| You've probably heard the saying, "If you don't care | | | | word had landed me on the wrong bus. |
| where you're going, any road will get you there." | | | | Fortunately for me that day, it didn't really matter |
| But what if you do care where you're going, but can't | | | | where I ended up. But, I missed seeing a sight that I |
| communicate it clearly to the person driving. Or, even | | | | was looking forward to and may not ever have the |
| worse, what if you are confident that you have the | | | | opportunity to see again. |
| skills to get you where you want to go, but you still end | | | | But, what if that day, I had been headed for a job |
| up in the wrong place. Pretty humbling experience, isn't | | | | interview, and I missed a great job opportunity |
| it? | | | | because of that little pronunciation difference? |
| Let me tell you a story that happened to me when I | | | | Then, it would have mattered. A lot. |
| was in college. I minored in French in college and had | | | | What job opportunities or promotions might you have |
| already been to Paris once after high school, so on this | | | | missed out on because your speech wasn't quite as |
| trip to Paris, I was feeling a bit too sure of myself. | | | | clear as you thought? Some very intelligent |
| My French was good enough to communicate with | | | | professionals are so confident in their abilities that they |
| those around me, and just for fun, I wandered away | | | | do not realize the difficulties that their accented speech |
| from the tourist hot spots to areas with more "local | | | | can cause. Have you ever thought about the |
| flavor" to try my language skills on the real native | | | | consequences of being misunderstood? Of missing a |
| speakers. I did just fine in several little shops, which | | | | promotion...a critical contract...or a better job offer? Did |
| boosted my confidence even more. | | | | you know that by working with an accent reduction |
| I decided that I was ready for a little day trip, and | | | | specialist, you could eliminate those consequences |
| someone had recommended that I visit the Chateau at | | | | altogether? |
| Chantilly. I went to the bus station, asked for directions | | | | You know that clear speech and accurate |
| and boarded the correct bus. Or so I thought. As the | | | | communication are critical to getting where you want |
| bus pulled away, I looked at the list of bus stops for | | | | to go in your career, and an accent reduction specialist |
| this bus. Chantilly was not one of the stops listed. How | | | | can help you to get there. If you are a non-native |
| could the attendant have told me to get on the wrong | | | | speaker of English or an American with a regional |
| bus? | | | | dialect, you can experience a significant change in the |
| However, as I looked more carefully at the list of | | | | clarity of your speech in just a few short weeks. So, if |
| stops, I realized what had happened. I was on the bus | | | | you have any question about your communication skills, |
| headed for Chatelet. I thought my French pronunciation | | | | contact a professional who can help you improve the |
| was good enough to get me through any situation, but | | | | clarity of your speech and the direction of your career. |
| in this case, a subtle difference in the way I said a | | | | I don't want you to miss the bus. |