Communicating Spoken English with Clarity

Increase your company’s negotiation skills and communicative power

Many employers feel that their staff require some assistance in terms of polishing their speech, but don’t know where to start when it comes to commissioning training. Communications skills are an important part of any business. Elocution tuition doesn’t just focus upon softening accents and clearing up diction, it’s about having complete control of the voice and the message that is delivered to your clients.

Those who have complete control over their voice avoid misunderstandings, as they have control of what is taken from each and every conversation that they have. There is a big difference between being listened to and delivering the right message. When we choose our words carefully and emphasise those that we wish to have more weight our message comes across much more clearly.

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.