“Can you help me get rid of my accent?”
This question landed in my inbox recently from Carol, a former Toastmasters colleague. Carol is Chinese, and although her English is good, she is self-conscious about  her accent.  My response?
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 “Carol you are perfectly clear – your accent it not a problem.”
I suggested that Carol would gain more from expanding her vocabulary (which is already good) rather than trying to change her voice. 

Accent anxiety is widespread
Carol is not alone. In my coaching practice, I often meet people who blame their fear of public speaking on their accents. One client,  with a beautiful Brazilian accent, tells a story of being ridiculed as a waitress because of her accent. Years later, her accent is not as heavy and she is easy to understand, but she is still hypersensitive that she doesn’t sound like a native English speaker.

But not universal
Not everyone with an accent, worries about it. I have seen a speaker with quite broken English, win a speech contest because he was hilariously funny! The audience didn’t care about his grammar- they were too busy laughing and connecting with his authentic personality.

I’ve seen the same phenomenon with speakers who stutter significantly yet command the stage with confidence. When you focus on your message and your passion and forget about your accent, the audience won’t give it a second thought.

I am not judging you – I am admiring you!
Living in multicultural Auckland, New Zealand, I hear a variety of accents. When I hear a different accent, my first thought it usually admiration! You are communicating clearly in what might be your second, third or fourth language. That is not a limitation; it’s a superpower!

Most listeners feel the same way. We are either completely unfazed by accents, or we find them charming. The anxiety you feel about your accent is usually far more intense than any judgement you will actually face.

Improve your language skills and the accent may mellow over time. 
I don’t want to minimise your concerns. Perhaps you have been subjected to teasing (even bullying) or discrimination, due to your accent. But if you focus on extending your vocabulary and general fluency you will become a better communicator . As you do this, your accent will naturally reduce– but don’t make that your focus.

Embrace your linguistic heritage
There are so many different ways of speaking English – even amongst native speakers. One of my clients was brought up in Northern England and moved to New Zealand as a young teen-ager. He was bullied as a teen about his accent and developed a fear of public speaker. He now  recognises that his accent is part of his personality and he is proud of it!

The one exception – when no one understands you
There's only one scenario where I recommend accent coaching: if multiple people consistently struggle to understand you despite your strong English skills. Notice the emphasis on "consistently" and "multiple people."

One confused colleague or an occasional misunderstanding doesn't count. But if you regularly encounter comprehension barriers, a voice coach can help with specific pronunciation patterns without erasing your linguistic identity.

Summing up
In short: no, you don’t need to get rid of your accent. Your accent is a powerful part of who you are—it tells a story of learning, and identity. Most people don’t care how you sound as long as you’re clear, and authentic. If anything, they admire your ability to communicate in a second (or third!) language. Focus on growing your vocabulary and fluency, not chasing a native-sounding voice. Unless your accent consistently causes confusion, there’s no reason to change it. Own it. Your voice—accent and all—is something to be proud of.

Written by Catherine Syme 

I was working with a banker recently when I asked him a simple question:
“Can you remember when your fear of public speaking began?”

At first, he couldn’t think of anything specific. But toward the end of our session, a memory surfaced.

He said:
“I think I know where it started. I was new in my role and attending a meeting with senior government stakeholders during COVID. Out of nowhere, my boss asked me to explain what we’d been observing about customer behaviour. I froze. I could hear myself talking in circles. Eventually, my manager had to step in. It was embarrassing—and things have only gotten worse since.”

Most people with public speaking anxiety have a triggering event. Many people can trace their anxiety back to an incident at school. A client told me that her anxiety started when a classmate commented that she was blushing during a speech—and just like that, she developed a fear of both public speaking and blushing.

Another was a confident speaker until he was thrown into presenting someone else’s PowerPoint slides—slides that didn’t make sense to him. He started out fine, but then the panic kicked in. After that, every speaking engagement felt risky.
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An event promoter, usually full of confidence, had to pivot to promoting AV systems during COVID. She didn’t understand the technical side and suddenly felt like a fraud in front of her clients. 

Let’s be honest—public speaking freaks a lot of us out. But here’s the thing… no one really talks about it.

