Archive for May, 2009

Minimizing the Effects of an Accent in Public Speaking

As public speakers it is important for us to remember that our purpose is to communicate information to our audience. It is our responsibility to make sure that the audience understands what we are saying. This means that our choice of language and the concepts that we choose to share must be appropriate – that is, within our audiences level of comfort and understanding.

In addition to the concepts and vocabulary that we choose, we must also make sure that the audience can actually understand what we are saying.

If as speakers we talk so quietly that our audience can not hear us, then we have done no better than using concepts that are beyond our audience’s understanding. From their point of view it does not matter why they can’t understand us. It simply matters that they can’t – and it is up to us to rectify the situation.

That brings us to the sensitive subject of accents. As audience members, it would be wrong for us to judge the content of someone’s presentation based on their accent. The ideas and thoughts that they are communicating are completely separate from the way that they form words. Yet, if the audience is unable to understand the speaker then they are also unable to determine any value of the content (or receive any value).

As speakers, we need to do our best to minimize any accents so as to allow our audience to comprehend what we are communicating. That doesn’t mean completely eradicating an accent. It does however mean identifying and removing any extreme elements – for our audiences benefit.

But how do we go about accomplishing this?

If you are struggling with an accent here are a few ideas that may help:

Construct a list of words that you know you have difficulty pronouncing. Ask others who don’t have an accent if they can identify some for you. Start focusing on pronouncing the words in this list first

Focus on words that you use most often. There’s not much point in learning to pronounce a word perfectly if you never use it..

Record yourself speaking and listen for mistakes. It is easy enough to do this with a tape recorder, but now with computers we have an additional benefit to recording. We can not only hear what we sound like, but with tools like Goldwave and Audacity we can also see what we sound like as the software charts our voice. This can give one more clue as to the differences between how you and those around you pronounce words.

Listen to the rhythm of the language. Different languages sound different not only because of the words but also because of how they flow. If native speakers of the language that you are learning sound almost a lackadaisical to you, then you might sound harsh to them. Try mimicking the flow or rhythm to reduce your accent.

Slow down. Often we allow our nervousness to control the speed of our speech. As we speed up our natural speech tendencies take over and our accents become more pronounced.

Read aloud each day. Ten to twenty minutes of practice each day will make a significant difference over time.

Routinely check the pronunciation guide for words in the dictionary. Each dictionary has an explanation of how words are to be pronounced along with instructions on how to use the guide.

Be patient with yourself. Like anything worth while reducing your accent will take some time and effort. But don’t allow yourself to be discouraged. Being consistent in your approach will produce significant results in less time than you think.

Changing your accent so that your speaking is more comprehensible to those around you may seem overwhelming – However, with a few techniques and a consistent approach a significant difference can be made with less effort than you may expect.

Dealing With Accents

In our previous article we discussed accents and the problems that they can cause for speakers. We talked about how important it is for our audiences to understand us – if they can’t understand then there isn’t much point in the presentation.

It is also important, however, to remember that an accent is part of who someone is. By asking someone to rid themselves of an accent we are asking them to rid themselves of part of who they are. If I’m going to listen to someone speak, then I want to hear their entire message – not just the words, but the entire message that is being communicated. Part of that message comes through in the way that they naturally express themselves.

I also need to keep in mind how biased I am. I mentioned that Canadians believe themselves to be the most unbiased people. In fact, they believe it so strongly that I would call it a bias…

In general, Canadians also believe that they don’t speak with an accent or have any regional nuances to their language (eh?). Of course we actually do, we’re just (once again) biased.

When I was a teenager I spent a couple of summers living in Texas. I was shocked when my peers started to make fun of the way I spoke. It started when they poked fun at my stereotypical use of the word “eh” and went on from there. At the time I would have expected it to be more appropriate for the “bland accent free Canadians” to make fun of the typical southern drawl - but such was not the case. When I stopped to think about it, the nuances that they were pointing out about my speech were actually correct.

What does this mean? Well once again, I have to realize that I am personally biased. When I’m listening to a speaker’s accent more than the message because it “sounds different” I have to remember it may only sound different compared to my preconceived notions of the language. Those preconceived notions may or may not be accurate. It’s quite a dichotomy that I have created here. I started off talking about the responsibility of the speaker to be understood and ended up talking about the responsibilities of the listener. So the question is, “Who is responsible for dealing with the accent?”

The answer of course is both the listener and the speaker. It is the listener’s responsibility to make sure that they are listening to the message, not the accent. It is the listener’s responsibility to accept differences in the way we speak. It is the listener’s responsibility to remain as unbiased as possible.

It is however the speakers responsibility to make sure that they are speaking in a manner that the audience can understand. Just as the use of vocabulary and background information is important, taking an accent into consideration is also important. The speaker needs to make sure that their accent isn’t interfering with the audience’s comprehension. So what if it is? What does the speaker do then?

In our next newsletter I will discuss with you a few ideas that can help reduce the impact of an accent without removing it. These will assist the speaker in communicating their entire message – being able to articulate both the words and the emotion effectively.

Toastmasters

Toastmasters International is an organization that is dedicated to assisting individuals to become public speakers and leaders. This is accomplished through a series of local clubs throughout the world. Toastmasters clubs offer a safe environment in which you can practice the speaking skills that you are learning and be exposed to new skills.

I highly recommend investigating a Toastmasters club near you.

To find out more about Toastmasters International you can visit their website at http://www.toastmasters.org. Among the wealth of information that they have at their site, you can perform a search to find a local club.

What is Toastmasters?

A lot of people found Effectively Speaking because they were looking for Toastmasters on the web. Some people have even confused Effectively Speaking with Toastmasters International. To help everyone understand, I would like to:

• Explain who I am in relation to Toastmasters and what I think of Toastmasters
• Give you suggestions on what to look for in a club
• Tell you how to find a local Toastmasters club that you might want to join

Who I am in relation to Toastmasters.

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