JESSICA D TURNER. Your Accent Is Not the Problem - A Conversation About English Pronunciation Training

🎧 Speaking of Talking: Your Accent Is Not the Problem: A Conversation About English Pronunciation TrainingGuest: Jessica D. Turner, Speech Coach and Accent Specialist, Jenni Steck Voice & Speech ServicesEpisode SummaryIn this episode, Jenni sits down with her colleague, Jessica D. Turner, to talk about English pronunciation training - often called "accent reduction." They start with an uncomfortable question: who decided one accent is the standard? From there, they cover the mechanics of American English sounds, the role of rhythm and stress, and why a word can be pronounced correctly and still not land the way the speaker intended. The conversation also moves into territory that does not often make it into clinical discussions: the identity piece, the frustration, the clients who arrive because their boss sent them, and the ones who get emotional in the middle of a session and are not sure why. Jessica has been doing this work for more than twenty years. She came to it the same way her clients did, by having to change something about her own voice and discovering what was possible when she did.In This EpisodeWhy the term “accent reduction” is both useful and misleading, and what Jessica actually calls the goal of this work.The difference between sounds, rhythm, stress, and inflection, and why each one matters for being understood.Why the music of a language can cause communication breakdowns even when every word is pronounced correctly.What clients who switch between languages throughout the workday are managing, and how Jessica helps them make the transition.Why 20 minutes of daily practice beats two hours on the weekend, and how muscle memory works in pronunciation change.Guest BioJessica D. Turner is a speech coach, accent specialist, actor, and voice-over artist with more than twenty years of experience helping adults communicate with clarity and confidence. She holds a BFA from Southern Methodist University and was trained in the International Phonetic Alphabet and voice placement through both her undergraduate and graduate programs. She works with international professionals, executives, attorneys, physicians, and public speakers. Jessica coaches at Jenni Steck Voice & Speech Services in Dallas, Texas.Quote of the Episode“I am not trying to change who you are. I have no interest in that, because who you are is fantastic. What I am trying to help with is your communication so that you can be more free within it.”Jessica D. TurnerMentions and ResourcesJenni Steck Voice & Speech Services: https://jennisteck.comAccent Reduction Program (Silver, Gold, and Platinum packages): https://jennisteck.com/programs/accent-reduction-workshop/NPR story on how the brain decodes spoken language through volume and stress patterns: "Brain Uses Loudness Of Vowels To Process Speech Into Syllables" 🔗 ⁠https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/11/20/780988618/the-loudness-of-vowels-helps-the-brain-break-down-speech-into-syl-la-bles⁠