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Thursday, June 21st, 2007
 Susan Berkley's
VOICE-COACH
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
"Your Source for Success in Public Speaking"
Thursday, June 21st, 2007 |
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Getting Rid of a "Twang" or Any Accent
A VoiceCoach subscriber writes: "My friend has a Southern 'twang.' Is there anything you can recommend to help him get rid of it?"
Susan Berkley: "One of the things that make our American culture so rich is the varied accents of the people who live here. US English has many dialects but problems may arise when accent or dialect causes preconceptions in the mind of the listener. For example, people with strong New York City accents may be unfairly perceived as being rude, aggressive or tough. People with strong Southern accents may be incorrectly perceived as lacking education or initiative.
Broadcast or Standard American English, is considered the ideal accent. However, accent elimination can be difficult to attain without the help of a professional coach and it can take months of intensive work with a specialist for an adult to minimize or eliminate an accent. Actors and broadcasters often invest in this type of training. For business speakers, a group class or a recorded course may be helpful. Here you'll learn how to minimize certain key sounds of your regionalism to attain better speech.
For example New Yorkers will often pronounce the broad O or 'aw' sound too far forward in the mouth. The word 'coffee' sounds like 'caw-fee.' To avoid this non-standard sound and minimize a NY accent, your lips should not be pursed while pronouncing words containing the 'aw' sound. Look in the mirror and make sure you do not look like a fish when asking for a cup of your favorite caffeinated drink.
Many Southerners will confuse 'I' and 'e'. Pen sounds like pin and vice versa. Do you have a 'pin' I can write with? I have a friend named Penny from Tennessee. She says people used to think her name was 'Peony' (like the flower) before she realized her accent was giving them the wrong idea.
To minimize a twang or other accent, I strongly recommend my 'Magnetic Speaking Power' system. This interactive course with CDs and manual has everything you need to learn to correctly pronounce the sounds of standard American speech, gain confidence and overcome speaking stress.
For complete details visit: www.greatvoice.com/magnetic/index.html | |
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GOT A PET PEEVE?
Thanks to our Voice Coach Subscriber, Elizabeth Gomes who writes:
"I met a 'friend of a friend' this past weekend who after almost every story he told, couldn't stop saying 'am I right?' It was as if he needed approval or something. Am I WRONG for complaining?
If you have a pet peeve that you simply have to get off your chest, then tell us about it at customerservice@greatvoice.com,
Subject: Voice Coach Pet Peeve
and check out next week's tip for your comments!
__________________
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
"I am where I am because I believe in all possibilities."
-Whoopi Goldberg
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"The Secret" to Speaking Success...
Recognize this guy with Susan?
It's David Schirmer, one of the success experts featured in "The Secret". They were attending the recent "Money Making Super Conference" in Chicago, with their marketing gurus Bill Glazer and Dan Kennedy. Both Susan and David are members of the Glazer-Kennedy Inner Circle.
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Magnetic Speaking Power
"Persuasive Speaking Secrets of the World's Most Confident and Successful People"
Discover how you can eliminate speech fright, improve your speaking voice and become a more confident speaker, practically overnight!
Your voice has a profound impact on how successfully you influence and persuade others. It determines how seriously you are taken, how respected you are, the results you get with clients, co-workers or vendors in business, and in your personal life.
In fact, consider that whenever you present your opportunity or make an important phone call, even though you've honed your message to perfection, the quality of your voice (pitch, tone, inflection) counts for a whopping 84% of the message. Your voice has amazing powers to attract and also to repel.
Learn the secrets to finding your million dollar voice.
Give us a call at 1-800-333-8108 for more information on products and programs right for you! |
Susan Berkley
The Great Voice Company
1-800-333-8108 |
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