We’ve suddenly had a rash of students who are coming to see us because

people have told them that they talk too fast and they can’t be understood.

This could be a bi-product of our fast paced life where we are always

using IM talk, lol. Maybe you talk too fast because you think your listeners

will not stay with you. BUT…Your listeners will tune you out because they can’t

listen fast enough and will not be able to process what you’re saying.

 

Another problem with speaking fast is that most people tend to omit

sounds or syllables. SO…your speech will become sloppy.

In order to overcome the sloppy speech you need to tone up your

facial muscles! Oral Aerobics is a must.  If you were an athlete you wouldn’t

jump into your sport without working out first. And so  speakers must also work

out and build up their muscle strength. Our Oral Aerobics program is available

on our Products Page. If you would like to see a preview of it

here is our YouTube video.

 

 

People keep asking us ….”What is elocution?” It’s an old term that dates back to middle English (1500s).  The term is  still  used today in England much more than in the United States.

Elocution is defined as: a clear, concise manner of speaking. The word derives from the word ‘eloquent’ being adept at skilled, easy, pleasing communication of a thought, idea or feeling. Elocution not only focuses on diction but also on  using the voice properly. Before speech therapy became a recognized profession, people who were correcting speech were known as elocutionists. Elocution was so important to a child’s education that it was taught in the public schools. Somehow, we have gotten away from the importance of ‘elocution’ and sloppy speech has become the norm. At Elocution Solution our goal is to bring back the art of speaking beautifully without over enunciating as they did in the past.

Now with all the well deserved awards being bestowed on “The King’s Speech”, elocution is coming into it’s own once again.

We had a great time presenting our workshop on the actor's voice at the

Kennedy Center American College Theater  Festival last Friday.  We managed to cover:

diaphragmatic, posture, relaxation, optimum pitch, resonance, projection and

vocal hygiene all in 2 1/2 hours. Wow! They were a great group of students and we loved their enthusiasm.

Well toned tongue, lip and cheek muscles are essential  for having clear speech.   You can talk fast and still be understood if your facial muscles are well toned. You  can be sure auctioneers don't have flabby muscles. We've put together some great exercises to give your speech the jump start it needs in our new video book – Oral Aerobics: Exercises for Lips and Tongue. Check out excerpts from it on our youtube video.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_htLEWACxrA

 

Intonation & stress are often overlooked when working with accent reduction.  However, using the intonation and stress patterns of your native language can interfere with being understood as much as using the wrong sounds.

We’re very excited about having part 3 of the Accent Makeover Program,  I’ve Got Rhythm: Intonation & Stress, available for purchase on our products page. You can see excerpts of this program on YouTube. Click here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gznzyj23QkU

The Consonant Coach is here! This is part 2 of our Accent Makeover Program.

See an excerpt on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQNgfODODig .

If you're looking to reduce your accent or improve your diction this 

program is fantastic. The unique feature of this program is that you

actually see and hear us  on the written page as we show you how to make the sounds

in words and sentences. And like the Vowel Workout it's a down-loadable video book.

Let us know what you think.

Did you ever wonder why it can be so hard to change speech patterns? The secret that nobody tells you is that you have to be able to hear the difference between what you're saying and what the sound should be. Your ear must be trained to listen these differences. We've just developed a new program to train listening skills. It's called Listen to This!  For foreign born speakers who have never heard some of the sounds we have in English, it's essential to teach them how to listen and what to listen for. And even people who have regional dialects need the same training. When you've grown up hearing sounds pronounced one way, you're not tuned into hearing it any other way. Your brain just hears it the way you say it.  This  skill is so important that we've decided to give this program away as a bonus to the first 200 people who buy the Vowel Workout. It's now available on the products page.  See an excerpt on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAyzYBA4hYM

Take a look at the preview of our innovative new program –

The Accent Makeover Program Part 1 – The Vowel Workout. It is a downloadable video book. The cool part of this program is that you will see and hear us, on the written page, demonstrating the sounds in words and sentences.  Here's what you'll learn in the preview: 2 vowel sounds, the back vowel scale, the LIFT steps and how to put these sounds into conversation. To make the picture bigger, click on the full screen button at the bottom of the screen. All you have to do is enter your first name and email address and hit the "submit" button to see the free preview. 

 

We just read an article in Science Daily about the new research done at the University of Chicago. The study found that people with foreign accents were judged as less truthful than native speakers. Another article in the Montreal Gazette reported about a study done at Yale University that found that, "People who speak with non-native accents are discriminated against in employment and schooling and education, in salary and housing." Have you ever had any experience with discrimination due to your accent or do you know anyone who has? We'd really be interested in hearing your story.

WHEW!! It's really hot in Los Angeles this week, Don't forget to keep hydrated. Drinking lots of water helps keep your voice in good working order.