by Heather Chetwynd | Aug 5, 2021 | Voice to Word Post - Other
“Working in the C-suite obliged me to refine my speech and presentation skills.”“I knew that I needed to improve my English to further develop my career…”“I often experienced prejudice because of my accent, as if I were unsophisticated…”“He is too direct and...
by Heather Chetwynd | Feb 11, 2021 | Language Training
Pluto the dog is a character that has become popular under Covid. I’ve always enjoyed the humour but this one – called “Losing your Marbles” – is wonderful for my line of work. He speaks in almost pure idioms throughout the 3-minute clip. Listen to...
by Heather Chetwynd | Nov 5, 2020 | Business Communications, Culture and Values
The North American concept of personal space Many coaches working in English-speaking environments were born and raised in another cultural and/or linguistic environment. And the reverse is also true, especially in Toronto, where roughly 50% of the population was not...
by Recommendation of Heather Chetwynd | Aug 18, 2015 | Accent Modification
I am always correcting my daughter’s pronunciation of MILK which always sounds like MELK. It is a losing battle since I realize that language changes and clearly the Canadian accent is shifting. I just hadn’t realized that MILK is one of those words. The...
by Recommendation of Heather Chetwynd | Jun 26, 2015 | Accent Modification
Here’s a very sad commentary on the relationship between what we see and what we perceive. Is it possible that just by looking at someone influences what we hear? Certainly our assumptions and stereotypes affect our perceptions but this article points to how...