No one should be held back by an accent, not when there is an effective and systematic way to help. Change Your Accent: English Pronunciation for Success is an easy-to-follow and effective method for non-native English speakers who have a good command of English, but who are missing out on professional, educational and social opportunities because of their spoken English. “Change Your Accent” provides a step-by-step approach to accent reduction which includes self-testing, analysis, and skill-building materials to help individuals achieve their communication goals and improve their confidence.
Change Your Accent was developed by registered Speech Therapists who are clinical instructors at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. The book focusses on key communication areas such as pronunciation, voice use, social skills and nonverbal communication. Practical exercises and everyday English conversations are provided so that the reader can incorporate accent reduction techniques into real life situations. Our successful and culturally sensitive accent reduction method has been used by corporate clients, IT specialists, medical professionals, engineers, public speakers, actors, and university students.
Change Your Accent empowers the reader with essential accent modifications tools to communicate effectively and confidently.
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Marie-Claude Biancardi is a Speech Therapist with over 20 years of clinical experience. She graduated with a Master of Science degree from the University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Audiology and Speech Sciences and is a clinical instructor in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. Marie-Claude established adult speech pathology services for the Ministry of Health in the State of Kuwait in 1998. She has presented nationally and internationally on topics related to augmentative communication and co-created the educational video “Augcommophobia”. Marie-Claude has also worked on several TV series and movies including “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story”. She has used her speech therapy skills to help individuals modify their foreign accents since 1988.
Indershini (Desh) Pillay is a Practice Leader at Providence Health Care in Vancouver, Canada. She has over 20 years of experience as a Speech Therapist and is a clinical instructor in the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine. Desh has presented nationally and internationally on topics such as "Talking for Success" and "Working with Interpreters". Desh holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Oregon. Since 1998, Desh has helped many speakers change and improve their communication with simple techniques that work. Her family immigrated to Canada many years ago and she truly understands the challenges ESL speakers face. Desh's clients have gone on to meet their professional and personal goals, and she has worked with many companies including Sierra Systems, Telus, and Aker Solutions.
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Praise for Change Your Accent:
“MC and Desh are leading innovators in the field of accent reduction. “Change Your Accent” is a modern, systematic approach that is a valuable tool for both practitioners and those wanting to modify their accent. The book focuses on more than just pronunciation, and is full of useful tools and tips for effective communication.”
--Sharon Gould, Registered Speech Pathologist
“The Change Your Accent book is so well-structured that I can find the content I need to practice on immediately. All the concepts are explained in a simple manner, and are coupled with examples and practice sections that are applicable to real-life communication. You can also focus on high frequency words and your error patterns in speech for intensive practice. However, this is not a book just about teaching you how to say the sounds correctly. It also provides extensive training on the social and cultural component of language (e.g. how to initiate a conversation, how to introduce or maintain a topic), which I personally benefited greatly from.”
--Alice Li, Masters Degree Student
“The strategies that my team of nurses learned using the “Change Your Accent” program, had an immediate impact on their communication skills. I have to admit that I was surprised by the dramatic improvement in their speech clarity after such a short time. The nurses were able to immediately use their new skills during hospital rounds. They were excited by what they had learned and wanted more.”
--Liz Ong, Clinical Nurse Educator