In order for a speaking engagement to be successful it is crucial for the listeners to comprehend the speaker. Different factors can impact the audience's comprehension including the presenter's choices of words and thoughts along with physical characteristics such as ambient room noise. One other characteristic that can be a factor is that of regional dialects.

As presenters, we need to do our best to minimize any accents so as to allow our listeners to comprehend what we are saying. That doesn't mean absolutely eradicating an accent. It does however mean recognizing and removing any extreme aspects - for our audiences' benefit.

But how does one reduce aspects of an accent?

If you are struggling with a regional dialect here are a few ideas that may help:

Record yourself talking and listen for mistakes. It is easy to do this with a tape recorder, but now with computers we have an additional benefit to recording. We can not only hear what we sound like, but with software tools like Goldwave and Audacity we can also see what we sound like as the software charts our voice. This can give one more clue as to the differences between how you and those around you pronounce words.

Don't be overly demanding. Set a realistic goal of reducing your regional dialect and stick to your plan. A consistent effort will produce greater results in the long run.

Choose to focus on words that you use most frequently. There's not much point in learning to pronounce a word perfectly if you never use it.

Changing your accent so that your speaking is more comprehensible to those around you may seem overwhelming - However, with a few techniques, such as these, and a consistent approach, a significant difference can be made with less effort than you may expect.

About the Author

If you need to make presentations or speeches then please consider visiting EffectivelySpeaking.Com. The section titled Does Your Audience Understand has additional information about dealing with accents while speaking in public. In addition, there is other valuable information throughout the site including a free set of white papers on how to overcome your fear. David Mudie is an accomplished speaker who has presented

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