Accent Reduction –  The Secret of “If” and “Then”

Plans are good.  And with a super simple plan, you can resist temptation to fall back to your old habit.

When do you always perform that bad habit?

Example: “Whenever I am with another person, I interrupt them before they are finished talking.”

Yes. OK. Now use two words to make the smallest little plan:

If I am with any other person, then I will count 1, 2 after their last word.

It’s called if-then planning, and it is a wonderfully powerful way to help you achieve any goal.

Over a hundred studies, on everything from exercise and eating habits to time management and negotiation have shown that deciding in advance when and where you will do specific actions to reach your goal (e.g., “If it is Friday morning, I will file away all my papers.”) can double or triple your chances for success.

Apply this to your clear speaking habits.  If I am in a meeting room, then I will aim my words to the person in the back of the room – which means I make my voice louder and make all the consonants louder and clearer.

Two words. If, then. Big change.

Be sure to watch our English Speech Tips videos and Accent Reduction Tip videos  for more English pronunciation and accent reduction exercise.

Check out our new advanced weekly speech tip program, our new subscription called ClearTalk Weekly, www.subscription.cleartalkmastery.com

Rerun from June 22, 2016

How to Find the Best Story for You

• Choose an event you lived through or studied about, that moved you and had an emotional impact.
• The more the impact or influence it had on you, the more impact it will have on audience.
• If your story involves kids, yours or someone else’s, you can’t miss and are sure to be a success. Why? Kids are universal and part of everyone’s experience. And kids are cute.
• Story cannot be a travelogue or merely a remembrance.
• It must have tension, drama, and a “moment of truth” where someone’s decision causes success or failure.

Rerun from July 18, 2016

Accent Reduction – Shortcut to Get Rid of the Habit = Replace It

You already know this from your own experience.  Studies show that replacing one habit with another is the easiest way to your goal.

Want to stop the trip of donuts into your mouth?  When you feel the urge, reach for that sugarless gum and bite and chew.

What about a clear speech habit?

Want to stop racing through words and speech sounds?  Focus on doing this – say each word clearly and say each syllable clearly as if it were a word.

From research we know that habits are most able to be changed when this Golden Rule of habit change is applied:  Take the cue – and then insert the new routine.

Thus….  apply the Golden Rule of habit change.  In this case, take the cue —  “start talking.”  Then insert the new routine – say each word clearly and each syllable as if it were a word.

It’s that simple!

Be sure to watch our English Speech Tips videos and Accent Reduction Tip videos  for more English pronunciation and accent reduction exercise.

Check out our new advanced weekly speech tip program, our new subscription called ClearTalk Weekly, www.subscription.cleartalkmastery.com

Rerun from June 15, 2016

Designing Your Luncheon Talk

Tell me a fact, and I’ll learn

Tell me a truth, and I’ll believe.

But tell me a story, and it will live in my heart forever.

–Indian Proverb

Provide information, yes.  But above all be interesting.  Tell a story.

Rerun from July 11, 2016

Accent Reduction – Get the Habit-  Relax and Receive

What makes you more likely to engage in bad habits? Stress.

Alex Korb, UCLA neuroscientist says that staying relaxed helps your brain make the right choices.  Korb reports that the part of the brain which prompts decisions, the prefrontal cortex, is limited in its resources.  When you are under stress, its strength is reduced and you give into the habit which you are trying to stop.

Here’s an example directly related to talking clearly.

You are wanting to stop saying softly the sounds at the ends of words. You want your new habit- strong and loud sounds.

You feel stress — maybe running late to an appointment, maybe distress at not enough preparation for a presentation.

Your brain is dealing with the emotion of stress.  It does not have the resources to stop you from your old habit.

Best remedy – prevent the source of stress.  Calm gives you the strength and brainpower to stop the old behavior and do the new.  Yay! You can talk and get strong and clear those consonants at the ends of words (and syllables)!

Be sure to watch our English Speech Tips videos and Accent Reduction Tip videos for more English pronunciation and accent reduction exercise.

Check out our new advanced weekly speech tip program, our new subscription called ClearTalk Weekly, www.subscription.cleartalkmastery.com

Rerun from June 9, 2016