1. What does Accent Reduction mean? Is it the same as English Pronunciation?
2. What does P-ESL mean?
3. Who can benefit from P-ESL?
4. What makes having a Speech Pathologist as my Instructor so important?
5. Why aren’t prices listed for your Core Programs?
6. How do you measure the percent improvement?
7. What is the difference between a Speech Screening and a Speech Evaluation?
8. I have noticed that programs are either 7 or 13 weeks in length. What if I want less than that?
9. How much do I have to practice?
10. Do your Core Programs address English as a Second Language skills (i.e., grammar or vocabulary)?
11. Do your Core programs address Public Speaking skills?
12. What if I am unable to attend a program session?
13. What happens if I need to quit in the middle of the program?

Answers

1. What does Accent Reduction mean? Is it the same as English Pronunciation?
A person’s accent is created by the combination of sound production, word stress, and intonation or rhythm patterns. The process of improving these areas is referred to as Accent Reduction. Our programs aim to help you achieve a more neutral accent, similar to the English spoken in US Midwestern states.
English Pronunciation and Accent Reduction are the same!

2. What does P-ESL mean?
“P-ESL” stands for “Pronouncing English as a Second Language.”

3. Who can benefit from P-ESL?
Participants of the P-ESL Program come from all walks of life: accountants, airline pilots, attorneys, college teachers and students, computer programmers, engineers, housewives, ministers and priests, physicians, sales people, secretaries, supervisors, receptionists, etc. ANY individual who has an "accent" can benefit from this program!

4. What makes having a Speech Pathologist as my Instructor so important?
A Speech Pathologist’s (SLP) main job is to modify communication skills and behaviors. The Bachelors and Masters level training for an SLP incorporates many technical areas, including phonetic analysis, oral anatomy and physiology, and the physical science of sound production. These skills make an SLP the most highly qualified individual to analyze an accent and then work on changing it.
In addition to earning their Bachelors and Masters Degrees, the SLP must receive their certification through their state of practice and the national certifying board for SLP’s, known as ASHA (The American Speech Language and Hearing Association). Finally, they earn further certification in the concentration of Accent Reduction, which is a process unique to Speech Pathologists.
No matter which program you choose, you should make certain that your trainer is an ASHA and Accent Reduction certified Speech Language Pathologist.

5. Why aren’t prices listed for your Core Programs?
Atlanta Accent Management is proud to offer customized Accent Reduction programs for clients who speak a variety of primary languages, have differing degrees of accent, and may experience time or financial constraints. The Core Programs we offer boast a high degree of improvement, in part, due to this customization. Each client (regardless of their native language), will be different in terms of their sound production abilities. Since our programs are customized according to a person’s number of sound difficulties, the length of a program cannot be determined unless one of our Speech Pathologists has the opportunity to phonetically analyze your speech. Once the Speech Screening has been completed, a recommended length of time for your program can be determined. This, in turn, will determine your program cost!

6. How do you measure the percent improvement?
Percentage of Improvement is obtained by first calculating the Number of Sound Errors from your Initial Speech Evaluation. At the end of your Accent Reduction program, the same Speech Evaluation is conducted. A Percentage Improvement Score is obtained using a formula to compare your performance both before and after the course.

7. What is the difference between a Speech Screening and a Speech Evaluation?
The Speech Screening and Speech Evaluation differ in the following ways:
1. Purpose: The Speech Screening is used to either 1.) Give you a general idea of your number of Sound Errors, which therefore helps to predict how much time your program should last (and the corresponding program cost) or 2.) Help to determine whether Accent Reduction is for you. The Speech Evaluation is used to develop your specific goals for your program.
2. Time of Administration: The Speech Screening takes the client approximately 15 to 30 minutes or less. The Speech Evaluation takes the client approximately 60 to 90 minutes.
3. Intensity: The Speech Screening is essentially a short Speech Evaluation. The Speech Evaluation is much more thorough (For example, it allows for phonetic analysis of every English sound several times each).

8. I have noticed that programs are either 7 or 13 weeks in length. What if I want less than that?
Changing your speech habits is a process. While some individuals have milder accents than others, improving the English Pronunciation of even an extremely mild accent requires more than a few lessons. More than 20 years of research has resulted in the Compton P-ESL Program options. Atlanta Accent Management, LLC will work with you to properly place you in the most appropriate program based on your needs.

9. How much do I have to practice?
In order to achieve at least 50 to 60% improvement in your English Pronunciation, you must dedicate at least one hour per day to practicing at home. This may seem intimidating, but you will learn that practice time includes both time spent with your handbook and CD-ROM or tapes, but also “real-life” practice throughout your day, so most Clients have no problem reaching this goal!

10. Do your Core Programs address English as a Second Language skills (i.e., grammar or vocabulary)?
In some ways our Accent Reduction programs do address grammar, although not formally. Your Instructor will model correct grammar while you work together. In addition, particularly if you request it, your Instructor will make necessary grammar corrections.
Vocabulary is addressed through exposure to practice words provided for each target sounds. Although many of these examples are very common English words, some aren’t. It is very common for vocabulary questions to come up during almost every session, which will lead to discussions on word meaning and usage.

11. Do your Core programs address Public Speaking skills?
Yes, our programs do address Public Speaking skills to some extent. Clients will have the chance to work on helpful Public Speaking strategies, such as, Voice Projection. In addition, the Clients will have an opportunity to do a short presentation and receive feedback towards the end of their program.
Despite the fact that our programs do loosely address Public Speaking, it should be emphasized that their primary focus is on Accent Reduction!

12. What if I am unable to attend a program session?
This depends on the program in which you are enrolled.
All Group Programs (7-Week Core, 13-Week Core, Scholarship, and Coffee Talk) are prescheduled and cannot be made-up. Because all Individual Programs (7-Week Core, 13-Week Core, and 1-on-1 Consultation) are arranged around your schedule, missed sessions can be rescheduled as long as a minimum 2-hour notice is given. If you feel you may have to miss more than one session, you may want to consider our Individual programs. These work better for many of our Clients who travel for work, or need flexibility for other reasons.

13. What happens if I need to quit in the middle of the program?
Once you have decided to enroll in any Compton P-ESL Program, a contract is signed stating that you agree to be responsible for full payment to Atlanta Accent Management, LLC. Refunds will not be given once the contract is signed, although Clients enrolled in an Individual Program can choose to restart their program at a more convenient time in the future.