How an Accent Can Impact Your Future |
Posted: January 18, 2018 |
An accent is a unique and wonderful part of a culture. It can sound charming, inviting or elegant. However, stereotypes surrounding accents exist throughout the world. The British are known to be reserved while the southern accent often implies that one is less educated. While these impressions are usually not true, they are often made based upon the way one speaks.
When You Apply for a Job
When you apply for a position with a company, first impressions make a big impact. Part of that impression is in the way you talk. If you moved from another part of the country or world or if you’re interviewing for a remote job, you may speak differently than other people in the organization.
While most people won’t admit to creating a stereotype based on your accent, it happens more often than you might expect. In some cases, it may even be a legitimate concern. If you have an accent that is difficult to understand, you might have problems working in customer service or sales. It could impact your ability to get a job or even to promote up within the company.
How to Deal with Obstacles Caused by an Accent
If you have a thick accent, you may find it’s difficult to get the job you want. One way to make it easier to get hired is to find an accent reduction coach. They can help you learn how to speak properly to be understood in spite of your accent.
An accent reduction coach will teach you about proper enunciation, helping you learn how to sound out words correctly. This strategy helps reduce the sound of the accent so that you can be understood. You will “blend in” more with your local culture if you’ve moved to a new area, which will help you with your job hunt.
If you’re working remotely with people from all over the world, it will make it easier to be understood by different cultures. This becomes especially important if you’re in a position where you will be talking to customers or other people outside the organization.
Your coach will help you learn new techniques such as breathing correctly and forming sounds to ensure that your words are understood and your meaning is clear. In addition, you can learn not to use slang or local terms that may not be easily understood in other cultures. In some cases, this can be a problem even within a country where one region has a local dialect and terms that are not used in other areas.
Speaking properly and without a strong accent won’t guarantee you a job, but it can help overcome any preconceived stereotypes about a person. Communication is an essential part of almost any job, and it’s important to not be misunderstood. If you have a strong accent and will be working with people from other areas of your country or the world, you may find working with an accent reduction coach to be beneficial.
Claudette Roche is an accent training in the Vero Beach, FL area. She teaches foreign and American accents to actors and business persons/executives. In 2010 she was named as one of The Top 5 Voice Coaches by Hollywood Weekly Magazine.
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