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It fascinates me to listen to interviews with actors whose real-life accents are different from the roles they play. For example, Hugh Laurie’s British accent is not evident in his character Dr. Gregory House on House M.D. Nicole Kidman sounds like a native speaker of American English, despite her Australian roots. And Renee Zellweger is on point with her British accent in Bridget Jones’s Diary, despite that she is an American from Texas.
(To hear these actors and others: http://www.backstage.com/news/15-actors-who-masterfully-hide-their-natural-accents/)
How do they do it? Please, don’t cringe…you’ve heard this before: practice, practice, practice!
You may be thinking, Of course they practice. It’s part of their job, and they get paid to do it.
But let’s consider this: In any professional setting, speaking clearly is part of the job, too! Individuals who communicate accurately and efficiently maximize opportunities for success.
If you are striving to improve the clarity and accuracy of your spoken American English, by modifying a foreign accent or regional dialect, then practice you must!
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Think of your next presentation or phone call with a client as a performance that will be viewed, reviewed, and rewarded if successful. Practice and rehearsal are the keys to rave reviews!
Image credit: Eva Rinaldi