Overcoming the Fear of Speaking English in Public

Speaking English in public can feel intimidating, even for people who have studied the language for years. The fear of making mistakes, being misunderstood, or sounding “different” is common—but the good news is that it can be managed and overcome with the right mindset and practical techniques.

Why We Fear Public Speaking in English

There are several reasons why speaking English in front of others can feel scary:

1. Fear of Mistakes
Worrying about mispronunciation or grammar errors can make you hesitant to speak at all.

2. Lack of Confidence
Not being sure about your vocabulary or fluency can make public speaking stressful.

3. High Expectations
Many people compare themselves to native speakers and feel pressure to “sound perfect.”

Understanding the cause of your fear is the first step to addressing it.

Practical Steps to Build Confidence

Here are some strategies that can help you speak more confidently in English, whether in meetings, presentations, or social situations:

1. Start Small
Practice speaking English in low-pressure situations—like ordering a meal, speaking with friends, or reading out loud at home. Small wins help build confidence gradually.

2. Focus on Clarity, Not Perfection
Instead of worrying about sounding like a native speaker, aim to be clear and understandable. Your audience values clarity more than perfect pronunciation.

3. Use Pauses Effectively
Pausing after each idea gives you time to think and reduces nervousness. Practising Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause (4Ps) can make your speech more natural and easier to follow.

4. Record and Listen to Yourself
Recording your voice and listening back allows you to notice your strengths and areas for improvement. Apps like Get Rid of Your Accent or Fluent English Speech provide guided exercises for intonation, articulation, and fluency, making this process easier.

5. Practice Public Speaking Gradually
Start with a small audience, then gradually increase the number of listeners. Toastmasters, online language meetups, or even speaking to family members can help you practice in a supportive environment.

Mindset Matters
Remember, everyone makes mistakes, even native speakers. Mistakes are part of the learning process and do not define your ability to communicate effectively. Celebrate your uniqnes and your progress, no matter how small, and be patient with yourself.

Final Thought
Overcoming the fear of speaking English in public takes practice, patience, and perseverance. Start small, focus on clarity, and gradually challenge yourself. With consistent effort, you’ll progress and feel proud of your progress.

Useful Tip
Incorporate a few minutes of daily practice with guided exercises from apps like Get Rid of Your Accent or Fluent English Speech—you’ll be amazed at how quickly your confidence grows.

More on www.batcsglobal.com

Get Rid of Russian Accent

This app is designed especially for Russian speakers who want to reduce their accent and speak clear, confident English. Based on the bestselling series Get Rid of Your Accent, it combines proven elocution lessons with step-by-step practice. All speech organ positions are translated into Russian, making it easy for learners to master English sounds and correct pronunciation quickly.

Why It Works

Trusted by actors, diplomats, teachers, and business professionals, this accent app helps you:

  1. Understand how each English sound is formed with Russian explanations

  2. Practise pronunciation, articulation and intonation

  3. Master all sounds of Received Pronunciation (RP) – also called Queen’s English, Oxford English, or BBC English

  4. Improve fluency for public speaking and everyday conversation

App Content

  • 48 lessons with words, phrases, short sentences, verses, and articulation drills, tongue twisters, rhythmic exercises, and passages

  • Audio recordings of native English speakers for accurate English pronunciation

Functionality

  1. Listen & Repeat– copy pronunciation, liaisons, and intonation

  2. Record & Compare – hear your voice and track your progress

With regular practice, you will:

• Neutralise your Russian accent within 1–3 months

• Speak English that is clear and easy to understand

• Gain confidence for teaching, studying, or working internationally

• Sound professional and fluent in English communication

Meet the Authors

Linda James (RAM, Dip. Ed., IPD, LRAM), Speech and Drama coach, trained at the Royal Academy of Music, with 20+ years of experience teaching RP and accent reduction in London drama schools, films, and TV.

Olga Smith (BA Linguistics, MBA), Linguist, public speaker, and co-author of the best-selling *Get Rid of Your Accent book series. Having overcome her own strong Russian accent, Olga brings practical expertise to learners worldwide.

Visit www.batcsglobal.com to book a professional speech analysis.

Fluent American Speech App

Based on the international bestseller Get Rid of Your Accent Part One and Two, General American Accent Training Manual, ISBN 9780955330087, this app helps you reduce your accent, perfect your American English pronunciation, and speak fluently with confidence.

