Unless you have a very mild accent, no one is able to get rid of their accent completely. The goal of accent modification is not to take away your cultural identity. Even people who speak English as a first language have distinct speech patterns and dialects that are difficult to take away. What accent modification training will do is help you be able to pronounce the sounds of American English, so that you can be better understood in a variety of situations.

How soon you begin to notice results is all based on how much time and commitment you put into practicing outside of the training. Some clients who are committed to making some simple changes right from the beginning, can notice an improvement immediately. For those clients who do not put as much effort into practicing, it will take longer to notice a difference.

The first step is to take our free, online screening. One of our trainers will listen to the screening and give you results over the phone. If you are interested in pursuing the training, the next step will be an evaluation where we will analyze your speech to determine how your sounds are different from those in Standard American English. We will then create a training program designed specifically for you including your more prominent errors.

This depends on how much of a commitment you make to implementing the things you’ve learned from the training into your everyday life. After the training is over, you will continue to practice using your new speech throughout your day. You will receive a self-study program at the end of your program to continue your improvement. Monthly refresher courses with our trainers are available at a reduced rate as well, which allows you to continue practicing in conversation with your trainer and troubleshoot any areas that are still difficult for you.

Anyone who is a non-native English speaker or has a strong regional accent and has the desire to reduce their accent and improve their ability to be understood.

It is beneficial to have someone helping you who is trained in speech and language development. Working directly with such an expert gives you immediate feedback and correction on your speech to increase your likelihood of positive results. Simply listening to a CD program by itself will not give you the same personal, one-on-one feedback that you need.

If you have a very heavy accent, we will prioritize the errors you make that are most impacting your ability to be understood. Most clients are able to reduce their accent significantly in 12 weekly sessions. However, if your accent is very strong, you may choose to extend your training sessions beyond the 12 weeks to give you more practice with your new sounds.

Yes. This program can help people reduce their accents, whether they have a regional accent or a foreign accent. Frequently, people who speak American English as their first language are appropriate for a shorter training since the amount of sound errors are usually less.