The InFluency Podcast

One question I get asked regularly by learners of English is, "how come I practice a new word and succeed in pronouncing it right but then fail to get it right when using it in a conversation later on?" Has that ever happened to you? In this episode I discuss why it is not enough to improve in English simply by watching a video or listening to a podcast, and what you need to do to really see results when you speak. Use Google to practice your pronunciation: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/08/ If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words.

When you see the word 'resume' do you know how to pronounce it if it's out of context? I guess it's going to be hard. Because two words (that are pronounced differently) share this spelling! Homographs are words that are written the same but are pronounced differently. And English has lots of them! This is one of the reasons English spelling is so confusing. We see two words that are completely identical, yet are supposed to pronounce their vowels, consonants or even stress differently. In this episode, I'm going to review a bunch of them: tear read live Polish resume use close present record desert produce Sign up to be notified when registration opens for Accent Makeover: https://theaccentsway.com/join-2/ If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words.

Have you ever felt nervous speaking English, especially around native speakers? If the answer is yes, do listen to this episode. In this episode you will learn: 1. How to turn your thoughts around so you can become a confident speaker 2. How to get past the fear of speaking with native speakers 3. Three things you can do to improve your English performance even if you are afraid If you like this episode, I'm sure these are going to help too: Why do I feel like a fraud every time I speak English? | The Impostor Syndrome https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/11/ Become Fluent | The #1 Strategy To Gain Fluency And Confidence In English https://theaccentsway.com/fluency-strategy/ How to stay MOTIVATED when learning ENGLISH | 5 ground rules https://theaccentsway.com/motivation-in-english/ If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words.

Homophones are words that are spelled differently but pronounced the same. No wonder English is so confusing! When we see the different spelling we assume that it should be pronounced differently, but English is not a phonetic language! So spelling and pronunciation don't match! In this episode, you'll learn about some of the most common homophones in English and how to pronounce them. We'll talk about: 1. flower – flour 2. here – hear 3. sun – son 4. there – their – they're 5. right – write 6. road – rode 7. hoarse – horse 8. soul – sole 9. war – wore 10. see – sea 11. to – too – two Sign up to be notified when registration opens for Accent Makeover: https://theaccentsway.com/join-2/ Are you a teacher? Learn more about English Teachers Academy and join the WAITLIST: theaccentsway.com/english-teachers-academy-announcement/ If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words.

To download the practice sheet click here: https://hadarshemesh.com/the-r-in-english-podcast-freebie/ Many non-native speakers of English struggle with the R in English. Not only that this sound is challenging to pronounce (put the tongue where?!?) and makes us feel like pirates, but it also keeps changing depending on where it's positioned. So even though it might be easy to pronounce in some words, it could be impossible to pronounce in other words and that makes us feel like the R is impossible! To understand the R we need to do three things: Understand how to pronounce it Understand the different types of R sounds and what might be the challenge of each Practice, practice and then practice some more. In this episode I'm going to walk you through each and every one of those steps, and at the end, even offer you the perfect way to practice with my practice sheet and audio: https://hadarshemesh.com/the-r-in-english-podcast-freebie/ I'm also going to talk about the difference between the American R and the British R! But most importantly I'll give you tips and hacks on where and how to CHEAT, so you invest less effort, pronounce less R's and sound BETTER! Whether you're struggling with pronouncing it or you know how to pronounce it but you don't use it consistently, or sometimes you become too self-conscious about it, in this episode you'll find things you can do that'll help you use it naturally and easily. For more about the R in English, check out these episodes: The American R: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/the-american-r/ American Accent in 5 steps: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/improve-your-accent/ And remember #ClearIsBetterThanAccurate If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words.

