Just Like a Dancer Even if you are not a dancer, you can apply some tips from dancing to your speech: Be nimble and free … at ease, not stiff. Dancers who are stiff are not graceful. Speakers who are stiff are boring and seem tense. Make l…

Your Body is a Musical Instrument Many of my clients are surprised to learn that posture and speech are inextricably linked. What could sitting up straight vs. slumping have to do with how we talk? One way to think of it is that your body …

As a Speech Coach, I’ve had the opportunity to talk to thousands of executives about what they perceive the challenges to be when speaking to their audiences, and what they expect from Executive Speech Coaching. Again and again, what comes…

Do you ever fear your voice doesn’t represent you well when you present? Or prevent you from speaking up in meetings? That your English still sounds different after living in the US for years? Or that your words aren’t aligned with your me…

As a Speech & Accent Coach, I often question to what extent it’s important for someone to speak with an American Accent. For example, I wonder about Melania Trump. Those who support her are adamant that she is a multi-lingual immigrant who…

Executive Presence Fake news … trade war … children in cages … severing ties with our allies … the US president meeting with oppressive dictators … these are challenging times. So you may ask yourself, how does this relate to Executive Pre…

Uhhhhh … How to Avoid “Filler” Sounds Many of us want to eliminate the little sounds that we utter unintentionally when we talk. The “you know” language that just comes out sometimes. Can you train yourself not to do it? The answer is “yes…

Uhhhhh … How to Avoid “Filler” Sounds Many of us want to eliminate the little sounds that we utter unintentionally when we talk. The “you know” language that just comes out sometimes. Can you train yourself not to do it? The answer is “yes…

Challenge Sounds The biggest mistake many Asian speakers make (Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Japanese, Thai or Vietnamese, for example) is often focusing too much (overdoing it) on the /r/ and the /l/ sound. Of course, it’s a good thing to wo…

Breath on Air Flow Sounds Most Asians don’t use enough breath on “air flow” sounds in English. Which sounds are these? They are the sounds that sound “breathy” a bit when native speakers talk. Have you ever noticed which sound lasts longer…

Breath on Air Flow Sounds Most Asians don’t use enough breath on “air flow” sounds in English. Which sounds are these? They are the sounds that sound “breathy” a bit when native speakers talk. Have you ever noticed which sound lasts longer…

Exaggeration is the New Normal - English by the Hour - Tips for Asians When I ask clients to “exaggerate” or “elongate” sounds, they often tell me it sounds exaggerated, and they don’t want to do it. Recording will help because often it’s …

Sounding Out Words English by the Hour Most Asian speakers pronounce words as “units”. This means you say words one-at-a-time with all the sounds at once. So if you are mispronouncing a word, you probably won’t notice. If instead you sound…

It’s All About the Breath - English by the Hour If you are a past client, you already know how important breath is for speech. The thing most people don’t realize is it’s too late to change if you try to “breathe differently” as you speak.…

The Dangers of “Listener Fatigue” - English by the Hour If you speak in a way that makes it difficult for people to understand you, lacks polish, or just isn’t very engaging, you may think it’s ok. No big deal, right? I’ve heard people say…

What is Executive Presence? | Part 3: Gravitas Of the three areas of Executive Presence, gravitas is arguably the most elusive. What is it? How do you know when you have it? I like thinking of it as having “gravity” in its core. There’s a …

Monitoring Your Body Tension - English by the Hour Just like changing our timing to control our speed (or rate of speech), we also need to work on our degree of body tension when we want to sound more fluid and less tense. One of the reaso…

What is Executive Presence? | Part 2: Communication This topic has a lot of complexity to it, so I’ll mention a few areas. The key is to be honest with yourself about your communication. Most of us don’t really know what others think of us…

What is Happening Behind the Curtain When Someone Talks at Breakneck Speed In my last couple of postings, I said how talking quick (in the perception of the audience) may not be so promptly understood by basically slowing down. That is, ad…

The Complexity of Indian Accents in American English Not every person from India has a similar accent, so what’s essential to consider while distinguishing what to focus on to create clear speech. Here are some things to consider: A few pe…

Who Can Help - English By The Hour I’m generally surprised when I ask clients who give them feedback and they say “nobody.” It must feel shocking to be so detached, however on the other hand, possibly it's a matter of not noticing things b…

So what sorts of questions would you be able to ask outsiders at an open social gathering when networking?I would recommend that the greatest objective isn't to outrage anybody. Thus, directing far from any remarks about dress or weight or…

The Complexity of Indian Accents in American English Not every person from India has a similar compliment, so what's essential to consider while recognizing what to concentrate on to make clear discourse? Here are a few things to consider:…

Understated Elegance… What EF Hutton Was All About I liken the desired “understated elegance” quality of Executive Presence to what it feels like when we dress for an event. Imagine Scenario #1: Have you ever gone to an event where you fel…

Why Do You Need a Speech Coach? It’s always been surprising to me how often clients tell me they want to improve their speech and become better public speakers, yet they don’t want to record themselves and no one gives them any feedback. I…

What is Executive Presence? | Part 1: Appearance Most of us have a sense of what Executive Presence is, and there is certainly no lack of definitions on the net, but for purposes of trying to “wrap our brains around” what it is in order to…

Jaw Dropping - English by the Hour If there’s one commonality all non-native speakers could focus on, it’s jaw dropping. Easier said than done. Most languages have more closed mouths and often tighter jaws. Even for Americans, tight jaws c…

Public Speaking & Presentations for Non-Native Speakers of American English There’s no shortage of information on how to give a presentation or how to be a good public speaker. The suggestions, examples, advice, and descriptions run the ga…

So You Talk Too Fast… Now What? It’s a given that many people talk so fast that others can’t understand them. Maybe you are one of those people. I’m one of those people. So what can we do to improve our speech so everyone understands us? T…

Small Talk I’m often asked to help clients with small talk, and almost always, they are embarrassed about asking. It’s like they’re supposed to know how, and when they don’t, they aren’t comfortable announcing it. The truth small talk isn’…