Overcoming nerves and improving public speaking…
Improving English pronunciation as a native Japanese speaker…
If you’re interested in either of these topics, I have some surprising “less effort, more impact” ways that you can improve, so read on.
American English pronunciation expert Aiko Hemingway asked me to watch her fabulous TEDx Talk..
Then she interviewed me and asked me 3 questions:
- How do you recognize that I’m not a native English speaker?
- What can I do next to keep improving my pronunciation?
- How can I improve my public speaking?
I love Aiko’s attitude of staying curious and continuing to learn even when she’s already achieved an AMAZING level of mastery in her field of expertise.
Whenever clients ask me for pronunciation advice or I notice a need, I refer them to Aiko. Because she’s experienced the challenges of learning English as a non-native speaker and studied linguistics and the mechanics of how the mouth and breath work, she can support them much better than I ever could.
So are you curious to know how I answered her questions?
How do you recognize that I’m not a native English speaker?
It’s difficult to pinpoint (because Aiko’s English is excellent), but I would say
1. Minor mispronunciations
One example from Aiko’s TEDx Talk is that she said “vivration” instead of “vibration.” But the mispronunciations are minor in Aiko’s case and it’s still easy to understand what she’s saying. So I would say that’s not the top area to focus on.
However, if your pronunciation is leading to frequent misunderstandings, that’s when you want to focus on it – ideally with an expert like Aiko!
2. Neutral or “perfect” English
People expect to hear an accent or dialect that gives an indication of where you’re from. That means that neutral English or sounding perfect is a sign that you’re not a native English speaker.
The day after we recorded the interview, I was speaking with an American friend who said he’d met a Japanese businessman in New York. The businessman told him he’d been to acting school to learn how to talk with an accent, so that he sounded more natural!
3. Unnatural intonation
Sometimes Aiko emphasized a word in the sentence and it didn’t sound natural. Or her voice went up or down in the wrong place. This wasn’t so much the case when talking normally with Aiko.
Our conclusion was that because Aiko was nervous (which is absolutely normal for TEDx Talks and public speaking), her intonation became more unnatural.
What can I do next to keep improving my pronunciation?
Aiko realized that she can be more intentional about pronouncing certain words, like “the.” She can also consider practicing a specific English accent. And she can continue to focus on public speaking skills and confidence to improve her intonation.
How can I improve my public speaking?
1. Wear high heels
This may be a surprising “less effort, more impact” tip. High heels elevate your whole presence and are great for posture. Of course, this is a tip and not a requirement – do what works for you!
2. Move with intention
It’s easy to fidget when you’re nervous. When you move your body and use hand gestures in a way that matches your message, it helps to burn nervous energy and is more engaging for the audience.
3. Emphasize important words
In the same way that movement is engaging, vocal variety also helps to get your message across and keep your audience’s attention. The reason for this is that changes in what we see and hear trigger the oldest part of our brain. And that’s because these changes could have been signs of danger in primitive times, such as rustling grass hiding a life-threatening animal.
In summary, the 6 unconventional strategies for pronunciation and public speaking success are
- Get help with pronunciation if you need it
- Practice speaking with an accent
- Learn public speaking skills to reduce nerves and improve intonation
- Wear high heels
- Move with intention
- Emphasize important words
But there’s more! In the interview, we also talked about
- how to see yourself objectively as a speaker
- why pausing more helps
- why I nearly ran from the stage when I did my TEDx Talk in 2016!
If you’re interested…
- Watch the 22-min interview
【発音だけじゃダメ】ネイティブが教える日本人の英語力とプレゼン上達のポイント (if you just want the public speaking tips, start around 11 min 38 sec) - Watch Aiko’s TEDx Talk
Breakthrough in Adult Language Learning (8 min) - Watch Helen’s TEDx Talk
Why Don’t Japanese Women Ask Questions at Work? (17 min) - Find out about the Feb 24 online workshop:
Avoid 3 Body Language Mistakes And See The Difference In Just 75 Minutes (6 places left as of writing)