Conquering the "Final Frontier" of ESL

People all over the world are increasingly finding needs and opportunities to interact with Americans... and many have studied English for years to prepare themselves for success in business, technical fields, medicine, and academic life. And while these people have mastered English grammar, have a wide-ranging vocabulary, and have achieved a proficiency level sufficient for work or study in the United States... their difficulty in making that English come out of their mouths in a smooth and natural, American-sounding way, greatly limits their prospects for success.

Can you relate to this? If so, I'm here to help! I work with non-native speakers of English like you, who are at a relatively advanced level of proficiency, to overcome this final barrier to their success. Clients with a relatively high level of English proficiency benefit most from my training courses, because they can put 100% of their mental energy into how they speak, rather than what they say. These are not traditional ESL courses! While you will practice grammar and pick up new vocabulary along the way, we do not focus primarily on these things. I teach you how to take what you already know in your head and make it flow out of your mouth smoothly and clearly — so others can understand you well!

Foundation Course

The foundation course lays the groundwork for all the major aspects of an American English accent. We begin with syllables and how stress affects the pronunciation of words. Then on to word stress, and the rules for how to stress the appropriate words in sentences — to communicate new information and express your intended meaning accurately. This leads into learning the overall "flow" of the language... the ups and downs of intonation, and how to reduce the vowels of unstressed syllables, rather than pronouncing them with full vowels as they are spelled. Word linking — the way Americans connect all their words together — is also addressed. And, of course, we'll work on the specific consonant and vowel sounds that you find troublesome. Once you have a solid foundation in these aspects of accent, you'll be ready to move on to the Master Course. 

Master Course

The master course builds on the foundation of basic American English intonation, reductions, and word linking. It's designed for those who want to refine the nuances of their speech by addressing the characteristics that affect the way that they are perceived by native speakers. For example, if you've ever given the impression of being upset when you weren't... of being rude when you were trying to be polite... or making a simple request with perfect grammar, and received that dreaded "blank look"... this course will help you to overcome those barriers in your communication and relationships. Message units, varying degrees of syllable and word stress in utteranaces, and more word linking are part of this course, as well as subtleties of inflection and appropriate forms of advanced professional and adademic discourse. It is important to have solid skills in basic American English intonation and linking before beginning this course. You can acquire these skills in the Foundation Course.

Course Fees

Each course is 12 hours long, and we typically meet one hour per week for 3 months. The course fee is $1250, and includes your initial AccentAnalysis report, plus all the materials and equipment you will need — including your textbook, a headset, and a webcam (if needed) for meeting via Skype videoconferencing. There are no additional "hidden" fees! Visa, Mastercard, and Discover are accepted, and payment plans are available for personal (non-corporate) accounts.

Sound Interesting?

If you'd like to learn more about training opportunities, feel free to get in touch via my Contact page.

I'm looking forward to meeting you!

Kevin