VALERIE’S STORY – Passion for Accent Reduction
- By Valerie Kingston
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- 03 Feb, 2017
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I had been a pretty successful commercial actor in New York City for about ten years selling everything from Advil to Tide on TV. I had also done a few small parts on soap operas as well as an episode of Law and Order and a small part in a movie. After I had my son, I had fewer auditions and that lost income needed to be replaced.
I began teaching acting
at one of those tv and film schools which I enjoyed immensely. The owner
of the school began recruiting actors from Europe and Australia to boost his
business. These international students were spending thousands of dollars
to study acting and "follow their dream", but they could barely speak
English. I felt terrible for them. They were spending money on
expensive head shots and going to dance and singing classes, but none of them
were spending time (or money) learning English. Even though Casting
Directors, who taught at the school, would tell them “ lose your accent," after a few months, many of them
would go back home in despair. This was 1997-2000. I dedicated
myself to getting my certificate in ESL. I thought if I could learn how
to teach English to these students they could possibly stay in the United
States and have a better chance at their dreams of becoming working actors.
I took an ESL course
with a marvelous teacher, who, at the end of the semester, showed me a book she
was writing for an Accent Reduction business. I had never thought about Accent
Reduction as a teaching tool for my students. She told me that her book
may be something I should try out on my international students.
As it turned out, my
boss did not want me teaching ESL at his school. He thought it demeaning
to the international students- when in fact, it was the class they needed the
most. I hadn't approached him about Accent Reduction yet since I still
needed to study the approach I would take. I studied as much as I could
with any and all published books on Accent Reduction. A few months later when
I was ready to try out my private classes, I began helping some of the
international acting students just to practice my methods. Some of them
would show me recordings of Accent Reduction tapes they had bought, which of
course, do not help if you don't understand how to form the sound in the first
place. My business wasn't booming but for the students who came to a few
lessons it was working! If they needed ESL I would teach them grammar and
vocabulary. If they had great English but had an accent I taught them Standard
American. It was thrilling to be able to help international acting students in
a different way. Although many of them would still return home - mostly
because they could not afford to live and study in New York City- some of them
stayed. I worked with them every week helping them to get rid of as much
of their accents as possible. It was rewarding and thrilling to see some
of my students go on to get agents. Some of them stayed in the United
States turning their attention to more lucrative careers.
For the next ten years I
taught acting at the school and auditioned whenever my agent would
call. My Accent Reduction classes were getting more and more
popular. The owner of the acting school had a new manager who
saw the need for Accent Reduction classes and finally in 2009 I had my own class!
In 2012 I met Marci. Our
love of language and helping international people became apparent
quickly. We clicked and Clear-Conversation was off the ground. Here we are five years later with the same
passion for what we do as when we got started.
This has been my story.
Marci’s story comes next.
I do in my Presentation Skills Coaching. I realized that no
matter what aspect of human behavior I’m working on with my
client, the desired end result is for them to convey authority
when they’re in professional conversations.
So what does look like when a person is able to be authoritative
in their demeanor?
That person is able to assure the listener that they are an
expert in what they’re talking about by appearing calm and in
control.
You, the listener, believe what they’re saying because of how
they’re able convey the information.
There is a certain “likability” in the way they present
themselves that implies humor and a willingness to be open
and friendly. No matter what your level of expertise, you lose
your effectiveness the moment you indicate arrogance. At the
same time, it is crucial to appear confident in your professional
conversations.
The more I do this work the more I understand that it requires a
certain “state of mind”. If I can help a client relax and trust
themselves, they can achieve a way to be in the moment of the
conversation or presentation. By that I mean that they are able
to focus on the immediate instead of anticipating the end. So
many of my clients dread their professional conversations
because they feel insecure and nervous. They are not able to
speak with authority because they are sabotaging themselves
by wishing it were over!
The reason I love doing this work is that there is always a
moment in the coaching process when my client begins to
understand that it’s more about how they’re thinking than
what they’re doing. Understanding that simple but challenging
concept is the bridge to achieving the kind of authority you will
need in your professional success.
Now, let me throw a wrench into the equation. What if you are a business professional who needs to talk on the phone a few times a day or even all day long? Did you know that speaking English face to face is a visual thing as well as a hearing thing? If you're doing a /d/ sound in a word when you should be doing a /TH/ sound the American might understand what you're trying to say when you're standing right in front of them, but over the phone there is no way of having the visual help. Phone conversations can be so much more challenging for the person listening. Many telemarketers have this problem. Well, actually, the person listening on the other end has the problem if they can't understand what the telemarketer is trying to sell them. I tell all of my students- by taking accent reduction classes you are helping yourself become more clearly understood. You are also helping the American who is listening to you -or even another international person who speaks English- to understand you completely. When you know you are being clearly understood you feel more confident! I have seen many of my students stand up taller and carry themselves better knowing they have done what they need to do to become even more successful in their career choices with the help of my accent reduction sessions.
THE PHONE TEST:
After I work with my students on reshaping their sounds to sound more American, I introduce the "phone test". One of the last sessions we do together is actually done over the phone instead of meeting at my office. They talk to me the way they would talk to a client or boss and I listen to hear how much of their phone conversation I can understand. If they are running words together or not saying one of their re-shaped sounds correctly I can help them right then and there. It is a very effective way to keep my students on their toes for those important business phone conversations. I have found the phone test to be an incredible tool!
There are many things a business professional must do to be good at his or her job. First, if you are lucky or smart or both, you have gotten a superb education in the field you have chosen. Next, you need to dress the part for internships and job interviews. Then, if you know what you're talking about - you get hired. Some of my grad students, who take sessions with me, begin their accent reduction classes before they've gotten a job. They know that they need to be more clearly understood BEFORE they even step into someone's office for an interview. Each one of us has obstacles to overcome. To be the best teacher I can be I am always striving to find new ways to help my students reshape American sounds and have fun in the process! If I walked into my office wearing ripped jeans and a t-shirt you would probably think I was a slob and maybe not good at my job. You can know everything there is to know about being a financial advisor or publishing text books or being the next great scientist or doctor, but if people can't understand what you're saying, how far can you go in your chosen profession? You might as well be wearing ripped jeans and a t-shirt!
