Public Speaking and Presentation Skills: The Academy of Communication

CORPORATE TRAINING IN SPOKEN ENGLISH

English – its importance world wide
English is the language of the Internet and many major global organisations. It is also the language of aviation and, to a large extent, IT and the leisure industry. It is estimated that currently at least one billion people throughout the world speak English. However, this does not necessarily mean that all these English speakers understand each other.

Speaking English - what goes wrong
The difficulty arises where many entrants to the world of English speaking business have studied the language in their native land. There they have often been taught by those who have not been born and brought up in England. The result is that, although a person may complete their English studies with a good understanding of basic English grammar and word usage, they haven’t learned the pronunciation, tones, tunes and rhythms that are so fundamental to a truly English accent and delivery.

Remedial work
Small children, desiring to be understood, studiously copy the pronunciation, rhythm and tone of their parents, siblings and carers. Thus, they grow up with the language, dialect and accent that are a careful reproduction of those closest to them during their formative years. It therefore follows that, to truly master spoken English, a non-native speaker must study to re-train every muscle of their face, mouth, jaw and tongue to assume a really English sounding delivery.

Method
The Academy of Communication’s unique Spoken English Programs are designed to help clients make a physical shift in the positioning of their voice, from the familiar, learned place of their formative years, to a more ‘English’ position. However, a person’s ‘accent’ is dictated not only by the positioning of their voice, but also how they actually pronounce the 15 or so key sounds that constitute the ‘core’ element of spoken English words.

Background
Valentine Palmer, Principal of the Academy of Communication, has made a life time’s study of the way in which speech across the world is formed. For many years he was a successful singer, actor and producer in radio, film, TV and advertising in the UK, Holland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Malta, Australia and the US. Over the past 10 years he has helped clients from a dozen countries to improve their spoken English. They come from Russia, Rumania, Japan, China, Germany, Poland, Ghana, Nigeria, India, Shri Lanka, the US and the Gulf States. Valentine has appeared on the UK’s Channel 5 and BBC TV as a voice expert and is regularly quoted in the national press.

The Academy of Communication’s Spoken English courses are both industry specific and regional specific. They also cover basic, intermediate and advanced levels of spoken English.

The Basic Level
This is mostly concerned with conquering English vowel sounds and other key sounds that form the core of so many important and often wrongly pronounced English words.

The Intermediary Level
This level involves the assimilation of the tunes, tones and rhythms of the English language that so many non-native speakers find so hard to comprehend.

The Advanced Level
At this level students experience reading aloud in simulated newscasts and speeches. They also study the more difficult English sounds and learn to interpret the various regional and colonial versions of the English voice.

Trainings are bespoke tailored to the specific requirements of the person or persons studying spoken English. Courses can be delivered one-to-one, in groups or via telephone and video conferencing facilities. All trainings are supported by e-learning books (also available in hard copy), downloadable audio and video support, as well as audio CDs and video DVDs. Remedial work for many of the more usual speech defects can also be carried out, together with on-going telephone tutorials where required.

One-to-one coaching for senior management, VPs and CEOs is strongly recommended, in order to attain an advanced level of spoken English in the shortest possible time. Courses can also be tailored to a particular industry.

Some of the vital things learned in our spoken English courses.

How your voice works
Common Spoken English difficulties
Key sounds in Spoken English
Primary Sounds and their importance
Articulation exercises
Secondary Sounds and their usage
Other important sounds
How words look and sound
Doing business in English
Difficult Sounds
The ‘lazy tongue’
Variations in English pronunciation