A few months ago I invited you to ask me PERSONAL questions. I didn't think I'd get many questions but I was surprised to have received dozens of awesome questions, and in this episode, I'm going to answer a bunch of them:) You'll hear about how I met my husband, my life as a social activist, my biggest failure, my plans for the future, what I do with my hair (not much), if I miss acting and more! It wasn't easy for me. As an introvert, I don't like to talk about myself much. Besides, I'm here to share knowledge and help YOU with your English and not to speak about myself. But I decided to do it, because I believe that it's important for our communication and the connection that we have. In your emails and DMs, you often share your stories (and I'm grateful for every single one you send me) so, it's only fair that I share mine. I hope that this episode, my most PERSONAL video ever (!), will make us even closer! Let me know in the comments (or in emails) if you feel the same ? Practice with the transcript here: https://hadarshemesh.com/transcript/personal-things-about-hadar/ Want to know more about my English journey? How I lost my accent https://youtu.be/Y5emqoKN92A Why I Quit Acting and Became an Accent Coach: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/02/ 13 lessons I've learned in 10 years of Teaching English: https://youtu.be/QJM2Vrh-MRU Sign up to be notified when registration opens for Accent Makeover: https://theaccentsway.com/join-2/ Are you a teacher? Learn more about English Teachers Academy and join the WAITLIST: theaccentsway.com/english-teachers-academy-announcement/ If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words.

Taking small actions every day leads to great results. Author Darren Hardy calls it "The Compound Effect", and it holds for a lot of things in life. In this episode, I'll discuss how I've realized it's deeply relevant to English learning and speaking. I experienced it in acting school, in the accent training courses I took, and in the past decade in teaching and building my business. I see it in my students as well, as they put in the work day in day out, not seeing immediate results but then reach a breakthrough and impact other people around them. 06:42 – Defining the Compound Effect 09:02 – How daily practice changed my accent in acting school 13:05 – How weekly uploads led to a successful business 17:00 – Insisting on speaking English is making a difference 25:55 – Breaking it down is building you up 30:45 – The Ripple Effect, and how it has manifested in my life 33:12 – The outcomes of OUR actions 37:15 – The Compound Effect in English: What YOU can do After listening to this episode, let me know in the comments on my website if you've experienced the Compound Effect in your life, but more importantly – what you're going to do to build up your English until the end of the month! Yes. Break it down and build yourself up! Tune in to Brooke Castillo's episode on the Compound Effect on The Life Coach School: https://thelifecoachschool.com/podcast/236/ Get the audio book with Audible's Free Trial: http://www.audibletrial.com/accentsway Get a physical book https://amzn.to/2K6af3t You might find these videos interesting as well: What is the Compound Effect? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krweO8-CtMk The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO6XEMMFNOc Sign up to be notified when registration opens for New Sound: https://hadarshemesh.com/join/ If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words.

Download the English contractions practice sheet and the audio: https://hadarshemesh.com/contractions-freebie/ Contractions are words and phrases that are shortened by dropping sounds (in writing and in speaking). Contractions are all the you'd, she'll, we're, isn't etc. These contractions allow us to signal our listeners what is more important and what is less, and that makes our communication in English clearer. For non-native speakers these contractions might be a bit confusing. Have you ever thought to yourself, "these short words are not clear enough when they come out of MY mouth"? Do you find yourself separating them because of that? Many learners of English as a second language feel like that but actually, the truth is you can use these contractions, and sound clearer! In this episode, I'll tell you how to use contractions in speaking and how to pronounce the most common contractions in English. If you like this episode you might want to watch these videos as well: How to speak English faster (the qualities of GOOD fast vs BAD fast) Connected speech in English American INTONATION – What They don't Teach You in School + American Intonation podcast episode 12 If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words.

In this podcast episode I elaborate on how to practice it effectively and integrate it into your day-to-day speech. Because forming a sentence is not enough. And making the right sounds isn't enough. It's the intonation that determines the meaning of the sentence: is it a question or a statement? Is it a joke and you're just being sarcastic? This is also where culture and your inner feelings are thrown into the mix. Intonation conveys ALL of that. To do that you need to know how to practice! This is why I also share my most effective practice techniques that I've used myself and with my students, that are going to help you improve your intonation and deliver your message in a clear way. If you haven't listened to my previous episode about American intonation, don't miss out on it: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/12/ How not to be monotone when speaking English: https://theaccentsway.com/intonation-pitch/ And make sure to watch my speech analysis videos that touch right at the heart of American intonation. Martin Sinek's intonation, connected speech and phrasing: https://theaccentsway.com/speech-sinek/ Breaking down Bill Murray's Scrooged: https://theaccentsway.com/american-intonation-practice-pdf/ Reese Whitherspoon is all about rhythm: https://theaccentsway.com/rhythm/ Are you a teacher? Learn more about English Teachers Academy and join the WAITLIST: theaccentsway.com/english-teachers-academy-announcement/ If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words.

