7 Ways to Tactfully Suggest Accent Reduction for Professionals

Signs of International Communication Barriers

You’ve probably been in this position.  You are trying to communicate with an intelligent professional who speaks with a strong accent.  You are expending more and more effort trying to understand them.  You lose focus on what they’re saying and start focusing on HOW they’re saying it.  You try to have them repeat and it still doesn’t help.  You give them nonverbal cues like tilting your head, turning your ear to them, furrowing and raising your brows, shaking your head.

Common International Communication Frustrations

Where have your efforts gotten you?  If you are fortunate, the professional picked up on your cues and TRIED to repair communication with you.  However, in most cases, the accented person doesn’t have the TOOLS to know HOW TO REPAIR the communication breakdown.  You probably:

1. Still don’t understand the accented professional
2. Feel bad because they are trying to communicate and can’t
3. Either stop trying to communicate or
4. Pretend you know what they’re saying.

When to Refer an Accented Professional

Should you say anything to someone who speaks with an accent?  The answer is YES if you have employed the following approaches and you still have problems understanding this person.  If you are similar to the majority of humans, you are not comfortable telling an accented professional that she has a barrier due to her accent.

7  Tactful Sensitive Approaches for an Individual who Speaks with an Accent

1. Take Responsibility.  Try to repair communication breakdown by doing the following:
2. Be honest.  Gently tell them you didn’t understand what they said.
3. Be gently persistent. Continue to ask them to repeat what they’ve said.
4. Be flexible.  In addition to asking them to repeat, ask them to “Please say it again slower for me” or “Please say it using different words”.
5. Use body language.  Naturally let your face and rest of your body show your confusion with understanding them.
6. Be compassionate.  Let them know you respect them and their qualifications, skills, experience, and even their personality and that you’re sorry you do not understand them.  When you still have difficulty after employing the preceding approaches,
7. Give her the gift of referral to an accent modification specialist.  Let them know that because you RESPECT them and you want yourself and others to FULLY BENEFIT from their services, you want them to know of a UNIQUE CUSTOMIZED SERVICE specifically designed for helping QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS like them: accent modification.

Congratulations for doing your part to help accented professionals!  When you take responsibility for doing your part to repair communication breakdown, you empower yourself and accented professionals alike.

Take immediate action by referring accented professionals to FREE tools at masteryouraccent.com.  The accented professional can download the FREE  Transform your Accent: Transform your Life Kit and the FREE 3 Simple T-Variations: How to Reduce the Likelihood of being asked “What did you Say?” Kit at masteryouraccent.com.

Share your Experiences, Comment, or Ask Questions

We hope this blog was valuable to you.  Click on the comments section at the end of this article, scroll to the bottom, and leave a comment and/or question.  We’ll be happy to respond.  Let us hear about your experiences with accented professionals.  Perhaps you have examples of how communication has broken down with accented professionals.  Maybe you’ve referred accented professionals for accent modification.  Ask  any questions you have.

Here’s to you doing your part to repair international communication breakdown!

Master Your Accent empowers accented professionals to fully express their skills, talents, personalities, and spirits to advance their professional and personal lives! Their customized program results in mastering the American English sound patterns and cultural components not taught in any traditional English language programs.