With practical elocution lessons and vocal techniques, Fluent American Speech explains the rules of difficult American speech patterns, intonation, and sentence stress. Step by step, you’ll learn how to neutralise your accent and achieve a clear, natural speaking style.

App Content

  • Contractions for natural fluency

  • Liaisons for smooth connections between words

  • Strong and weak forms for authentic speech

  • Intonation and sentence stress for clarity and impact

  • Difficult word endings & silent letters with guided practice

Functionality
1. Native model audio tracks
2. Listen & repeat training
3. Record your voice
4. Compare pronunciation instantly

What You’ll Gain:

1. A fluent American accent in just 1–3 months of practice

2. Confidence in social and professional English speech as well as in public speaking

3. Improved job prospects, education, and social interactions

4. A professional voice that sounds natural, clear, and persuasive

Whether you want to get rid of your accent, prepare for public speaking, or simply improve your fluency in English, this accent app works like a personal coach in your pocket.

Start your journey to perfect American English pronunciation and fluency today and watch your career and social life blossom!

Fluent English Speech App

The follow-up to the bestselling Get Rid of Your Accent UK1 app. Designed for learners who want to speak English fluently, clearly, and confidently—just like a native speaker.

App Contents
Part 1: Master difficult speech patterns — word endings, consonant clusters, schwa, strong & weak forms.
Part 2: Connected speech — learn to speak in natural phrases instead of separate words.
Part 3: Improve intonation, sentence stress & rhythm — make your speech smooth, clear, and engaging.

Functionality
1. Native model audio tracks
2. Listen & repeat training
3. Record your voice
4. Compare pronunciation instantly

With this app, you will:

  • Develop English fluency and natural flow

  • Improve pronunciation, intonation & rhythm

  • Learn idioms & colloquial expressions to sound authentic

  • Reduce your foreign accent and speak with confidence

  • Boost career opportunities and personal impact through clear communication

    Meet the Authors

    Linda James (RAM, Dip. Ed., IPD, LRAM), Speech and Drama coach, trained at the Royal Academy of Music, with 20+ years of experience teaching RP and accent reduction in London drama schools, films, and TV.

    Olga Smith (BA Linguistics, MBA), Linguist, public speaker, and co-author of the best-selling *Get Rid of Your Accent book series. Having overcome her own strong Russian accent, Olga brings practical expertise to learners worldwide.

    Visit www.batcsglobal.com to book a professional speech analysis.

How to Reduce Your Accent in 3 Months or Less

Why Accent Reduction Can Be a Game-Changer

If you speak English as a second language, you might have noticed that sometimes people ask you to repeat yourself — not because your ideas aren’t good, but because your words aren’t clear. In professional settings, this can be frustrating and even limit your opportunities.

The good news? You don’t need years of training to make a noticeable difference. With the right tools and consistent practice, you can reduce your accent and speak English clearly in as little as three months.

Step 1: Understand How Accent Reduction Works

Accent reduction isn’t about erasing your identity — it’s about making your speech easier to understand. This means:

·        Correct pronunciation of English sounds

·        Clear word stress and intonation

·        Proper pace, pauses, and projection

Step 2: Use a Structured Accent Training Program

Random YouTube videos can help, but a structured accent reduction app like Get Rid of Your Accent gives you:

·        Step-by-step lessons for all English sounds

·        Audio models from native speakers

·        Record & compare tools to track progress

Step 3: Practice Daily for 15–20 Minutes

Just like going to the gym, you’ll see results if you train regularly. Focus on:

1. Repeating words, sentences and verses after the model

2. Recording yourself and spotting mistakes

3. Practising fluency in social phrases

Step 4: Apply Your New Skills in Real Conversations

Start using your improved pronunciation in meetings, networking events, or even casual chats with friends. The more you speak, the faster you’ll internalise your new habits.

 The Bottom Line

A heavy accent doesn’t have to hold you back. With consistent practice and the right guidance, you can sound clearer, more confident, and more professional — in just three months.

Start your transformation today with the Get Rid of Your Accent app — your personal accent reduction coach, right in your pocket.

The Role of Voice and Accent in Job Interviews

When it comes to landing your dream job, most people focus on polishing their résumé, practising common interview questions, and researching the company. But there’s another factor that plays a huge role in how you’re perceived — your voice and accent.

In a job interview, your words matter — but how you say them can matter even more.

