Accent and Fluency Courses
Why Use an Accent Coach?
The benefit of 25+ Years Experience
Apps, books, and online programs can teach you about accents—but they can’t give you the personalized, real-time feedback that truly drives change. That’s where one-on-one coaching makes all the difference.
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A skilled accent coach doesn’t just give you tips—they design a customized plan just for you, based on your speech, your patterns, and your goals. Even more powerful? The human connection. Live interaction creates emotional context, which helps your brain absorb and retain what you’re learning far better than any app ever could.
There’s simply no substitute for personalized coaching when it comes to real, lasting results.
How Long Does It Take?
10-20 Weeks for Lasting Improvement
There are two main phases in the process of changing accent. In the first phase, you acquire the tools you need to create change. Noticeable differences can occur even in the first few weeks. After completing a course, you will have the tools to move into the second phase: integration. This is where you continue to use your new skills and will self-correct until they become habit. This phase can take up to a year or more and continues even after you finish your course. As you use your new tools, you will integrate them more and more until eventually you use them without conscious effort.
1:1 Coaching Courses
The benefit of 25+ Years Experience
We will customize a 1-1 coaching course based on your needs. The purpose of accent coaching is to enable you to communicate clearly, confidently, and accurately in English, not to eliminate your native accent completely. Think of it as adding the Standard North American accent to your repertoire. Whether you require more accent clarity, efficient sentence structure, accurate vocabulary, or all of these, your coach will design your program to meet your communication challenges and objectives.
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All coaching courses meet once weekly for sixty-minute sessions. Your coach will determine which program will best meets your needs during a complimentary, online consultation. See examples of course content below.
Course Structure
Don't worry - your coach will choose the right course structure for you based on your needs and goals.
Flow
For those who want to speak with accent clarity and impact
By the end of this ten-week course you will speak with more confidence, clarity, and impact, be more easily understood, and you will have improved listening skills.
stress & syllable reduction
rhythm, phrasing, melody
intonation patterns
vowels & syllable length
consonants & clusters
voice, breath, projection
volume & rate of speech
practice & habit changing techniques
"I just completed a ten-week course with Michelle. I have learned so much from this training. I have learned the simplest pronunciation of each vowel, combinations of consonants, where to put the emphasis on phrasal nouns and verbs, and the rules of word stress. I have learned how to say /z/ and /i/ correctly, I have an understanding of phrasal verbs and I use them more often. My pronunciation has also improved. Words I thought I was saying right before, I was not! I feel more confident now.
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- Cinthia, Export Coordinator / Native language: Spanish
Fluency
For those who want to speak with fluency and precision
By the end of this fifteen-week course, you will be able to speak more clearly, fluently, and correctly; have a broader vocabulary, improved listening comprehension, more competence and self-assurance.
accent skills for clarity
vocabulary enhancement
syntax/word order
idiomatic language
structure & error correction
verb tenses
conversation strategies
cross cultural communication
"I did a 15-week course with the goal to improve fluency, intonation and reduce accent in order to communicate more clearly in a professional environment. Already halfway into the course, I noticed a significant improvement in my confidence level and I felt I was able to better express my thoughts without worrying about being misunderstood because of my accent. The breathing exercises, the techniques to improve vocabulary and intonation that Michelle taught me were practical and effective."
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- Simona, Research & Design Manager / Native Language: Italian
Function
For those who want to speak with accent clarity and impact, as well as fluency and precision
By the end of this twenty-week course, you’ll not only speak with more ease, confidence, and accent clarity, you’ll also use higher level, more native-like vocabulary. You’ll know which prepositions and grammar to employ, and how to state your ideas to command attention.
stress & syllable reduction
rhythm, phrasing, melody
intonation patterns
vowels & syllable length
consonants & clusters
voice, breath, projection
volume & rate of speech
practice & habit changing techniques
structure & error correction
vocabulary enhancement strategies
syntax/word order
pronunciation
idiomatic language
verb tenses
conversation strategies
cross cultural communication
"I am originally from Malaysia. I have lived in the US for the past 40 years and yet I am still speaking with a moderate accent. In my profession as CFO, I am conducting business and financial presentations regularly and noticing that my audiences had some difficulties understanding me as I have been asked to repeat myself periodically, especially over audio conference calls. I decided to pursue an English accent reduction course recently to sharpen my spoken English.
I had the great fortune to take a result-oriented course provided by EnglishWorks. Michelle Knoop is such an inspiring and effective coach. After a short, 20-week course, I have learned so many techniques to speak clearly. I am now super confident in my presentation as I rarely have to repeat myself!"
- Raymond, CFO / Native Language: Malaysian
Method
Accent coaching involves intense focus on the discrete sounds as well as the rhythm and melody of American English, and the use of breath, voice, and kinetic techniques to support clear and effective communication. ​We use a structured, systematically-organized approach...
It starts with the basics: Breaking English down into its smallest components (consonants, vowels, and clusters) provides a solid foundation for accurate pronunciation.
- Incudes systematic practice: Practicing sounds in progressive stages (words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, natural speech) reinforces learning.
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Makes use of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA): This is a great tool for precise pronunciation, independent of spelling variations.
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Highlights suprasegmentals: Focusing on intonation and rhythm helps with natural-sounding speech.
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Lots of feedback and modeling: These are essential for learning proper techniques.
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Personalized practice: Weekly focus areas, session videos, workbook, and custom worksheets cater to individual needs.
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Practice techniques: Teaching breath, voice, listening, and shadowing skills ensures clients’ independent practice is effective and efficient.
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Evaluation: The pre- and post-diagnostics help track progress and motivate improvement.
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Realistic expectations: Acknowledging the need for focus, routine, and patience sets realistic expectations for success.
Courses Include:
Diagnostic assessments pre- and post-course
The American Accent Workbook
Customized worksheets and exercises for your specific issues
Between-session email support
Video recordings of each session (downloadable)
