Intensive Accent Reduction Seminar
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Saturday, June 8, 2019
9:30 am – 4:30 pm (1-hour break for lunch; lunch included)
Location: Ovient, Inc. (Inside the Plug and Play Tech Center) 440 N. Wolfe Rd., Sunnyvale, CA 94085
This one-day (6-hour) intensive seminar will give you a simple process that will help you improve the clarity of your speech and reduce misunderstandings almost immediately. We will teach you to properly encode your words and sentences by formulating and modulating thought groups, correctly apply the three levels of American speech intonation, and accurately apply stress rules to words and sentences.
In addition, we will demonstrate and help you practice the correct pronunciation of difficult sounds. We will explain when correct sound pronunciation is critical and how to identify and improve the most problematic sounds. We will also discuss the role of syllables in sound formation and the effect of syllable stress on the pronunciation of individual sounds.
Bring your questions! We will dedicate a portion of every hour to answering your specific and individual pronunciation and accent questions.
All participants will receive a copy of our pronunciation study guide: The Accent Diet: A Daily Program for Improving Your American English Pronunciation and access to Online practice materials that you can continue to use after the seminar.
This is one of our most popular seminars, and we expect it to sell out. (We have provided this seminar at many Silicon Valley tech companies for the past 13 years, and we always have a waitlist.) We rarely offer this seminar to the public, so sign up now to reserve your seat!
What is included?
- 6-hour seminar
- Access to Online learning materials and videos
- One copy of The Accent Diet pronunciation book
- 1-hour lunch break; lunch included
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Do I really need to change my accent and pronunciation?
A: It depends. If most of your communication is with people who know you well and who trust you, you may not need to worry about your accent or speech clarity. If you frequently communicate with customers, investors, or others outside of your immediate team or group, however, improving the clarity of your speech can have a huge impact. Here’s why: People who know you well and work closely with you have a strong incentive to work around miscommunications; they will try hard to communicate with you even if your English is difficult to understand. Potential customers, investors, and partners, on the other hand, have very little incentive to work around miscommunications; they expect you to make the effort to communicate clearly and effectively.
If your job involves communicating with customers, partners, investors, or others outside of your immediate team, or if you are a new or aspiring leader, improving the clarity of your speech by working on your accent and pronunciation can have a huge impact on your work and career.
Q: Will this seminar really help me improve my pronunciation and accent?
A: Yes! We have provided similar seminars to companies throughout Silicon Valley with great success. Our corporate customers are focused on results, and so are we. We understand what needs to happen for pronunciation and accent to improve in a meaningful and efficient way, and we have applied those concepts to this class.
Q: Is pronunciation the same as accent reduction? What is the difference?
A: Pronunciation. Accent reduction. Accent modification. Clear speaking. There are A LOT of terms out there that describe the process of improving the clarity of your American English. In most cases, these refer to the same process. Pronunciation is a term more commonly used in colleges and universities. Pronunciation can also refer more specifically to the improvement of individual sounds and sound groups, such as /l/, /r/, /th/, etc. Accent reduction and accent modification typically refer to the broader goal of changing the rhythm and the sound of speech. These terms are preferred by private industry. Clear speaking can refer to improving the pronunciation of sounds/words or to the structure of speech.
We use the term “accent reduction,” since this is the term most familiar to our customers. However, we are not really “reducing.” Our goal, rather, is to “add” a skill. We focus on teaching you a new set of skills that will help you speak more clearly and with the proper rhythm, stress, and intonation so that you experience fewer miscommunications. As a result, your speech should be clearer and your accent less noticeable.
Q: What time shoud I arrive?
A: We will start promptly at 9:30 AM. Please plan to arrive by 9:15 AM so we can start on time.
Q: Is parking available?
A: Yes! There is plenty of free parking available. If there are no spaces at the front of the building, please park at the back or at the side of the building. You will need to walk around the building to the front door to enter.
Q: If I have additional questions, who can I call?
A: Please feel free to call the Ovient office anytime with your questions about the class. You can reach us at 408-524-1649.