Why is it SO HARD to understand native speakers? And what do you HAVE to know to improve your spoken English and get your point across clearly and confidently? In this episode, you will learn the 3 fundamentals of American intonation: melody, rhythm, and stress. You'll learn how to use melody and rhythm to stress words, you'll learn the difference between content words and function words, why we need to stress content words and how we reduce function words. This episode will also help you understand native speakers better, as we'll talk about common reductions and shortcuts (remember that English sounds different than how it's written). If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words.

How does the Impostor Syndrome affect us when speaking English as a second language? And why do we feel that even when we do a good job in English – we, in fact, failed and we can't seem to understand how others haven't noticed just how bad our English is. Thinking that our English is a lot worse than what other people perceive it to be makes us feel like impostors. The Impostor Syndrome is a universal psychological pattern where you may doubt your accomplishments and have this fear of being discovered as a fraud. So even when people think highly of you, your mind basically tells you they're missing out on something and that sooner or later the "real You" will be revealed and they'll be disappointed. Do you feel that too sometimes? About 70% of us suffer from impostor syndrome: you can find it across genders, occupations and races. However, you'd probably find it more in underrepresented or disadvantaged groups, such as immigrants, minorities, people from the lgbtq community, women, people of color, and of course – non-native speakers. From my experience, as an accent teacher as well as an English learner, it has to do with the way we learned or learn English and how we consume it. We always compare ourselves to native speakers, and it makes us feel we're not enough when it comes to communicating in English. And on top of that, we constantly hear this saying, "Speak like a native", which only accentuates the gap between us and them – between how we are expected to perform, and how we really are. Even though we ALL make mistakes. Even native speakers make mistakes! Also, since our schools usually use conventional methods, you get a strong message that there's RIGHT and WRONG, and when you're wrong, you're criticized for your mistakes (and sometimes even not encouraged to persist), and then you get used to that feeling of being judged. But you can overcome this self-doubt. Realize that you're not alone in this and share your experience with others. If you want to find out more, this episode is a must for you. You'll get to hear about the experience of some of my students and how the Impostor Syndrome held them back in life. And not just my students' experiences, but mine as well. In this episode, you'll understand how this syndrome manifests itself when communicating in English, why it happens, and how to deal with it. After listening to my episode, let me know in the comments on my website how the impostor syndrome has affected your life and what you're going to do about it? : https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/11/ Download 30 affirmations: https://hadarshemesh.com/freebie-30-affirmations/ Listen to the podcast where I talk about the 13 lessons I've learned as a teacher: hadarshemesh.com/podcast/07/ How To Get Over The Fear Of Being Judged By Native English Speakers: https://youtu.be/lEG4jn4Zfj4 Find out more about the Impostor Syndrome: The Impostor Syndrome, by The School of Life: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqhUHyVpAwE What is impostor syndrome and how can you combat it?, by Elizabeth Cox: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQUxL4Jm1Lo How to Overcome Impostor Syndrome and Stop Feeling Like a Fraud, by Marie Forleo: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVfG7Q9Twqk If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course: https://hadarshemesh.com/audio-

In this episode, you'll learn the 10 most common mistakes Brazilian Portuguese speakers make, and understand why these sounds are difficult for you, but more than that – you'll learn how to improve your American English pronunciation. Download the FREE English pronunciation guide for Brazilian Portuguese speakers: https://theaccentsway.com/brazil-freebie/ Not a Brazilian Portuguese speaker? I bet that as a non-native speaker of English you can find at least THREE mistakes that are relevant to you Let me know what they are in the comments! Listen to my previous episode all about the Schwa sound If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words. You want to improve but you need to practice? Join our community on Facebook – the best place to practice English online for free.