 Why Your Voice Matters

Your voice is more than just a tool for communication — it’s part of your personal brand. The tone, pace, and clarity of your speech can instantly influence whether you come across as confident, competent, and trustworthy.

Here’s what interviewers often pick up on: 

1. Clarity – Clear speech signals professionalism and attention to detail.

2. Confidence – A steady, well-projected voice makes you sound self-assured.

3. Energy – A lively tone helps you sound engaged and interested in the role.

A nervous, rushed, or monotone delivery can unintentionally send the wrong message — even if your answers are perfect.

 Accent and First Impressions

In today’s global job market, accents are normal — but they can still affect comprehension. If an interviewer struggles to understand you, they might (consciously or unconsciously) question your ability to communicate effectively with clients, colleagues, or stakeholders.

This doesn’t mean you need to erase your accent entirely. But reducing a heavy accent and improving pronunciation can make your speech easier to follow, helping you connect with your interviewer and keep their focus on your skills and ideas — not on deciphering your words.

Key Skills to Improve Before Your Interview

If you want to make a strong vocal impression, focus on these areas: 

1. Pronunciation – Aim for crisp, accurate sounds, especially for common industry terms.

2. Pace – Slow enough to be clear, but not so slow that you lose momentum.

3. Pausing – Use pauses to emphasize key points and give the interviewer time to process.

4. Intonation – Add variety to your pitch to sound natural and engaging.

5. Volume & Projection – Speak loudly enough to be heard without sounding aggressive.

How to Train Your Voice for Interview Success 

Improving your voice and accent doesn’t have to take years — with targeted practice, you can make noticeable changes in just weeks.

Get Rid of Your Accent for Business app provides: 

Audio models of clear, neutral English speech.

Step-by-step lessons to improve pronunciation and intonation.

Record & compare tools to track your progress.

Practice materials based on real-world speaking situations, including interviews.

By training your ear, practising key sounds, and mastering vocal techniques, you can walk into your interview sounding confident, professional, and easy to understand.

Your qualifications get you in the door, but your communication skills can seal the deal. A clear, confident voice helps interviewers focus on you — your ideas, your expertise, and your potential. 

Ready to sound your best in your next interview?

Start training today with the Get Rid of Your Accent for Business app — your personal voice coach, right in your pocket.

216. Disadvantages of poor voice projection

Have you ever felt invisible? You said something, and there was no reaction. You felt that what you said was not interesting enough to pay attention to. Most likely, people did not hear what you said.

The reason is poor voice projection. The power of our voice depends on breathing and lung capacity. Actors do regular exercises to master voice projection.

When your voice has power:

  • You appear and feel confident

  • You make it easier for people to follow you

  • People will be more likely to be persuaded that what you are saying is important

To master voice projection, I recommend 5 minutes of daily exercises from the app Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause. These exercises are easy yet very effective. You will see the results in a week.

More tips on www.batcsglobal.com

208. Earn Respect

The ability to own the respect of others is connected to our survival instinct. By and large, people respect us if they can rely on us, trust us, and see that we are useful to them.

I like observing people’s behaviour and reactions. I want to share with you my observations on the topic of respect.

People respect us unconsciously if we possess the following qualities:

1. Straight back and good posture - a sign of physical and spiritual strength
2. Confident eye contact and open gestures. These non-verbal clues signify openness and honesty. People who lie and lack confidence often cannot look straight in the eyes
3. Decent clothes and shoes, groomed appearance. This is the sign of high self-esteem
4. Good, clear speech. It is essential for easy communication. We maintain a friendly intonation that shows a positive attitude
5. Ability to keep a pause and talk to the point. This adds gravitas and weight to our words
6. Measured pace and relaxed way of doing things. When we are relaxed, others feel relaxed too
7. When we are grateful for what is offered to us and respect other people's space and time rather than beg, ask or push for more
8. Ability to listen to others.
9. Honour commitments
10. Respect the values of the society in which we operate
11. Respect people’s privacy

My findings revealed that people do not respect those who (despite their achievements):