Over the years, I’ve asked large audiences, “Raise your hand if you’ve never been nervous about public speaking.” At most, a few hands go up.  The rest sit there quietly, often exchanging knowing looks. Why? Because deep down, most of us have felt that fear. The stats back it up—public speaking ranks among the top fears for humans, right up there with death and spiders.
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Yet despite how common it is, so many people feel like they’re the only ones. Like it’s some kind of personal flaw. A shameful secret.

Picture this: You’re introducing Ben, who is giving a talk about exercise. You say,

“Ben will speak to us today about the benefits of exercise."

And how does Ben start?

“Hi, I’m Ben and today I am going to talk to you about the benefits of exercise.”

Sound familiar? In my public speaking courses, I see this happen constantly – even when I warn the group in advance! I understand why. When your heart is racing and your palms are sweating, repeating the introduction feels safe. But it is a weak start that tells the audience what they already know.
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A great opening to your speech or presentation will capture the audience’s attention. A great closing will leave your audience thinking about what you have said long after you finish. Most presentations fail to do either!

​Public speaking can have performative aspects - good public speakers know how to use dramatic techniques for effect. But public speaking and acting are not the same thing. Understanding the similarities and differences can help you become a better public speaker. 

​I was running a public speaking workshop for a company a few years ago, and the national manager attended. He commented on the value of public speaking. He said that hearing people speak – whether it is giving presentations or speaking up at meetings – helps him to identify talent in the workplace.

This supported what I already knew – that people who are comfortable expressing themselves in front of audiences are more likely to be recognised at work. 

However, in running courses and workshops on public speaking, I have observed that some of the most talented, motivated and hardworking people lack confidence and skills.

So, both employees and employers are missing out. Many people are being held back in their careers due to a lack of confidence/skills around public speaking. And organisations are also missing opportunities to recognise some of their best talent. 

In my last article, I encouraged anxious speakers to talk to their managers. In this article, I want to explore what an organisation that truly invested in helping staff become confident communicators would like. 

Less than 20% of participants in Fear-less public speaking courses have their course fees paid by their employer. Sure, some participants are self-employed, want to improve their speaking skills for non-work-related reasons, or are looking for a new job. But others may be missing opportunities to have the course recognised as professional development.

I believe there are two main reasons why people choose to pay for a course themselves rather than talk to their manager:

• They are embarrassed to tell their manager about their fear of public speaking
• The belief that their manager will not take it seriously.

Let’s explore (and challenge!) each of these.

I was helping to run a workshop recently for high school student leaders. They were practising inspirational-type speeches that they would be giving at school assemblies to younger students.  Common themes were making the most of opportunities at school, overcoming adversity, and making friends. All students spoke well, but they spoke in generalities. For example, they encouraged younger students to take up extracurricular activities such as sports and music without talking much about their own activities. 
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​Then a young man spoke about how he had almost been expelled in his second year at high school until a teacher had recognised his potential, taken an interest in him and set him on a different path. He was now a student leader. Six months later, his speech is the only one I remember. Why? Because he didn’t talk about the idea of overcoming adversity – he demonstrated how he had done just that. 

​Everyone has experienced failure at work, but the public humiliation of a bombed presentation is particularly hard to handle. And it can stay with you for a long time. Unfortunately, a common reaction is for people to try to avoid public speaking after a failure – which is career-limiting, stressful and often impossible long-term. 
 
You can recover from a poor presentation and become a much better presenter.  But instead of avoiding it, you have to figure out what went wrong and what you can do to fix it. This article explores the most common reasons for a poor presentation and what you can do to stop the same thing from happening again.   Of course often it is not just one thing, but a combination. 

Laid-back Luke, Perfect Penny, and Sensitive Sarah all share a fear of public speaking. In this article I have used three personas to explain how different personality types can share this common fear. None of these personas represent a real person, but they are all typical of people who do my Fear-less public speaking courses. 

Laid-back Luke
You wouldn’t guess that Laid-back Luke is terrified of public speaking because, well… he’s so laid back! He seems relaxed and confident when he is not presenting. He’s the kind of friend you would choose as your best man for your wedding because you are sure he will be funny and charming - as long as he makes it to the wedding on time…