Reviews
Reviews

A few words from some of our clients.

Reviews

Tony Brown, CFA – Suntrust Bank

“I am a professional who has always had very strong technical skills, but weaker verbal communication skills throughout most of my career. However, my current employer had confidence in me and wanted to help strengthen those verbal communications skills. Although my current employer has onsite training courses for strengthening communication and presentation skills, the courses did not serve my needs as I had more structural concerns. Given that my weak communications skills were deeper than a two-day course, my employer approved a voice therapist to improve my pronunciation and speech. I started the course around mid-January, 2010 and due to tremendous strides, I received a raise and was rated higher for my mid-year performance review. The American English School was able to identify my speech issues immediately and provided a custom program. Most of my co-workers, friends and family could notice a difference after only a few weeks of training. Earlier in my career, I would tend to overcompensate with my technical skills for my weaker communications skills. However, it wasn’t until my career began to stall that I realized that I had to address this issue. Although former communication courses and speaking clubs, such as Toastmasters, are great, they were beneficial only to a certain point. The American English School gave me real confidence because I could hear a real change in my speech. This improved my confidence tremendously as the one thing that was holding me back was now becoming a non-issue. Now my technical skills are even more visible as I am able to explain clearly to my peers and clients complex analysis. The American English School has helped provide a credible voice for a wonderful mind.

Natalia Duque - Dallas, Texas

“I wasn’t oblivious to the unsolicited attention my accent attracted. It wasn’t the head-turning or the constant ‘where are you from? I hear an accent’ that propelled me to work with a speech pathologist, but the inevitable association everyone seemed to draw from it. As a lawyer, an accent was a disability: an incapacitating condition that undermined my credibility as an advocate and even called into question my competence. For a year, Donna Hope worked with me one-on-one; teaching me not only the phonetics, but the idiomatic expressions of the English language. She focused on the sounds that caused me more trouble and helped me get rid, once and for all, of my accent. The result, priceless. It has been the best investment I have ever made. But the best validation of my progress has been the ability to carry on a conversation without triggering the infallible “where are you from? I hear an accent.”

A Japanese neurologist-researcher

I cannot thank you enough for your revision. I can do increasing international jobs with your help.

Sergio M.

I'm writing to contratulate you on this incredible book. I'm an English teacher from Sao Paulo, Brazil,
who, after a careful search on Amazon.com, decided on YOUR book for a student who had just finished Ann Cook's American Accent Training. While I must admit that upon unwrapping the package, I was a little disappointed in its content since it's totally devoid of the supra segmental/prosodic aspects of speech, my passion for it sprang up as both my students and Istarted "unraveling" its secrets, capitulating to its ingenious framework, namely:
1) a thorough, detailed study of segments;
2) a genuine interest in promoting awareness of one's own speech;
3) recycling and expansion throughout the units;
4) stimulating, real-life sentences;
5) student-friendly, clear instructions on both articulation and production;
6) effective targeting of students' needs.

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