The Accent re-shape

Still you - just sounding more like a native speaker.

Download the info here. I always welcome a share. There’s an FAQ video below so grab a coffee and check that out while you’re here!

If you're an actor or public speaker with a non-native English accent, you’ve likely felt the frustration of being unfairly judged based on how you speak. Perhaps you’ve been told it will hold you back, or you’re only getting seen for roles that play into a stereotype. We are often caught walking the line of accepting that our accent is part of who we are and fighting for more diversity on screen, while also facing the reality that we’re not getting seen or cast. This is NOT the pronunciation training you receive in language school. It works.

I LOVE your natural accent.

Accents are wonderful. That’s why I got into this job. I adore them, and there are no “better” accents than others. Every person on the planet has a unique way of speaking. You can’t “reduce” an accent, but you can learn to re-shape it, and move it closer to that of a native English speaker.

Accents are on a spectrum. You can sound closer to your native language (ex: French in the diagram below) or closer to an accent of a native speaker. The closer you get to that native accent, the more difficulty people tend to have when it comes to knowing what else they can do to continue improving.

The process:

Accents are muscular. If you’ve hit a wall and don’t know how to keep improving, that’s because you’re probably doing a good immitation of English sounds with muscles that were literally built and shaped by another language. My method is based on anatomy, voice training, neuroscience, and linguistics, and has been developed over the last 22 years working with thousands of actors and public speakers all over the world, individually and in production.

1. You send me 3 video recordings: 1- You speaking naturally (4-5 mins), 2- reading something you are familiar with and have practiced (1-2 mins), and 3- reading something you have never read before (1-2 mins).

2. I thoroughly analyze your speech, and make a plan of exercises and materials specifically for you.

3. We have a 1.5 hour session via zoom, during which I take you through all your areas for improvement, as well as work through any exercises. In just an hour and a half, your pronunciation will improve, and you’ll have all the knowledge and tools you need to continue working from there on.

4. After the session, you’ll receive an email with your zoom recording, all of the exercises written out, a reminder of all sounds and the specifics of what we need to focus on as well as examples of any intonation, rhythm, word connection issues that need work. I include audio recordings/reminders where necessary, particularly for subtle differences in sounds.

5. After roughly two weeks, you’ll send me another set of recordings, like you did before we met.

6. After taking a look and a listen at what changes are happening, you can either book a follow-up 20-30 minute zoom call, or I can send you a video with all of the information if you prefer to have that to review in future. Here, based on what I see and hear after your work over two weeks, I’ll provide you with further information about what your next steps or areas of focus should be, and any additional exercises you might benefit from.

The price: €200

TO BOOK YOUR ACCENT RE-SHAPE:

1. Send me a message to let me know you’re interested, where you’re based, where you’re from and what your first language(s) is.

2. Pay for your Accent re-shape. You can do this by card using the payment button at the bottom of this page, or I can send an invoice with bank details (Spanish) for transfer.

3. Once payment is received, you’ll send me your recordings, I’ll start the speech analysis, and we’ll arrange our zoom call!

If you’re excited to get started, pay for your reshape using the button below, and send your three videos to hollydialect@gmail.com. (WeTransfer is fine!)

I’ll then send you a link to book your zoom session.

Questions? Drop me a message! hollydialect@gmail.com