While we can definitely discuss how your pronunciation and accent affect how well people understand you, we’ll focus primarily on how you communicate using pitch, stress, intonation, prosody, and other aspects of your voice and breath.

Keep in mind that stressing words accurately is essential for clear pronunciation, and both stress and intonation influence your accent.

Because the way you emphasize your words and express yourself through intonation affects how well people understand and listen to you and your ideas, we can also discuss better ways for you to communicate your meaning and your message.

(Please note that I will not be able to answer questions about grammar, vocabulary, writing, or other aspects of English.)

While I can give you advice on sounds you need to pronounce more accurately for clear communication, I emphasize getting the sounds "close enough" rather than exactly like a native speaker.

My clients often say that they prefer my coaching style because they're able to take action more quickly.

In addition, I find people spend too much time focusing on sounds and not enough time on the aspects of your accent that are most related to clear communication, such as pitch, stress, intonation, and prosody.

I encourage you to browse the videos I already have available to see if you resonate with this approach.

If you're interested in detailed feedback on how you pronounce consonant and vowel sounds or you're interested in working on a specific dialect of American English, I encourage you to consult with a speech language pathologist or dialect coach.

Thank you for trusting me to give you guidance on your accent and how you use your voice to communicate.

I regularly meet with native English speakers of syllable-timed dialects to help them understand how to better use stress, thought groups, and intonation in American English.

(Syllable-timed varieties of English include various Indian dialects, African dialects, Caribbean dialects, Filipino English, and Singaporean English.)

However, I am not a dialect coach and do not focus on the differences between American English dialects. As such, I do not work with native English speakers from the US or Canada or speakers of other stress-timed varieties of English.

If you're interested in detailed feedback on how you create sounds compared to general American English, or if you're interested in working on a specific dialect of American English, I encourage you to consult with a speech language pathologist or dialect coach.

The Clarity Consultation is 60 minutes long. Because you'll provide details about your questions, needs, and concerns before we meet, our time together will be focused and productive.

If you're not sure if you should invest in a Clarity Consultation, please feel free to browse the 100+ videos and articles already available on my website and YouTube channel.

Although the guidance is general, it can certainly help you start moving in the right direction.

You should invest in a Clarity Consultation if you want my feedback on pitch, stress, intonation, and other aspects of how you use your voice and breath.

This is a great way to get personalized suggestions.

Have you ever wondered what I would say about your accent or your voice?

Or do you want to check your progress from the hard work you've been doing on your own?

Or are you interested in knowing what else you can do to improve how you sound?

Then a Clarity Consultation is for you.

After getting feedback from me, my clients regularly say that they never paid attention to this specific concept before, or they didn't realize how their native language influenced their voice in English, or that they never noticed this specific aspect of their speech.

If you've watched my videos or read the articles on my website, you are familiar with the concepts that I focus on in my work. In the Clarity Consultation, I will explain how they apply to you personally as a speaker of your native language.

In addition, there are concepts that are too nuanced, complex, or advanced to share with a general audience in free resources. I'll give you tips on these during your coaching session, too.

This is your opportunity to ask questions and clarify any doubts, frustrations, confusion, or concerns you have.

When discussing your accent and voice, I will speak in simple, straightforward language.

As an educator who has been working with non-native English speakers since 2008, I do my best to explain things in a way that is easy to understand.

In addition, I can explain how your native language influences how you sound when speaking English.

During my career, I have worked with people from all over the world and understand the specific challenges you face as a speaker of a certain language.

I avoid using linguistics jargon when possible, or try to explain things in several different ways so you can understand.

My clients appreciate the way I explain how to communicate clearly using your voice because it is simpler and easier to implement than other advice they've received.

For examples of how I explain these concepts, try this series of videos.

Because a Clarity Consultation is only 60 minutes long, it is possible that we will not get to discuss every aspect of your accent and voice during our meeting.

We will focus on what will help you communicate clearly and confidently.

First of all, you get the opportunity to meet with me personally and ask all the questions you have about your accent and voice. If you have benefited from my free videos, email courses, or other resources, you already know whether you resonate with my approach.

Next, I focus on what you need to do to speak more clearly so that people understand (and listen to) your ideas, rather than what you're doing "wrong" when compared to native American English speakers.

I share all the tips and tricks I have to help you improve stress, intonation, and how you pause and flow between ideas, rather than producing sounds exactly the same way native speakers do.

Because I focus on pitch, stress, intonation, thought groups, connected speech, breathing, pausing, speaking speed, pace, volume, and how you use your voice to communicate, we'll prioritize these during our meeting.

You may have noticed that Clarity Consultations are available seasonally, which means that you can schedule coaching sessions with me during certain times of the year.

Clarity Consultations are available for several months during the year. You will find the latest updates on whether they are available to schedule on this page. You will not be able to pay for a Clarity Consultation if it is not possible to schedule a session before a planned break.

Clarity Consultations are not available from Independence Day to Labor Day (early July to early September) or Thanksgiving to Martin Luther King Jr. Day (late November to mid-January).

Please note that courses are available year-round, and you can get feedback and answers to your questions during normal working hours on business days. You can also meet with me on Zoom during monthly office hours.

After the Clarity Consultation, I encourage you to give yourself time to integrate these changes into how you speak.

Once you have been working on these aspects of your accent and voice for at least a month, it is normal to want to check your progress and to get answers to new questions that arise.

To schedule a follow-up session, please log-in to your account on the course site and click on the Clarity Consultation.

Look for the question: Ready for a Follow-Up session? Follow the link to pay for and schedule another session.

Please note that coaching sessions are flexible and are offered one-by-one, on-demand, and as-needed.

For detailed guidance, structure, practice, and support as you work on stress and intonation, consider joining my courses.