Communicate with Eloquence

Vary pitch, pace, intonation, volume & tone

Take your time to breathe & pause

 

People enquire about elocution lessons for a variety of reasons, but all those who decide to pursue it realise the importance of creating rapport and 'being listened to'. If you speak with clarity and eloquence, your audience will be captivated. Speaking with clarity is particularly useful at business meetings, interviews and conferences, but imagine your friends, family and partners hanging on your every word. When people really listen to what you say, you feel more valued and confident.

We offer Elocution lessons to both native English speakers, and those learning English as a foreign or second language. The format of lessons depends very much on individual needs and may focus on some or all of the following areas:

• Pronunciation of individual sounds
• Clarity and diction
• Pause
• Intonation, pitch, pace and tone
• Word and syllable emphasis
• Correct breathing

After ascertaining any specific pronunciation problems, the teacher creates exercises to suit the student's needs. These often take the form of 'tongue twisters'.

For best results it is recommended that the student practises the exercises created during lessons at least once a day. As well as helping with specific elocution problems, these exercises should make students more aware of the different muscles in their mouth and throat.

We often use drama as a study tool. As well as working on the pronunciation of individual sounds, we also highlight the importance of things such as word/syllable stress, pitch and pause. Our teachers often use extracts from plays or books, or devise role plays to suit the individual needs of the student. In the past, we have taught actors, young professionals, investment bankers and recent graduates, all looking to further their careers.

Our director, Francesca, previously taught a course in pronunciation and drama at Brunel University in West London.

 

A snap shot of our methods

We might give the following rhyme to students who struggle with the ? sound:

I thought when I thanked him that he would thoughtfully thank me back.

We would demonstrate the tongue, teeth and lip movements ourselves and then put this down in writing for the student to refer back to:

'Thought':

1. The tip of the tongue should be resting in between the teeth and lips.
2. Draw your tongue back in through your teeth (you should be able to feel your teeth against your tongue). As you do this, push air out between your teeth and tongue to make the ? sound.
3. The ? sound should be closely followed by the next vowel sound, and then the consonant 't' in order to pronounce the word 'thought'.

For best results we recommend practising the exercises created during lessons at least once a day. As well as helping with specific problems, such as ?, s, ei, and the very British sound a:, these exercises should make you more aware of the different muscles in your mouth and throat. English speakers generally speak quite softly and use the back of their throats, whilst speakers of other languages may use the front of their mouths or use a different emphasis on words.

Please see a few examples of tongue twisters below: the common sounds have been highlighted in order to emphasise how different combinations of vowels and consonants can create the same sound in English words.

Other Tongue Twisters:

1. My father and brother thought *that I was thinking of *them when I thought to say thank you.
2. Six sailors slept on the sea shores of South Africa every summer.
3. Fred fed the thousands with bread and water.
4. Six little cricketers fixed their tiny wickets in Wimbledon.
5. Eight mates lay awake contemplating their fate.

*Please note: 'that' and 'them' require a slightly softer sound.