Clearly Said & Easily Understood

09/02/2021

Accent modification training is not intended to eliminate an accent. Instead, the goal is to help non-native English speakers communicate clearly and confidently in English, with an accent. I explain this in a recent interview with Working.

Non-native English speakers can learn to express their thoughts with clarity and confidence. Accent Modification Coach Sharyn Reiff explains how.

08/21/2021

This is why I do what I do.

05/25/2020

How to use your voice to show who you areWe all now live in the strange time of social distancing. We position ourselves far apart from each other and masks cover half of our faces. The question is, how can we have deeper, meaningful face-to-face conversations from afar and without seeing most of each others’ faces? And can our voices be transmitted and received accurately through barriers of cloth? It seems that the usual guidelines for effective verbal communication no longer apply.
In my work as a speech pathologist and a speech trainer for accented English-speaking individuals, I’ve used a technique that can help you use your voice to reach across the divide to be heard and understood in life as it is today. The technique is called Voice Projection. This does not mean speaking louder; no one likes to be yelled at. Instead, it refers to speaking from deep down inside of you, at the level of your diaphragm. All you have to do is take a deeper breath so you use the full capacity of your lungs as you speak. This engages your diaphragm, which is the large flat muscle located between your lungs and your abdomen. It helps expand and contract the lungs so inhaling and exhaling air (and life itself) are possible. Open you mouth a little wider than you usually do, take a full breath and shoot your voice out of your mouth from deep down inside of you as if shooting an arrow from a bow.
Here is what I say to my clients: Plant you feet firmly on the ground to feel balanced and centered. Picture your body as the strong, stable bow full of potential energy. Imagine your voice as the arrow that can shoot across space. Aim your voice-arrow at a target across the room and say, “My name is _____ to that target. Did a person at that target receive your message, or did your voice-arrow fall down before it reached its target? Aim another short message to another target around the room. Make sure that someone at that target received your message, too. Repeat this and you feel the power of your voice intensify. These messages can travel across space and pass through any barrier.
You can produce a stronger and more resonant voice quality with little effort or strain because it’s supported by your deeper, fuller breath. You’ll present a better visual image by engaging more of your physical body as well as the energy of your inner self as you speak. You’ll actually stand up straighter, which makes you look and sound more confident.
Social distancing and wearing facial masks do not have to impair our ability to have clear and meaningful communication with those around us. So take some deep breaths, open your mouth and tell the world who you truly are.

04/06/2020

*Free* Online Speech Coaching Session

Because I believe strongly that the ability to communicate clearly gives us the power to express ourselves and connect with others, I am offering a FREE 30-minute online speech coaching session.

When it comes to English, is this something you are interested in improving?

Wherever you're at in your English development, this session is personalized to your immediate needs and opportunities for growth. We may address: English pronunciation, English intonation, voice quality, presentation skills, and virtual communication.

Send me a message or submit the form on my website to schedule your free session: https://www.clearlysaid.net/contact/

03/30/2020

{NEW BLOG} How to Be Success When Living in the U.S. and Speaking a Second Language

Most newcomers here in the U.S. learned to speak English in their home countries and were taught by other non-native English speakers, so they never learned “American-style English”. Consequently, when they arrive here, they were devastated when no one could understand them.

I’ve come up with a few tips to help you, not just survive, but thrive in the U.S. while speaking a second language.

https://www.clearlysaid.net/2020/03/26/how-to-be-successful-when-living-in-the-u-s-and-speaking-a-second-language/

11/06/2019

Do you believe effective communication has the power to transform lives?

clearlysaid.net/2019/11/06/training-accented-english/speakers

10/04/2019

This little treatise on the lovely
language we share is only for the brave.
Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) I did not object to the object.

9) They were too close to the door to close it.

10. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

11) After a number of injections my jaw got number.

12) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

13) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

There is no egg in eggplant; nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are
meat.

Quicksand works slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?

If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth?

One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend.

If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? Is it an odd, or an end?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?

Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all.

05/08/2019

Isn't English weird? It cheats and doesn't follow the rules. Don't give up Ricky! Its not your fault

There are various ways to pronounce "O-U-G-H" in the English language. This was hilariously demonstrated on the "I Love Lucy" television program by Ricky Ric...

03/18/2019

I am excited to announce the launch of a newly designed brand and website for Clearly Said & Easily Understood! (+ Special Offer)

Check out the website for more information about:

(1) Accent Refinement Private Coaching (Updated Program): The 16-week private coaching program (in-person or video remote) is designed to help non-native English-speaking professionals improve their ability to speak clearly and be understood easily in English. Find out more what is offered beyond accent refinement coaching.

(2) Professional Development Workshops: I conduct Accent Reduction & Verbal Communication Skills Workshops for diverse groups for events such as: professional development workshops, community organization group trainings, business networking group events, and company lunch and learns. Find out more on the website about the three workshop topics I deliver.

**Special Offer**

In celebration of the newly designed brand launch, new and returning clients who sign up for the Accent Refinement Private Coaching Program by April 19, 2019 will receive 10% off the program.

“As you perform your work in the world, may your voice truly reflect your life’s purpose.”

https://www.clearlysaid.net/

01/01/2019

“Last year’s words belong to last year’s language. Next
year’s words await another voice”. ~T. S. Eliot

I’m personally grateful to each and every one of my clients, colleagues, mentors, friends and family members for their support and involvement in my work, Clearly Said & Easily Understood. You inspired me. Congratulations on all you’ve accomplished in 2018 and thank you for sharing your wisdom with the world.

I wish you a rewarding and joyous 2019. If there’s a way I can help you get your message out in the New Year, I’m here to help.

Let’s communicate!
Sharyn