It’s surprising and sometimes discouraging, how often we are judged by the way we speak. Overseas-born professionals can find it difficult to have their skills recognised in a new environment because of the way their accent is interpreted. Through interactive workshops focusing on speech sounds, intonation and social context, you’ll identify your own trouble spots and learn techniques to enhance your spoken English in order to reinforce your professional capabilities.

Course Content

Week 1: Introduction to the various elements of pronunciation and discussion of individual needs and objectives

• What is pronunciation?
• Individual needs and objectives
• Phonemes and sounds in isolation – consonants

Week 2: Intonation: Rising and falling speech patterns and inflection

• Voice and vocal quality
• Summary of the group’s needs and objectives
• Intonation: rising and falling speech patterns
• Intonation: inflection
• Sounds in isolation – consonants

Week 3: Rhythm – word and sentence stress

• Accent awareness
• Making use of the media
• Understanding syllables and syllable stress
• Word and sentence Stress
• Rhythm
• Sounds in isolation – consonants

Week 4: Linking in connected speech

• Spelling and pronunciation
• The ‘disembodied’ voice
• Connected speech: linking and sound mergers
• Sounds in isolation – consonants in final position

Week 5: Breath and voice quality; volume and chunking

• Volume
• Australian-English voices
• Chunking
• Word final sounds
• Introduction of final project
• Sounds in isolation – vowels

Week 6: Individual feedback and Suggestions for further Self-Study

• Body language
• Sounds in isolation – wrap-up
• Individual presentations and feedback
• Summing it all up
• Suggestions for self-study

Course Outcomes

At the end of the course participants will have a personal awareness of their English usage and pronunciation so that they can continue to address accent reduction and refinement after the course.

Suitable for

This course is suitable for advanced second-language English speakers who have a high level vocabulary and grammar knowledge. Please note that this course does not provide instruction in English grammar, writing, spelling or comprehension.