1. Talk too much and do very little
2. Neither try to understand nor respect the values of the society in which they operate
3. Have a scruffy and ungroomed look that causes an emotion of disgust
4. Rush themselves and others, thus creating unnecessary stress that increases cortisol levels and damages health
5. Constantly ask for favours, try to take advantage of other people's time, space and resources
6. Rushed, unclear, badly articulated speech; intonation that transmits a toxic negative attitude
7. Make silly jokes
8. Waste their own and other people’s time
9. Do not keep their promise and overpromise
10. Have bad posture and a very hunched back
11. TMI - Give too much information about themselves and others, particularly private and sensitive information. Invade their privacy with inappropriate questions

We can conclude that to be respected, we do not have to earn millions, have a PhD or win a gold medal in the Olympics. To earn respect, we should think of the ways we can be useful and master the necessary attributes and skills that facilitate it. We should also exercise a degree of self-control. Whether we start a new job or join a new social group, often our survival in this group depends on whether we can earn their respect.

Let me bring an example from my life. When I had a strong foreign accent, people looked down on me, and my native intonation sounded a bit aggressive in English culture. These facts hindered my success. When I mastered my speech and intonation, I began to feel respected and even admired.
You can master your speech with the apps:
Elocution Lessons, Get Rid of your Accent, American Accent App, Fluent English Speech, Fluent American Speech, Business English Speech, and 4Ps, Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause.

More on www.batcsglobal.com

200. How do you get started mastering your speech?

How do you get started mastering your speech?

If you are confronted by enemies such as laziness and procrastination, there are tools that you can use to overcome them:
1. 5 seconds rule. Do not allow your brain a chance to be lazy. As soon as you want to do something, your brain will try to find reasons why it would be better to do nothing, so you have just five seconds to start with what you want to do, count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and get started.

2. The power of small steps.Do small actions regularly. Small actions are not frightening for our brain and we choose to do something simple. Our brain likes to do not what is important but what is simple. Break an important task into baby steps and do them regularly. Speech is a very technical subject. To master your speech, effectively break it into simple steps and exercise regularly. My favourite app based on RP is ‎Elocution Lessons because it is very easy to use.

3. Develop a habit of achieving small goals: set up a goal, do small steps, get results, reward yourself, acknowledge your risen self-esteem, set up a higher goal and repeat the same cycle. When can we be sure that a desired action is our habit? There is a common opinion that it takes 21 days for a habit to set in. I disagree. Some habits take longer. The habit is set for sure when doing something is more comfortable than not doing it. Many people have developed some bad speech habits: they mumble, do not articulate, use too many parasite words, rush their speech, etc.

4. What do all great people have in common? They have great goals. Imagine the benefits of having good speech and how it can help you achieve other important goals.

5. Surround yourself with people who have good speech and motivate you. It can be a public speaking club and other societies.

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198. Accent and voice

The main issues that our clients have are:

  1. A strong regional or foreign accent

  2. Weak voice

  3. Rushed speech

To neutralise a regional or foreign accent we recommend doing an individual speech analysis and work on Received Pronunciation - a neutral British accent. After the speech analysis, we can tell how many lessons a student might need to neutralise their accent. Accent work involves working on pure English vowels and diphthongs as well as consonants to make articulation sharp and crisp. We have three apps that help with that:
‎Get Rid of your Accent UK1, ‎‎Business English Speech, Elocution Lessons.

Accent reduction tips

  1. Identify English sounds that are difficult to pronounce for you and your nationality. For example /w/ sound does not exist in French and French substitute it with /v/ sound.

  2. Learn the placement of the tongue lips and jaw for sounds you need to practice

  3. Use the mirror to control the correct place your tongue and jaw for a particular sound

  4. Listen to the model pronunciation, copy it, then record yourself and compare your speech with the model. Do three repetitions of one exercise

    The main features of a weak voice are bad articulation, lack of voice power and high voice pitch. Students can master their voice with the app Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause. To enhance voice power we recommend breathing exercises.

    This app also helps with rushed speech.
    There can be a number of reasons to speak fast. I will focus on the two obvious:

    1. Feeling nervous. To overcome nervousness, we recommend that you take a couple of nice deep breaths to release the tension.

    2. Fast brain 

    A fast brain is something people are born with, you cannot change it.

    One may ask: can I learn to slow down and overcome my fast brain that forces me to speak fast?

    There is a simple yet very effective exercise that can help you to slow down:

    1. When you speak, try to separate each idea of thought by using pauses. Count 1, 2, 3 in your head after each idea and allow yourself to breathe and relax. Don't link all ideas; don't deliver them all in one breath.

