Speak Better with Rebecca Linquist

What do you react to in communication that weakens your effectiveness or undermines your confidence? Just being aware of it is the first step. After that, it's all about being in control of your responses, realizing what your options are, and more mindfully choosing a response that matches your communication goals. Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

It's hard enough in your native tongue to show the right level of confidence by sounding assertive, not aggressive, let alone to do it in another language. This episode discusses what you need to navigate to sound confident and show conviction without being perceived as being aggressive or over-confident, a fine balance at times! Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

When learning to perfect your speech in American  English, exaggeration is a great way to learn new patterns and strengthen the right muscles. This episode discussion what to exaggerate and how to do it systematically to create results! Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

Many of us don't realize what muscles we engage when we speak, and often non-native speakers spend hours practicing without getting results because they are using different muscles or not engaging them the same way a native speaker would. Also, we attribute certain personality qualities like shyness or lack of confidence to someone who speaks with weak muscle engagement. Learn how engaging th...

Many of us exercise for our health, but there are added benefits for your voice if you use certain types of exercise, like  Zumba. In this episode, Rebecca discusses how movement with sound can enhance your speech, act as a warm-up, and essentially fast track you for success by getting the double benefit of supporting your health and your voice! Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

One of the biggest questions prospective speech and accent reduction clients have asked over the years is how to get their companies to pay for their coaching. It's a big game changer for the organization people work for, so it's important to involve them in the process, and it's often the only way you can get the systematic correction you need if you are someone who struggles with...

This is without a doubt THE most common question people ask when it comes to speech in general, and even accent in particular. The most common feedback non-native speakers are given by American English first language speakers is to SLOW DOWN. Is this good advice? If not really, then what can you do instead? Let's explore this! Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

Japanese and Korean speakers have even, flat tones that make their languages similar, especially when it comes to mastering the American English accent. What can these native speakers do to improve their ability to learn the American accent? Let's find out! Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

There are many flavors of Spanish from Mexican to Peruvian to Argentinian to Ecuadorian to Castilian, and many more! What do all these flavors of Spanish have in common when attempting to learn American English? Listen to this episode to learn more! Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

What about commonalities when it comes to "tonal" languages that generally have a number of different tones native speakers can control. How are these languages different from American English and what can speakers of these languages as mother tongues do to improve their spoken American English? Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

A common response to the question of French speakers acquiring an American Accent is "Why would they want to?" Of course, Americans in general have a fondness for the French accent, yet many native speakers still desire to change it, possibly to "fit in" or simply to be heard and understood. Learn what French speakers can work on to acquire an American Accent more readily. Want...

The diversity of India includes potentially 122 major languages and 1599 "other" languages, potentially dialects?  (according to Wikipedia). Regardless of the actual number, this level of diversity calls for an episode of its own on commonality when acquiring an American Accent. Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

It's even easier to identify commonalities when comparing languages that have certain similarities, as these do. This episode dives into what Russian, Ukrainian & Bulgarian first languages speakers can all work on to improve how their speech is "heard" and responded to by American English speakers and listeners. Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

We often assume that every first language has different issues with acquiring an American Accent, yet many non-native speakers share more in common than they may realize. This episode seeks to capture the areas non-native speakers have in common to help demystify and uncomplicate what's required to obtain an American Accent. Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

Sounding confident is the ideal, but some of us come off as arrogant or indecisive instead. How you change that? Listen to this episode. Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

Why do so many people struggle with the American "r" sound? How is it different? Does it matter? What happens if you use a different "r" sound when speaking English? If you want to acquire the American "r" sound in your speech, what should you do? These issues and more are discussed in this episode. Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

When speaking to others, we often make facial movements and gestures, and sometimes we don't make any at all. We also make these movements in different ways and at different speeds. Often we aren't aware of what we do, and this episode addresses the non-verbal side of communication in American English. Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

Speech qualities can allude many of us. We may not know we have a certain quality, and we may find out about it from others and not know how to change it. Learn more about what "throaty" articulation refers to and how you might address it. Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

We all intuitively know that our non-verbal communication speaks louder than our verbalized speech, but have you ever thought about how the two fit together? If there's a disconnect, you could be alienating your audience by sending messages that are not consistent. Especially if you are working on your speech in American English and have made some changes, it's important to revisit how w...

In American English, we need to use all of our "articulators" (our lips, tongue, jaw, and mouth) to ensure we create sounds that are well formed and clear. This episode discusses the exercises you can do to work on effective articulation in American English. Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

It's critically important to ensure you have the best posture and breathing  working in your favor when speaking to others. How can you become aware of your patterns and shift them if needed? This episode addresses these issues. Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

A common concern for people working on their speech, delivery, accent and presence, is how do you integrate everything you learn? This episode addresses how to stay focused on what you need to change to ensure results when dealing with multiple sources and areas of change. Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

If you are nervous about public speaking, or if English isn't your first language, you may "script" your presentations, but as you will realize over time, these "scripted" presentations are not as powerful as they could be. How can you move from "scripted" to "unscripted" without losing your messaging to engage your audience more fully? This episode add...

As speakers, we all want  to sound natural and authentic, but how do you achieve that when your first language isn't English, and there are many best practices to follow? This episode addresses that topic. Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com

We are often told to "check" for things with our audience: whether they are engaged or not, how well they understand, or how clear we are being. This episode addresses how to do that in American English effectively. Want to learn more? www.englishbythehour.com