A half-day online workshop for eight participants from any language family followed by 45-minute individual coaching sessions in the afternoon. This is then supplemented by two further individual 45-minute coaching sessions in the following two weeks.

Half-day workshop

The half-day workshop begins with an overview of the process of accent reduction and the common misconceptions that surround it. It then explores the difference between enunciation and pronunciation, i.e.,  saying a word clearly and saying a word correctly. Time is spent identifying the challenges facing those learning English and practical exercises introduce articulation, i.e., the physical act of using the tongue, jaw, teeth, lips, palate, and breath to create the correct sounds. During the coffee break, the trainers do a preliminary evaluation of the participants and agree on who they will work with.

Coaching sessions

The first session follows immediately after the workshop. This establishes the baseline for each participant where the trainers note specific areas that need to be worked on in the following two weeks. Each participant is given one issue to practice for Week 2. (e.g. for Spanish speakers, the -ed sound).

In the second session, the group meets together for a briefing and to do some speaking exercises  (up to one hour). The trainers give immediate feedback on enunciation, pronunciation, and clarity of communication. The individual coaching sessions are then scheduled, where the trainers evaluate the progress made by participants with the exercises from Week 1. Using prepared texts and other visuals tailored to the needs of each participant, the session focuses on practice and correction. Participants are given specific exercises to work on during the week.

For the third session, the group meets for group practice, but this time, in addition to the trainers’ feedback, they give feedback to each other. The individual session times are agreed upon, where the trainers evaluate the progress made by participants with the exercises from Week 2. Using prepared texts and other visuals tailored to the needs of each participant, the session focuses on practice and correction. Trainers also advise on specific areas to work on going forward.

After each session, participants receive a written report from their trainer evaluating their progress and assigning homework for the following week. A final evaluation report is also sent to the commissioning department.