Speaking clearly is not an area of difficulty affecting just non-native speakers.  Clear speech is comprised of good pronunciation, accurate tongue movement, breath support, voice projection and good resonance.  The difference is, native speakers don’t need to deal with the complexity of a second language, or sounds that doesn’t exist in their native tongue. 

Listen to speakers in your environment…. both native and non-native.  Do you recognize Mumbling Mike?  He speaks with little mouth movement.  His speech is garbled, and you may have difficulty hearing and understanding him.  He just doesn’t take the time to ‘enunciate’ his words.  He may also lack volume and voice projection, making his poor sound production even worse.

The perception of Mumbling Mike is that he is either lazy, or too preoccupied with what he is doing to care about his listeners.  These are not good ways to be perceived.  Individuals who speak like our friend Mike need to concentrate on clarity.  Practicing with a reduced rate of speech will allow him time to place the tongue carefully for sound production.  If he watches himself in a mirror, he can look for tongue and lip movement.  If his mouth is mostly closed, he won’t be able to see those important /l/, n, t and d, k and g placements.

Bringing your good speech to work is part of the job, just like dressing appropriately.  You don’t wear whatever is lying around; you make sure your colors coordinate and your clothes are clean.  Your speech should be attended to with equal care.   You shouldn’t be satisfied with whatever ‘comes out’.  It should be thoughtful and carefully articulated. 

If you are a Mumbling Mike, or have difficulty pronouncing the sounds of English, help is available.  Coaching will give you the necessary skills to speak your best.  Our program offers group programs for executives and employees who wish to improve the clarity of their speech. 

Sharon Heffley is a speech-language pathologist specializing in communication skills for accented individuals.   She can be reached at 703-757-5353 or visit her website at www.accentmodification.com