    2. In a conversation with another person, make a pause after each question, do not jump on the answer straight away.

    3. Read out loud using the punctuation. In your head, count 1,2,3 in place of a full stop, and count 1 in place of a comma. Make even longer pauses between paragraphs.

For best results, we recommend one online or in-person lesson a week and working individually with the apps for 10-15 minutes a day.

More on www.batcsglobal.com

197. How long does it take to speak like native English?

It depends on five factors:
1. Your age
The earlier you start speaking English the easier it will be for you to talk like a native English speaker. When you start speaking in your native language your tongue, lips and jaw muscles are trained for your native language and the older you are the more difficult it would be to retrain them for English.

2. Your environment
Even if you live in an English-speaking country but your family and friends, peers and teachers speak with foreign accents you will unconsciously copy their accents. If you listen to music, watch films and news in your native language and not in English that too will contribute to you having a foreign accent. If you want to speak like a native English avoid speaking in your native language.

3. Hearing abilities
If you have good hearing abilities your chances of speaking like a native are higher than for those with poor hearing abilities

4. Time and effort you are prepared to invest in mastering English
To learn to speak like a native train daily for 10–30, rather than once a week for two hours. Regularity and consistency are the key.

5. Method of learning English and teachers
Choose an effective method with professional apps and a qualified speech tutor.
We had many students with strong foreign accents who told us they had a degree in English. In EFL colleges pronunciation is often neglected and qualified speech/accent tutors are very rare. The difference between an English teacher (TEFL) and a speech or elocution tutor is vast. EFL teachers focus on grammar, use of English etc, whilst speech tutors know how sounds are formed in the mouth and by listening to students they know exactly if their tongue position is too low are the law position is too closed, for example.

In conclusion, I want to mention that there are many accents and dialects in Britain: Northern, Scottish, Cockney, RP and many others. RP or Received Pronunciation is taught to foreigners because it is understood around the world and is called Standard English. RP is also a compulsory accent to learn for actors in British drama schools. American accents vary too: Southern, New York, Boston, etc.. You can learn to speak with a General American accent which is an accent of educated American people who have mastered their speech such as news presenters, diplomats and presidents. It involves working on your articulation, pronunciation and intonation.

You can master to speak like a native with professional apps based on RP:
‎Elocution Lessons, Get Rid of your Accent UK1, ‎and ‎Fluent English Speech (British English) or ‎ American Accent App and ‎Fluent American Speech (based on General American accent), and Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause.
There are also two accompanying video courses: Get Rid of your Accent Part 1 and Get rid of your Accent Part 2.

The apps are available on the AppStore and Google Play. The functionality is ideal: read, listen, record and compare your speech with the model (actors with perfect pronunciation were used to create soundtracks for these apps). The apps have spelling variations for all English sounds and mouth diagrams to help you make the correct speech organ positions in words, phrases and poetry.
When starting your practice with these apps, go to “How to use this app” and click on: the difficult sounds typical for your nationality, then click on your nationality to work effectively with a more focused approach.

The apps contain:

1.       A CD function, recording and comparing functions

2.       Spelling variations for all sounds

3.       Fluency and difficult speech patterns exercises

4.       Intonation and sentence stress exercises

5.       Pronunciation and articulation exercises

6.       Words, sentences, verses and tongue twisters to make your speech clear

More on Get Rid of your Accent | Elocution Lessons

194. When /r/ is pronounced and when not?

In British English /r/ is not always pronounced:

  1. In three vowels /ɑː/ as “car” and /ɜː/ as in “Sir”, /ɔː/ as in “fork”.

  2. In the three diphthongs /eə/ as in “pair”, /ɪə/ as in “ear”, and /ʊə/ as in “sure”

  3. In place of schwa: doctor, teacher, sponsor

    N.B: Unless it is a linking /r/ as in “car accident, under arrest” where the first word ends with /r/ and the next word starts with the vowel sound.

In American English /r/ is always pronounced, and they have two schwas:

1. Coloured schwa where /r/ is pronounced in words such as “sponsor, doctor, teacher”

2. Schwa in words such as “away, agree, the”

The /r/ sound should be pronounced between two vowel sounds in words such as “cherry, carriage, marriage”.

The /r/ is difficult to pronounce because of a particular tongue position.

Speech organs position for the English /r/ sound:
The tip of the tongue curls back slightly in the roof of the mouth, just behind the alveolar ridge, and the breath squeezes past whilst the tongue is still and not vibrating.

