You want to lose your accent, and you’ve heard about accent reduction. But you may be asking yourself: is it really worth it? Can I learn to speak like an American, even with my thick accent? Do these types of classes work? And if so, how effective are they? Well, we don’t just think they work. We know they do. We see it happen every day for our students. But don’t take our word for it. We’re here to give you objective evidence from the research. You’ll also read stories about how it worked for famous people and other movers and shakers. And we’ll share a few success stories from our own students.
Do accent reduction classes work?
Read on and discover the answer for yourself.
Evidence that Accent Coaching Works
Accent reduction is a field or “niche” of language training called “accent modification.”
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association defines accent modification as a voluntary process of changing your accent. They recommend it for the following groups:
- Individuals who speak English as a secondary language
- Professionals who want to communicate better at work
- Those who want to change a national origin, or regional, accent
- Actors needing to learn a new accent for a role
During accent coaching, you work one-on-one with an accent coach to change the way you talk. However, this type of coaching has been too expensive until recently. They also haven’t been widely available. Now, professional online accent schools like ours have democratized the service, making it affordable and accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.
Accent Reduction: 3 Research Studies
1. Accent Modification Can Save Lives
Researchers conducted a study at the world’s largest hospital, where employees spoke over 90 languages. They wanted to see if accent modification would decrease “communication failure” and potentially decrease the number of deaths that resulted from it.
They found that health professionals reported significantly higher confidence and competence when communicating at work after receiving high-quality accent reduction coaching for 12 weeks.
2. Accent Reduction Improves Brain Function
This accent reduction study confirmed that Arab learners who took specialized accent training learned to perceive and hear sounds they couldn’t hear before. This clearly shows that accent training, like almost all language skills, improves brain function.
Research with other populations appears to back this up. For example, pronunciation and accent also improve among those with Spanish, Japanese, and Hindi accents. In order to pronounce words better, you have to be able to perceive and hear them first.
3. Accent Reduction Improves Nonverbal Communication
One of the most exciting things with communication is that it’s not all about speech. Most communication is nonverbal. While talking is critical, facial expressions and body language play a huge role in communicating effectively.
This study found that accent reduction coaching significantly improved how international medical students pronounced words, and their nonverbal communication, such as facial expression and body language, also improved. This led them to be much more confident and effective communicators.
Famous and Noteworthy People Who Hired an Accent Coach
Hollywood’s “accent whisperers” are the elite coaches to the stars. These people help celebrities learn new accents or dialects for roles.
Tom Holland, best known for his work in Spider-Man and Dune, is an incredible British actor who hardly anyone knows is British. This is because he worked with coaches to develop a standard American accent.
Holland and Robbie wouldn’t invest their time or money in accent coaching if it didn’t work. We can also plainly hear their American accents in their movies. This is tangible proof that accent modification works.
Highly influential or successful people are also hiring professional coaches. For example, some of our students work at Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and the Wharton School of Business. As these examples show, if you want to lose your accent, working with a coach is the best way to do it.
Accent Reduction Student Success Stories
If you’re still figuring out if coaching is worth it, we’d love for you to hear what some of our students say. Accent Advisor has 850+ 5-star reviews on Google and Trustpilot and is the most trusted online accent academy. While all of our students are unique, many show significant improvements within 90 days.
- K. Paik says that after three months, Americans no longer ask him to repeat himself and that his accent has improved significantly.
- Mikhail says that he noticed an improvement in his accent almost right away.
- Sandra says: “I have been working with Elara for a couple of months now. She’s patient, knowledgeable, professional but also fun to work with! Over the past few months, I learned a ton, it was mind-blowing when I found out I have pronounced some words wrong in my whole life, but luckily I have Elara to help!! Elara is very considerate, she understands my struggles, and she really puts herself in my shoes. I have never felt pressured or shy to speak in front of her. I would highly recommend Accent Advisor to anyone who wishes to improve themselves, it is not an easy journey, but you will be in good hands with Accent Advisor!”
We’re sure that some of our students were in your shoes once, perhaps asking themselves if accent classes were worth it. But they decided to have faith in themselves and enroll. Now, they are on their way to speaking like an American.
Read accent coaching reviews by the students above and many others.
We See Students Succeed
Our coaches constantly tell us how gratifying it is to teach someone a new accent. They know that accent modification benefits students in myriad ways. Social lives can improve. Communication at work is more seamless and clear. Their confidence increases. Students no longer hold themselves back from personal or professional opportunities or feel shy and self-conscious.
If you’re ready to lose your accent, it’s easy to get started. All you need is a SKYPE account, an Internet connection, a little time, and about $25 a week (that’s a lunch or dinner out). Choose from 3 accent training plans and find out what a difference accent reduction can make for you.
