunciation is broadening as English becomes a Lingua Franca, an accent can either work in your favor or be a disastrous roadblock to communication.  Comprehensibility is the key.   If an accent masks the message or requires great concentration on the part of the listener, that’s a certain sign of trouble. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself or have a trusted (fluent English speaking) colleague use when evaluating your accent:

• Are the words clear, and easy to understand?
• Do the words flow together?
• Is there proper intonation?
• Does it match your intended meaning?

A true acid test—can your colleagues understand one of your voicemails sent under “ordinary” circumstances? If you’re in the clear, embrace the moment. Bilingual ability and multicultural experience are must-have professional skills for today’s knowledge industry organizations. We would not recommend accent training unless you were conscious of it to the point of being distracted in your interactions.

If you’re not in the clear, we recommend you get there fast. You don’t want people second guessing your abilities or identifying communication challenges on this account. We like Paul of Paul Meier Dialect Services. He’s fast and effective and has the convenience of phone based coaching. Whatever you decide, be sure you do what’s needed to stay in the race.

And as always, there’s so much to cover on any given topic. If we left you out, or we didn’t address your area of particular need, SAY SOMETHING. We want to hear from you, so please post your comments and questions.

Until the next chapter…

Sandra