Some people with lazy tongues substitute /r/ with /w/ sound, Johnanat Ross does that, instead of “red roses he says “wed woses”. Some people do not pronounce /r/ at all. Japanese and Chinese often pronounce it as /l/ sound and they say “lead” instead of “read”.

You can master all sounds of English including the /r/ sound with the apps based RP:
‎Elocution Lessons, Get Rid of your Accent UK1, ‎and ‎Fluent English Speech (British English) or ‎ American Accent App and ‎Fluent American Speech (American English), and Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause.
There are also two accompanying video courses: Get Rid of your Accent Part 1 and Get rid of your Accent Part 2.

The same apps are also available on Google Play. The functionality is ideal: read, listen, record and compare your speech with the model (actors with perfect pronunciation were used to create soundtracks for these apps). The apps have spelling variations for all English sounds and mouth diagrams to help you make the correct speech organ positions in words, phrases and poetry.
When starting your practice with these apps, go to “How to use this app” and click on: the difficult sounds typical for your nationality, then click on your nationality to work effectively with a more focused approach.

The apps contain:

  1. Spelling variations for all sounds

  2. Fluency and difficult speech patterns exercises

  3. Intonation and sentence stress exercises

  4. Pronunciation and articulation exercises

  5. Tongue twisters

More on www.batcsglobal.com

193. The difference between "sh" and "ch" sounds

Many students make mistakes when pronouncing "ch" and "sh" sounds. I am a phonetician with 17 years of experience. In this blog post, I explain the difference between these sounds and give you precise instructions on how to pronounce them correctly.

  1. The sound “sh” has a phonetic symbol /ʃ/

Speech organs position:

The tongue tip is near the bottom of the mouth and the air escapes along a passage in the centre of the tongue with lips slightly rounded. This makes [ʃ] sound.

[∫] sound

Spelling variations for the /ʃ/ sound: sh, ch, s, ss

Highlighted bold letters pronounced as /ʃ/

sheep, shirt, push, wish, fashion, cashier

moustache, champagne

pressure, session, Russia, sure, Sean

2. For the sound “ch” with a phonetic symbol /tʃ/ an extra effort is required to add /t/ to /ʃ/.

Speech organs position:

Make the [t] “two” sound at the same time as making the [ʃ] “shall” sound. This makes the [t∫] “church” sound.

Spelling variations for the /tʃ/ sound: ch, tch, t before u

Highlighted bold letters pronounced as/tʃ/

Church, Churchill, chap, which, orchard, achieve

catch, butcher, clutched, matched, Thatcher

literature, posture, moisturise, architecture

The examples are taken from the app Get Rid of your Accent UK1.

The same app is also available on Google Play. The functionality is ideal: read, listen, record and compare your speech with the model. The apps have spelling variations for all English sounds and mouth diagrams to help you create the correct speech organ positions in words, phrases and poetry.
When starting your practice with these apps, first go to “How to use this app” and click on: the difficult sounds typical for your nationality, then click on your nationality to work effectively with a more focused approach.

The apps contain exercises for:
1. Difficult and connected speech patterns
2. Natural flow of speech
3. Intonation and sentence stress
4. Pronunciation and articulation

More on www.batcsglobal.com

190. Get Rid of Japanese Accent

We had many students from Japan and the main reason why their speech was difficult to understand is that they had bad articulation. What can they do to make their English clear?

We have identified six areas of English speech which are particularly difficult for them:

1. There are long and short vowels in English, in Japanese, all vowels have the same length.
2. They have difficulty pronouncing English diphthongs and they separate the two vowels in a diphthong.
3. English consonants are crisp and well-articulated. Japanese speakers of English often do not make a distinction between /l/ and /r/, /b/ and /v/, /n/ and /m/.
4. In good English speech, pronouncing/t/ and /d/ and /s/ and /z/ endings is important. Japanese often do not pronounce them at all.
5. They often separate words and do not know how to speak in a connected way and use liaisons.
6. Their intonation patterns are quite different from English and they often stress wrong syllables and words.

