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How to Improve Your Accent

Although I have quit working for the call center industry and decided to pursue another career, I  still support call centers and promote it to other people, most especially to the students graduating this year. Some graduates though may not consider the call center industry very appealing.Maybe some are just not confident enough with their English grammar and pronunciation. So, they opt to put an X mark on the Customer Service Representative on their list of possible jobs and consider other normal day jobs with of course, normal salaries. I am not saying that the call center is the only option for making money after college. I am just trying to emphasize that if you want a job right after graduation and want to earn decent money, being a CSR would be a good option. For those who share my perspective, I would like to help you out on how to improve your accent. Just for the record, if you want to apply in a call center, it doesn't necessarily mean that you must have an American accent. They don't expect you to sound like CNN reporters or Britney Spears. You just need to sound professional. This means that you don't stammer and grasp for words and most of all, you must not have a thick accent. They prefer it slim and thin. So consider learning to slim down your accent like a work out. I'm just going to share with you the steps that I have learned on how to speak English fluently and it is up to you on how you are going to work it out.

 STEP 1:LOVE WHAT YOU LEARN!

First of all, before learning anything in general, you must love what you learn. If you want to learn to speak English fluently, you must ignore the notions that you will sound "maarte" and that you will be like a "stinky fish" and will feel like you've betrayed our national hero. You are doing this because you don't want to be a bum. Thus, you are actually a responsible citizen who will be contributing to the country's economy through paying your TAX!

STEP 2:

THINK IN ENGLISH!

Once you've come to love how Americans sound, the next step would be to think like an American, which means that you should always think in English. I assure you that this is very effective. When I was in high school, I was an MTV fanatic. It was my ultimate dream to be a VJ or a DJ. I just thought they sound cool and they get to do a lot of talking. I tried my best to sound like them. I was always alone at home so I had a lot of chance experimenting. At first, I would just imitate the exact words that they say like MTV's Most Wanted phone numbers, email and address. But later on, I got ambitious and wanted to say more than contact info’s. So I tried to imitate them when they introduce music videos but I would always stammer not knowing what words would be appropriate to say. I thought to myself that if I speak my own dialect, I don't stammer. I realized that the reason that I don't stammer is because I think in my own dialect. The words would just automatically come out of my mouth like most of us do, because we speak what we think. From then on, I had an epiphany to always think in English. So every chance I get like walking home from school, I would recall the events of the day in English. It was a good practice. It also helped me out in expressing my thoughts in class clearly. Unfortunately though, I did not become a VJ or DJ. I became a call center agent instead, which is not that bad I suppose. At least I got the chance to say websites and phone numbers and I got the chance to talk a lot.

STEP 3:

WATCH AMERICAN SHOWS

Since you've trained your mind to think in English, it would be now easier to understand it as well. It is important to know this because you will be talking to Americans from different states with different accents. You will hear people who sound like Larry King, Ellen Degeneres, Chris Tucker, and Jackie Chan. So considering this, I would highly recommend you should watch late night American shows. You can also watch TV series like Desperate Housewives, CSI, and Alias. Watching Rush Hour 1,2, and 3 is also a must! =) Observe the way the characters speak, interact, and make comments. Take note of the idiomatic expressions that they use as well. It may come in handy during interviews or when taking in calls. I guess it is also more effective to watch comedy sitcoms like Friends and Will and Grace. If you get their jokes and laugh, then you're on the right track. Just make sure you're not pretending to get the joke even if you didn't understand a thing. ;-)

STEP 4:

READ! READ! READ!

Reading English materials is very important too. This will enhance your vocabulary skills. It really doesn't matter what you read as long as the grammar is correct. If you're the type of person who likes reading, then this should not be hard for you. But if you're the type that considers reading a punishment, don't fret, because there are other ways to read. You can probably try reading the newspaper. You can read the Entertainment section and check your horoscope. Skip the Tagalog Comics. You can also read Archie or Marvel or Mangga or even the writings at the back of your favorite junk food. Just right after you've picked the reading material of your choice, read them aloud. Make sure you're not in the bus, subway, or public restroom while you're doing this. You may do this before going to sleep, during commercial breaks, or when you just don’t have better things to do. By reading aloud, you will be able to assess how you sound and what vowels you need to work on. While you're at it, be mindful of the grammar as well. You need to match your accent with a decent grammar to make it believable. For a much more dramatic effect to achieve your goal, you can also record your voice. This will serve as your reference on your progress.

STEP 5:

BE PATIENT!

Being patient is always a virtue. You can't do all these overnight. It takes a lot of effort, guts, and practice. Like I said earlier, it is like an exhausting body work out. But you'll know in the end that all the sweat is worth it. You'll know it on your first payday and you will be surprised how good you are as a responsible tax-paying citizen.