ACCENT REDUCTION
What is accent reduction?
Accent reduction known under many names: accent softening, accent modification, accent elimination, training, and even accent neutralisation - is the process through which an accent is reduced or modified towards another accent.
Who can it help?
An accent reduction tutor can help non-native speakers of English as well as native regional speakers, who feel that their accent is holding them back in either their personal or professional life from communicating fluently, efficiently and with confidence.
An accent reduction tutor can help you learn about...
Accent Reduction British English
Or Neutral American English Pronunciation click here
Vowel Pronunciation and Spelling Patterns
Consonant Pronunciation and Silent Sounds
Sound Placement
Position and Shape of the Lips and Tongue
Word Stress and Sentence Stress
Intonation - Melody and Rhythm
Expressing Feeling and Emotion
Relationships between Words
Integration into Live Speech
Clarity in Business English
Who will coach me?
Ashley Howard
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MA Voice Studies from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
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15+ Years experience coaching individuals of all positions in many businesses and organisations: Microsoft, Cisco, Barclays, Prudential, DLA Piper etc...
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Published author and mentor
Professional Voice Coach
What clients say about Ashley...
Jane Gray, Master NLP practitioner, coach and licensed DICS Trainer
“Ashley's knowledge and obvious passion for this craft inspired and motivated me to give 100% effort during our sessions. I was thrilled to have a tool box of techniques which I could use in terms of breathing, emphasis and pace. I found that not only is Ashley a brilliant voice coach, he is also a thoroughly lovely man who I would reservation.”
Alessandro S, IBM Research, Italian
“I was looking for accent reduction classes near me and found Ashley. I wanted face-to-face classes but gave skype a go. Thank god I did. We started from the basic sounds of the English language, followed by words, sentences intonation and stress. Every step of the way, Ashley was able to point out mistakes, sometimes very subtle ones, (I was often surprised by his ability to detect them over Skype!) and make me understanding how to produce the correct sounds and intonation. I found our sessions extremely helpful.”
Dr Jayaram, Consultant Psychiatrist Indian
“If you want to learn how to remove your accent, I highly recommend Ashley. It has been an absolute pleasure working with him over the last few months to enhance my speaking capabilities and modulate my accent.
I was really impressed by his professionalism right from the start. It would be a delight to work with him again.”
Who are Accent Reduction Lessons for?
Non-native speakers
As a non-native speaker of English you may have lived in England and spoken English for a long time and are simply frustrated with always being asked 'where are you from' or 'when did you come to this country?'.
You may feel that in either your personal or professional life, people struggle to understand you or continually ask you to repeat yourself? You may stumble on words wondering 'how should I pronounce that?'.
You might not live in the UK but find yourself speaking in English every day at work with clients and colleagues or at home with family and friends, and feel that you are not as confident with your pronunciation and intonation as you would like, especially if you have native English speakers around you.
Regional speakers
As a native regional speaker you may feel that you are treated differently because of social stereotyping associated with your accent and want to be more neutral?
You may want to simply soften or reduce some of your accent characteristics in order to be more universally understood and speak with more ease and confidence.
How does Accent Softening work?
Assessment - Ashley identifies your specific accent and speech characteristics.
Awareness - you are helped to develop a physical, auditory and visual awareness of your characteristics.
Learn Patterns - you will discover the relationship between spelling and pronunciation, stress patterns in words, phrases and sentences, the effects of prefixes and suffixes on word stress, the relationships between words in connected speech, and the relationship between weak syllables and the resting rhythm of speech.
Imitation and Repetition - both during a session and on your own with audio recordings, you imitate and repeat the new characteristics until they become familiar and habitual.
Intonation - you are helped to notice your own intonation patterns (the use of pitch and rhythm in the creation of meaning) in comparison to the intonation patterns of the target accent. You are guided through the relationship between pitch and rhythm, and the content, context and attitude towards the listener, as well as basic intonation patterns for asking questions, making statements, sharing a story etc.
Integration into Live Speech - by identifying the typical language, speaking style and situations in which you most need these new skills, Ashley will guide you towards speaking with ease, fluency and confidence.
What other clients say about Ashley...
Katherine Kyle Entrepreneur
“We worked through a series of eye opening exercises, and it really got me to look at words in a whole new way. I learned so much... After a few sessions I had made a massive improvement. I can now look at a piece of writing and know that I can speak it confidently, with emphasis, enthusiasm and authority. Working with Ashley has given me the confidence to do regular promotional videos for my business, webinars and a lot more public speaking, which is exactly what I wanted. I would recommend Ashley to anybody as he is truly the best at what he does. When you get started, you'll see what I mean.”
Luke Cascone Engineering Student
“I just wanted to let you know the profound effect it has had on my life. The confidence brought about from working together, and the realisation that I have the ability to change and improve things about myself, that I thought were fixed, has been huge. Not only can I now speak confidently and clearly, but my outlook towards the world has changed for the better - so thank you.”
2 Ways to Study Accent Softening
Accent Reduction Classes Online via Zoom
He offers Accent Reduction classes online through Zoom, and it is very effective. Coaching online via Zoom works in exactly the same way as coaching face-to-face. Through Zoom, he has coached accent reduction lessons nationally and internationally.
Accent Reduction Lessons Face To Face
He offers face-to-face accent reduction classes in Stroud, which is in Gloucestershire, England, UK. But also has an associate offering accent reduction classes in London. If you are unsure about committing to accent reduction training, he can recommend accent reduction books and accent reduction software.
Call: 07821213752
English Accent Reduction Book
Enquire Now
Get Ashley's accent reduction program (published 2015) with an accompanying 12hrs of audio, which you will use to support your program, in addition to access to a short online video of a pre-session warm up.
You will also have an option to sign up for weekly video blog posts, free downloads and much more, like free accent reduction exercises, specialist advice, and techniques and tips that help when improving your accent.
with Audio
Call: 07821213752
Or submit an enquiry below...
If you're interested in finding out more about accent reduction or would like to book an initial class, please call or send Ashley an email and he'll chat through how he can help, as well as his fees and availability.
If you are a company or organisation who are interested in a course, please get in touch to discuss your needs and ideas for an in-house workshop.
As an accent reduction coach I have helped people from 98 countries...
From cities and regions like...
UAE, Poland, Spain, Mexico, Kenya, Hungry, China, India, United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia, Japan, Mexico, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Switzerland, South Africa etc...
Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Dublin, Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver, Paris, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Warsaw, Moscow, Colombo, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune and closer to home places like Manchester, London, Kent, Brighton, Surrey, Oxford, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Essex, Birmingham, Cambridgeshire, Sheffield and many more.
Accent Reduction Course
In addition to Ashley's personal coaching, he has also co-designed an accent reduction course in London and online for standard southern British English pronunciation which are taught by his associate Paul.
He has also co-designed an accent reduction course for neutral American English pronunciation which is taught by his associate Nick.
ARE YOU A BUSINESS?
If your company or organisation uses English as it's main language for communication, clear speech is vital for building good relationships, having effective meetings and inevitably for profitability.
As an accent reduction specialist, Ashley has designed and lead bespoke courses for individuals and groups at various locations throughout the UK and abroad as well as online via Skype.
Reach out to discuss your needs.
Find out about the
Clear Speech Courses
for Multi-National Companies
Not sure what you want? Contact Ashley
If your are interested in finding out more about accent reduction coaching, please call or send Ashley an email and he'll chat through how he can help, as well as discussing his fees and availability. P.S. I'm working on an accent reduction app.