What can we recommend to overcome the difficulties mentioned above?
1. When learning English words, practice them with the correct pronunciation. Most online dictionaries and Google Translate offer the sound version of a word. A more advanced step would be to memorise the phonetic symbols of English sounds.
2. Practise pure English long and short vowels and diphthongs. Pay attention to word stress.
3. Do articulation exercises every day for 2-5 minutes. It takes time and effort to build your speech organs muscles for English consonants.
We suggest that you practise English vowels and consonants with the apps Elocution Lessons and Get Rid of your Accent and the accompanying video course Get Rid of your Accent Part 1. In all these apps, there is a link in “How to use this app” to the page: the difficult sounds typical for your nationality. Click on Japanese to work effectively with a more focused approach
4. Practise word endings, liaisons and sentence stress with the app Fluent English Speech and the accompanying video course Get rid of your Accent Part 2. The same apps are also available on Google Play. They are based on bestselling books in the series Get Rid of your Accent.  Here, you will master all English sounds and intonation. The functionality is ideal: read, listen, record and compare your speech with the model. The apps have mouth diagrams to help you create the correct speech organ positions in words,

To get the best results we recommend that you book a few elocution lessons

More on Get Rid of your Accent | Elocution Lessons

189. Secrets of Successful Self-Presentation

Self-presentation is a skill that can make or break your social and professional success. In this article, I will outline some mistakes and give useful tips in this area.

Self-presentation is presenting oneself to others; others here are more important than self. Many people make a mistake by starting their self-presentation by listing their achievements, accomplishments and rewards rather than what benefits they can bring to the people they present to. For example, instead of saying “I hold a Toastmaster bronze reward”, you can say “I am a keen presenter as I have 15 years of experience in public speaking and would love to step in to present to customers and partners”. The statistics show that most people shy away from presenting, which can make you a valuable asset for a team where presentation skills are needed.

The second mistake is too much information. Avoid too many personal details that are of little interest to others such as what your mother does or what is your favourite beach. Just say things that are relevant to the situation you are in and focus on the purpose of your self-presentation.

The third area I want to talk about is speech and voice. If your speech is difficult to understand and/or your voice is unpleasant this can be a problem. The good news is you can fix it. Read about techniques to master speech and voice in my articles. Here I just want to mention the main mistakes: mumbling, speaking with a half-closed mouth, hesitating and using filler words such as “eehm, aaahm, like, basically, you know,” etc.

What can you do to make your self-[presentation successful? I recommend the SUS approach for the content:
Simple, Useful, with an element of Surprise.

Use short simple words, make it useful for others and add something unique about yourself that might surprise others. For example, if you are an elegant lady people might be surprised that you ride a high-speed motorbike.

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188. Teaching Received Pronunciation to kids

We are often approached by parents who would like their children to speak with RP. Received Pronunciation (RP), the standard accent of British English which is characterised by clear and precise articulation and other qualities.
RP is an accent taught for many decades since the BBC popularised it and many know it as BBC English. In the past, it was called Queen’s English and Oxford English. RP is the accent that boys learn very quickly in schools like Eton if they do not want to be mocked for their regional sounds. Clearly, RP is associated with the quality of one's education and a certain social and economic position. It is interesting to note that a study revealed, that the more refined the RP of a person the higher their social status and the better their economic situation. No wonder that parents would like their kids with regional or foreign accents to master RP.

Parents complain to us that their kids pick up bad habits that make their speech difficult lazy and difficult to understand. Some parents tell us that they want their kids to blend in with kids who already speak with RP which they developed in their families and private schools.

Below are a few things to consider.

1. First of all let's talk about the ideal age to start learning RP. 11 years old is the earliest age to start learning RP. If you begin too early your child might find it too technical and boring.

2. Secondly, lessons should be light-hearted and last no longer than 45 minutes. Do not bore the kids with too much theory and technical explanations. 

3. We recommend lots of rhythmic and articulation exercises. Specifically for children we have published a book and an app based on RP:
‎‎Get Rid of your Accent for Beginners (book)
Elocution Lessons (app)

The book and accompanying app contain plenty of short phrases, sentences, poems and verses. Your child would enjoy learning to speak RP with them. They will master all sounds of English and intonation. The functionality is ideal: read, listen, record and compare your speech with the model. All our apps and books contain 10% theory and 90% practice.

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186. Does correct pronunciation come with time as we learn new words and phrases?

Correct pronunciation depends on many factors:

  1. At what age do you start learning English

  2. How good is your listening/copying abilities

  3. Have you learned English from the start with correct pronunciation

If you start learning English as a child in an English-speaking country from people who speak RP then your pronunciation will be good.

