An article from the UK’s Guardian newspaper discusses accent in the context of public speaking, and makes the point that even when speaking with an accent, it will sound much more pleasant to the listener if it is not nasal.

“The nicest sounding voices are spoken through the mouth rather than through the nose and you can achieve this through simple vocal exercises to strengthen your soft palate. … You can have a strong accent but spoken through the mouth it will sound rich and warm, and people like accents because they sound friendly.”

This is true here in the States as well. While your ultimate goal may be to reduce your “strong accent”, you can get a lot of mileage out of this tip between now and then by speaking more from your chest and mouth, and less through your nose. If you’re not sure whether your speech sounds nasal or not, try resting your fingertips on your nose while you speak… if you feel a strong vibration, your speech may be too nasal-sounding for your American listeners.

Please post a comment if you’d like some tips on reducing the nasality of your speech!