The ability to communicate clearly in English is essential for individuals and businesses who work in countries where English is the main language.  Indeed for individuals and businesses worldwide who want to do business in English speaking countries, good English communication skills are vital to business success.

While an accent can reflect the unique background of each person, having a foreign accent in an English speaking environment, can cause some difficulties in communicating with other native speakers.  For example, if a person has a problem pronouncing some of the sounds in a second language, they often tend to use sounds from their first language which are similar.  The problem is that for native English speakers, this may sound strange and make it difficult for them to understand what is being said.

Ineffective communication due to a strong accent can often cause problems for businesses.  For example, miscommunication can lead to a waste of time spent while each person tries to understand the other.  Lost sales, staff inefficiencies and loss of productivity may also be the result.  For both parties this can be a very frustrating experience.

For the individual themselves, poor English communication skills can cause missed job opportunities, it may affect educational advancement and general everyday activities, not to mention cause a subsequent lack of confidence in the speaker.

It is for these reasons that some people decide to modify or learn how to change their accent to improve their overall English communication skills.

An accent reduction program focuses on specific language pronunciation skills that influence a person’s ability to communicate clearly.   This training focuses on specific speech patterns and pronunciation habits that affect other people’s ability to understand them.  With focused work on the areas which cause barriers in communication, individuals can learn how to adjust their pronunciation to improve the way they communicate with others.

The result for the individual is increased self esteem and confidence, more career opportunities, improved performance in job interviews, enhanced relationships with colleagues, superiors and clients, and improved communication skills in professional and social situations.

For businesses, staff who improve English communication skills help to improve workplace efficiency, enhance professional image, eliminate language barriers and ensure more effective communication with customers and clients.