Struggle to Understand A Foreign Accent?
Ever heard the phrase “It’s not you, it’s me?” Frequently, it is an excuse that is used by someone in a relationship who is breaking up with the other person.
But the same can be said for the listener who is struggling to understand people speaking with foreign accent…”It’s not you, it’s me!” The listener has ownership in the problem, too.
The problem may not be just your pronunciation or fluency of the English language. The listener could be having a harder time processing your accented speech. Someone who has not heard a wide variety of accents, for example, will have a harder time understanding different accents than someone who has had that exposure.
Why do you have such a hard time understanding some accents? Research shows that when you hear someone speak, you already have an idea of how the language is supposed to sound. When it doesn’t quite fit, you have to work a little harder to sort it out. And that requires mental energy. This process slows you down, which means your comprehension is diminished. You’re still trying to figure out what someone has said when the conversation has already moved on.
What can you do to overcome the struggle to understand an accent?
- Ask the speaker to slow down.
- Expose yourself to different accents.
- Send a follow up email to make sure you clearly understood.
- If the phone connection is bad, ask if you can call them back.
- If the conversation is taking place in a loud room, ask to move to a quieter place.
A successful conversational exchange is always two-sided. It requires energy from both sides. Being aware of the fact that you may find a conversation with non-native English speaker a bit of struggle, will help you remember to stay focused and implement the ideas above to help make the conversation go as smoothly as possible.
If you are struggling to be understood, there are strategies to help you become easier to understand, too. ClearlySpeaking offers several courses to help you master pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, pitch, tone and more. Sometimes, just mastering one or two things is enough to make communication much clearer. In other words, we don’t believe that your accent needs to be eliminated. We can help you make a few changes so that you are more easily understood.
If you are looking to elevate your brand, have you considered changing the way that you sound? My book will help you get started with awareness of the speech, language and voice characteristics that contribute to your brand. Learn and master them.
Tags: foreign accent modification