Claudette Roche is a dialect coach who teaches accent reduction. She teaches foreign and American accents to actors and business persons/executives. In 2010 she was named as one of The Top 5 Voice Coaches by Hollywood Weekly Magazine.

COVID-19 has flipped the world upside down. It’s led many individuals and businesses to utilize technology more than ever before.

Online PR News – 02-June-2021 – Vero Beach, FL – COVID-19 has flipped the world upside down. It’s led many individuals and businesses to utilize technology more than ever before. With countless individuals working from home, the use of ZOOM, Go-To-Meeting, and other applications has skyrocketed. In fact, many individuals are using them on a regular basis to communicate with their colleagues, bosses, or clients. Today, Claudette Roche, The Accent Coach, has a few tips and tricks to help everyone utilize this technology in the best way possible for clear and concise communication.

Roche says, “The great part of this pandemic is that technology allows us to still be productive and connect with colleagues and clients, while safely self-isolating. Yet, there’s also a major problem with this fact. That easy and relaxed way you’re used to speaking has become problematic.”

This is especially true for those with accents. Technology allows individuals to communicate, yet it can also make it hard to understand each other when compared to in-person communication. Roche elaborates, “I’ve had to turn down the sound of ZOOM calls just because some people speak very sharply and that is very prominent coming through headphones or computer speakers. However, I think if we all really focus on making sure we are communicating properly, great things can happen.”

The Accent Coach further expands on this, “Making sure your vowels are strong and your consonants vibrate can work wonders when it comes to getting your point across on video or teleconference calls. For example, with start versus stop, these two words have very different meanings. Yet, it’s easy to mix up when a person’s pronunciation isn’t clear. The same goes for won’t versus want.”

The Accent Coach also illustrates that relaxing one’s vocal cords is important here. “You should focus on proper pronunciation, as well as relaxing your vocal cords. And yes, this might sound a little contradictory. Generally, I often explain this as trying to get your voice to come out as a warm MMM sound. This gives way to a powerful and confident voice that others can understand.”