I mention the schwa almost every time I speak about American English. That's because this vowel is all over the place, and once you hear it, you never stop hearing it The schwa is a very short and "relaxed" kind of vowel. It's a pretty tricky vowel for non-native speakers but if you get it, you get the secret to American English pronunciation and you become SO much clearer. Also, you will find yourself investing much less energy in speaking, which is also important Tune in and learn more about this special vowel and how to use it. And let me know what you think in the comments below. Check out a new episode about the schwa here: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/157/ You can also watch my older video about the schwa: https://goo.gl/tvDJ6o And you'll also find my video on American Intonation helpful. If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words. You want to improve but you need to practice? Join our community on Facebook – the best place to practice English online for free.

Learning to speak a new language can be challenging, no doubt about that. Especially English. All those funky words like knight, laugh, paradigm and psychology that have all these letters that are not pronounced. And what about the confusing pairs like celery-salary, back-buck, pool-pull that if we confuse them, we may sound unclear? Or words like beach, focus, spreadsheet and fox that if we mispronounce them, we might get a face-palm moment ?‍ Even when you know how certain words should sound like, you don't necessarily know what to do in order to pronounce them correctly. And this uncertainty leads to insecurity. But what if I told you Google has come up with a brand new feature just for that? Pronto is a tool I helped Google develop, and it's based on the experience and detailed feedback I give to my own students. How to use it: Open Google on your mobile phone and make sure you're logged in to your Google account (use Safari on iPhone) Type "how to pronounce" and add any word you're not sure how to pronounce. The Google search tool would spell the word for you as it should be pronounced. The transcription is plain and pretty straightforward Listen to the pronunciation of the word, and pay attention to the sounds that are most challenging to you Push the "practice" button Record yourself saying the word Pronto would detect the specific sounds that you mispronounced and let you know what you need to do in order to improve, as well as offer you more words to practice with. So you don't need to be confused anymore about whether you pronounce words correctly or not. Listen to the episode and find out how you can use Google's Pronto yourself. If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words. You want to improve but you need to practice? Join our community on Facebook – the best place to practice English online for free.

I've been an accent and fluency coach for over 10 years. It hasn't always been easy but it was always gratifying. I've learned new things about English and about my teaching, and I want to share these things with you. Learn more about my English teaching training. 00:00 – My teaching journey in the past decade 06:30 – Being flexible – there is more than one way to explain something. Follow your student's needs 12:46 – Be open – your students are your best teachers so look for what's working and what's not 17:27 – Clear is better than accurate – it doesn't have to be perfect, as long as the result is clear and the student feels confident and accomplished in English 27:15 – Students don't need to know everything. There's a lot of important information out there, but not everything is relevant. Use what they need to know in order to transform. 30:02 – Be honest and vulnerable – Don't expect yourself to know everything. If you're uncertain about something, let them know and use it as an opportunity to learn 31:54 – Speak less – Being passionate is great but it's not a lecture and they need the actual practice 33:33 – Be a coach, not a teacher – understand your role as a teacher, that it's about getting them to take action. You need to communicate the lesson and the obstacles, to push them forward and to hold them accountable 36:00 – It's never just about pronunciation or grammar, it's about feeling comfortable in their own skin in English and accomplish what they want 37:18 – Even if you can't make it, you can still teach it. You don't need to have a native accent. As long as you know what they need to do, you can teach and coach them 40:28 – Be a translator of knowledge – simplify and translate complicated ideas into something the student will understand 41:40 – You are enough. Don't let your accent and your knowledge and your background hold you back 44:00 – Know your worth. As you grow as a teacher, you should definitely get paid more for your services and your time 45:42 – Be organized and give clear practice instructions – review what you've done in the lesson and explain how to revisit it themselves If you want to hear more about some of the sounds I mentioned in this episode, check the following videos: American R, flap T, aspirated consonants If you want to improve your accent and understand

FREE PDF Download: Download my 8 P's pronunciation teaching framework: https://theaccentsway.com/freebie-8ps/ Whether you're an English teacher (native or non-native) or an English learner, my pronunciation teaching and learning framework will help you understand what are the steps you need to take in order to teach and learn pronunciation in the simplest, most effective way. This framework has served me in over 10 years of being an accent and fluency coach and has helped thousands of students around the world reach incredible results. Download the full framework here No matter what your goals in life are, if they have to do with English, learning English pronunciation is key. When you understand other English speakers better and when other speakers understand you better, you will feel more confident and things will run smoother for you. If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words. You want to improve but you need to practice? Join our community on Facebook – the best place to practice English online for free.