If you start learning English words and phrases abroad at the age of 26 from non-RP speakers (like I did) then you will likely have a foreign accent and bad pronunciation.

I have decided to master my pronunciation and with my partner, speech coach Linda James, I have created a full line of apps for iOS and Android, paperback, audio and e-books, and video courses:

Elocution Apps for iOS
Android Apps
Elocution Books
Elocution Video Courses
New# Elocution Courses

Useful links:
How to prepare a 2-minute speech
Think and speak with power and persuasion

How to proceed with accent reduction:

  • Book a speech analysis via Skype to get a personalized assessment and recommendation.

  • For steady progress, buy an elocution course suitable to your needs

  • For the fastest progress, add in-person lessons in London or Skype lessons to your book/app/video course combination.

Accent reduction tips

  1. Identify English sounds that are difficult to pronounce for you and your nationality For example /w/ sound does not exist in French and French substitute it with /v/ sound.

  2. Learn the placement of the tongue lips and jaw for sounds you need to practice

  3. Use the mirror to control the correct place of your tongue, lips and jaw for a particular sound

  4. Listen to the model pronunciation, copy it, then record yourself and compare your speech with the model. Do three repetitions of one exercise

  5. Download the apps ‎‎Elocution Lessons, Get Rid of your Accent UK1 and ‎Fluent English Speech (British English) or ‎American Accent App and ‎Fluent American Speech (American English)

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181. Should I learn to speak with an American or British accent?

I have mastered the British accent spoken by the upper classes in Britain. It is called Received Pronunciation (RP).

Then I went to the USA, New York and researched American accents. What I have found out is that the most sophisticated General American accent is close to British RP.

I personally prefer British RP as it is regarded in the world more, but if you plan to live in the USA then I recommend that you master the General American accent. When I was in an airport restaurant in New York and asked the waiter to bring me a fork, he could not understand me as I pronounced it in the British way. In the word “fork” Americans always pronounce the /r/ sounds whilst in British RP it is not pronounced. Also in the long vowels /ɑː/ as “car” and /ɜː/ as in “Sir”, and in the three diphthongs /eə/ as in “pair”, /ɪə/ as in “ear”, and /ʊə/ as in “sure” the ruling applies.

Another point is that British English is more crisp because in RP consonants are well articulated. For example, in the American accent where the /t/ sound is between two vowel sounds as in “later” is pronounced as a fast /d/, in British RP it is a well-articulated /t/ sound.

I have developed and published apps for both British RP and General American pronunciation.

You can master which one you need with the apps ‎‎Elocution Lessons, Get Rid of your Accent UK1, ‎Business English Speech and ‎Fluent English Speech (British English) or ‎American Accent App and ‎Fluent American Speech (American English). There are also two accompanying video courses: Get Rid of your Accent Part 1 and Get rid of your Accent Part 2.

The same apps are also available on Google Play. They are based on the bestselling books in the series Get Rid of your Accent and have audio and recording buttons.

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174. How to achieve good, fluent, educated English?

Listen to good English speakers such as Boris Johnson, Stephen Fry, etc. Listen to their speeches and copy the way they speak. For example, Boris Johnson knows how he can deliver a strong message and be heard with the use of specific, powerful, and colourful adjectives and adverbs that add strength, meaning, and urgency:

"profoundly optimistic"
"insidiously programmed"
"a deep human instinct"
"astounding achievement"
"deeply and dangerously wrong"
"vital task"
"overriding anxiety"
”colossal character”

Read classics. References to classic literature will add depth to your words and meanings.

Read poetry. Reciting poetry will immensely enrich your vocabulary. I recommend that you memorise new words, phrases and metaphors in the context, then try to use them in your speech. Aesthetics, colourful language, compactness of expression, and the use of metaphor make poetry a source of interesting expressions.

Remember, how you say it is even more important than what you say. Modulate your voice, stress key messages, and use pauses this will help you to achieve good educated speech. ‎Fluent English Speech (British English) or ‎Fluent American Speech (American English), and Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause.
I also recommend the app Business English Speech. It contains 43 lessons from the book Get Rid of your Accent for Business, Part Three, ISBN 9780955330025. It works best with an accompanying video course. This app was designed for top-level professionals, diplomats and lawyers. With this app, you will practice sophisticated English expressions and RP.

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