Who Takes Accent Reduction Coaching – And Why It Works for Them
When I tell people that I'm an accent reduction and public speaking coach, their first question is nearly always, 'What sort of people do you coach?'
Over 12 years of doing this, I've worked with hundreds of people; mostly individuals, some in groups.
And I've fielded enquiries from hundreds more who were curious about changing their accents or polishing their speaking skills, but who didn't go on to book a course with me (my door's always open, friends).
Several patterns have emerged - sure, everyone is different, but actually there a few types of people that I meet again and again.
Do any of these sound like you? Or someone you know?
1. The Confident Established Professional: 'the finishing touch'
Accent reduction for professionals: people often come after years of thinking about whether to change their accent
This person isn't a native English speaker, but feels very much at home in the UK (or the United States, or Australia - I have clients in all these countries).
Many of the people I work with have been here 15+ years; they have a British spouse, their children have English accents.
Career-wise, you're in a leadership role, an experienced consultant, or a successful entrepreneur. You've got the credentials, the experience, and you knows who you are as a person.
The only thing that makes them feel that they don't quite belong is the 'foreign' accent.
Do new people ask:
'where are you from? I can't place your accent…'?
And don't you just want to say something like:
'What's that got to do with anything?
'Ok, well-spotted - I'm not from here, but I haven't lived in Spain/Russia/France/Poland/Italy/Denmark for decades!'
This sort of client has usually been thinking about taking a course in accent reduction for a long time… 'one day I'll 'do something' about my accent'.
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Irina has a PhD in physics, is in her 40s, married with young kids, with a high-flying career as the editor-in-chief of a major scientific journal. She's very keen on self-improvement, and want to get her accent 'perfect' (her word, not mine!) She's very conscious of sounding Russian and doesn't want to keep dealing with the preconceptions that come with that. And now she has enough control over her time to make space in her schedule for a one-to-one course.goes here
As Irina told me during our taster session, she's used to presenting and giving speeches in front of big audiences, and she's a very confident public speaker. No-one has told her they can't understand her.
Finding a more English sound is a personal goal for her - so we're working together on fine-tuning some of the vowel and consonant sounds that still have a particularly Russian feel, starting by building awareness: when her 10-year-old English-born daughter says 'no Mummy that's not right!', Irina's learning exactly what she means :)
Then comes practice: with repetition, and regular feedback from me, she's finding a sound that’s not only more 'authentic' — but feels natural, not 'put on'.
🔗 Read more: time to switch? Does it work to have two different accents?
2. The Mid-Career Professional: 'work in progress'
Career progression: I work with many people who have just been promoted, their communication skills are more important now
This is one of the most common types of people I see.
They’ve been in the UK between 2 and 10 years, doing a fairly high-skilled, high-status job - in tech, law, medicine, finance - and they're capable, intelligent, often deeply respected by those who know them well — but in larger meetings, or fast-paced discussions, they’re asked to repeat themselves. Colleagues visibly zone out when they're talking.
This type of client is fully fluent in English. It’s not a language problem — it’s about clarity.
Despite speaking English practically every day for the past few years, they still haven't mastered some sounds, like the 'th' or the long 'ee' sound in 'sheet'… or the distinctive stress pattern and rhythm of their first language makes their English harder to follow.
They’re tired of it. Tired of not being heard, of being overlooked, or of having to work twice as hard to get their point across.
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Pavel manages a team of software engineers for a big US tech firm at their London headquarters. His Polish accent is very obvious, and he says colleagues - especially those dialling in from the US - struggle to understand him, and often finish conversations with 'can you put all this in an email?' That's when he knows they haven't really been following what he's said.
The other thing about Pavel is that he's incredibly smart and quick-thinking - and this is reflected in his speech, which is very fast, even for a tech guy (who tend to talk at machine-gun pace at the best of times). So at the same time as working on a handful of key pronunciations, we're using techniques to get him to moderate the pace of his speaking, without losing the energy and momentum that his quick brain is trying to express.
The result? Fewer interruptions, stronger presence, and growing confidence in how he contributes.
🔗 Read more: how my client Emma sharpened up her public speaking skills after a career break
3. The Aspirational Young Person: ‘laying good foundations’
Public speaking anxiety: young professionals learn quickly that to be taken seriously you need to sound confident
This person tends to be a recent graduate, an international student, or a young professional navigating a new workplace.
They’re competent, ambitious, and full of potential — but sometimes that doesn't come across in the the way they speak.
They want to speak up more. But nerves, self-consciousness, or comments about their accent - even if it’s well-meaning - can chip away at their confidence.
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I've been working for over a year now with Ryan: he's in his mid-20s and left school at 16. He's already a fully-certified Independent Financial Advisor, managing millions of pounds' worth of investments. Ryan's issue is that he's almost too good at his job! He knows what he's doing, the figures tell their own story. But potential clients hesitate to trust him, because he still looks - and more importantly, sounds - like an inexperienced junior.
We've been working on enhancing the impact of his speaking, and on structuring his conversations with clients and prospects so that he comes across as confident, as well as having track record to back it up.
Effective speaking coaching offers structure, support, and practical techniques to manage anxiety — things that you can think about and put into practice in the moment, when you're actually speaking, instead getting distracted by the little voice saying 'oh my God I'm rambling I sound like an idiot I don't belong here this was a big mistake'.
And that makes all the difference. Not just in how others perceive them, but in how they see themselves.
🔗 Read more: how my client Jia Xin started building vocal confidence at the start of her career
What They All Have in Common
Whether they’re putting the finishing touches to an already strong sense of self, working on overcoming persistent misunderstandings, or finding their voice for the first time — these clients all want the same thing: to feel heard.
Accent reduction coaching doesn’t mean erasing yourself. It means discovering how to speak with more intention, more clarity, and from this will come more confidence. Confidence comes from a sense of knowing what you're doing, rather than winging it.
Everyone I work with comes with a slightly different accent, different background, and different end goal — but they share a desire to be understood, respected, and free to express themselves fully in the world they live and work in.
Could This Be You?
If any of these people's stories feel familiar, then I can probably find a way to support you.
Not because you’re not good enough already — but because you deserve to feel confident, and to speak in a way that does justice to everything you have to say.
🔗 Book a free 1hr online taster session: lets get you sounding the way you want to sound