Like any other challenge or thing we need to work on, improving your fluency is first and foremost about developing the right mindset. In this video, I'll discuss some of the things that hold you back and that you really need to let go of if you want to achieve a breakthrough in English in 2020. 04:25 – Stop judging other speakers – appreciate what they have to say and that they're doing their best, just like you do 06:18 – Stop waiting for the right opportunity to come – Focus on your English now and 07:26 – Stop avoiding opportunities that DO come your way. You are ready so jump on that Carpe Diem. 09:02 – Stop with those ridiculous expectations – you're not an English native speaker. Set realistic goals and get a sense of accomplishment that will lead you to being an even better speaker 10:20 – Stop procrastinating – make English a priority and don't let other things get in your way 11:25 – Stop with the negative self-talk – turn each negative thought into a positive one 13:18 – Stop consuming too much content – feeling like you don't know enough is natural but you need to practice what you learn. Put yourself out there, apply what you already know and make mistakes 15:38 – Stop making native speakers your north star – communicating with speakers of English as a second language is as good as speaking with native speakers. Sometimes it's even better. 17:40 – Stop with the lists – Speak, interact, as much as possible if you want to really become fluent 18:45 – Stop comparing yourself to others – you have your own way to carve out for yourself. If you must compare, do it in a way that will motivate you and acknowledge your personal growth Download 30 English affirmations that will help you reach a breakthrough in 2020. Videos about limiting beliefs and speaking with confidence: How to stop translating in your head: 5-steps to get stuck LESS and speak FASTER in English Afraid to make mistakes in English? WATCH THIS How the 80/20 principle will help you improve your English The fluent mindset (how changing your thoughts can improve your fluency) If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words. You want to improve but you need to practice? Join our community on Facebook – the best place to practice English online for free.

Pronunciation is the door to understanding and mastering spoken English. It's the secret of speaking with confidence and communicating clearly. In this episode, I pinpoint the reasons why learning pronunciation is crucial if you want to make an impact and not compromise your message. Because this is really what it's all about. It's not about you sounding more American and losing your identity. It's about you feeling amazing in your own skin when you communicate in English. Link to Podcast episode 2 Link to the magazine If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words. You want to improve but you need to practice? Join our community on Facebook – the best place to practice English online for free.

Learning English can easily get boring, and soon you may find yourself doing something else and beating yourself up for not keeping up with your studies. If this scenario rings a bell, this episode is for you so tune in and give yourself a motivation boost! 00:00 – Introduction – comfort zones are great until they're not 03:50 – Remember your WHY – what do you wish for yourself that requires speaking English? 05:30 – Make it interesting – some ideas for creating your own practice exercises 07:50 – Stay focused and keep the flow – what you need to do in order to see results 11:00 – Set clear and specific goals – you don't want your learning process to be overwhelming 13:10 – Make it sustainable – start small and keep it small, you're in it for the long haul 14:30 – Friendly advice If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words. You want to improve but you need to practice? Join our community on Facebook – the best place to practice English online for free.

When I was 21 I moved to NYC dreaming to become a working actress. But I had one BIG obstacle. My English. I had a thick accent and I wasn't fluent. In this episode, I share with you how I transformed from being a timid speaker of English to a pronunciation expert and fluency coach who runs a thriving online business, and how I get to do what I love teaching students from all around the world who inspire me every day. This is my story. Links to resources mentioned in the video: My story (why I do what I do) The schwa (the key to American Pronunciation) If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words. You want to improve but you need to practice? Join our community on Facebook - the best place to practice English online for free.

Welcome to my new podcast, In.Fluency, where I'll discuss English, pronunciation learning and teaching, how to really make a difference and become a fluent and confident English speaker. In this first episode, I'll share with you the reasons why I chose to start my own podcast, who it is for, and what you're gonna find here. If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course. You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words. You want to improve but you need to practice? Join our community on Facebook – the best place to practice English online for free.