Imagine your mother returning from her long awaited doctors appointment. You call her to find out what the heart specialist said about her upcoming surgery only to hear that your mother had no idea what he told her. He was a very nice man she said but I didnt understand anything he said. You asked her if the doctor used medical words that she didnt understand or if he didnt take time to explain the procedure or if he was rude. No he seemed to answer everything I asked and he took his time. I just couldnt understand what he was saying because of his accent. Im not sure where he is from but he doesnt know how to speak English. I dont want him to do my surgery.I dont think he is as smart as that other doctor and Im afraid he does not really know what he is doing.

The above scenario unfortunately is a frequent one in hospitals and clinics. With the influx of medical professionals physicians nurses and therapists who are nonnative English speakers interactions and perceptions like the one above are commonplace.

As a nonnative English speaker your accent may be preventing others from understanding you which makes for frustrating conversations. If you have an accent that is difficult for others to understand eventually people will stop listening. Studies suggest that people with foreign accents often are regarded as less credible and competent. People with accents are perceived as less capable and less intelligent as people without an accent.

It takes 2 people to communicate. Each is equally responsible for an effective communication exchange. You have to be a good listener you have to ask good questions you have to empathize and you have to speak clearly to be understood. So if you are a nonnative English speaker with an accent that is affecting how people understand your message while it is the listeners responsibility to attempt to understand your message it is your responsibility to learn to present that message as clearly as possible. That means that while it is not necessary to lose your accent it is necessary to learn to pronounce the sounds used in English so that you are upholding your end of the communication dyad.

By successfully getting your message across you convey your thoughts and ideas effectively. When not successful the thoughts and ideas that you actually send do not necessarily reflect what you think causing a communications breakdown and creating roadblocks that stand in the way of your goals both personally and professionally.

In a recent survey communication skills were cited as the single more important decisive factor in choosing employees. The survey conducted by the University of Pittsburghs Katz Business School points out that communication skills including written and oral presentations as well as an ability to work with others are the main factor contributing to job success.

As a medical professional who is a nonnative English speaker your accent may be affecting your job. Your skills may be seen as less valuable than others your may have difficulty exhibiting confidence and credibility and you may lose the opportunity for advancement. In addition communication with your patients take longer and perhaps most important the risk for confusion and errors is great.

There are fortunately steps you can take to eliminate these communication breakdowns. By changing how you pronounce certain sounds as well as changing the stress and intonation patterns that are used you can easily learn to speak more clearly and effectively. S.A. a physician from India can relate. As an intern in a large teaching hospital the competition for recognition was great and it was important to make a good impression. It was not until a superior pointed out to S.A. that her accent was affecting others perceptions of her intelligence as well as her patients confidence in her abilities did she choose to address her accent. She signed up for an accent reduction course with a speech pathologist specializing in working with nonnative English speakers. After working on several vowels and consonants as well as paying attention to how I stressed certain words my accent improved dramatically. As a result people no longer ask me to repeat what I said I feel more confident when speaking especially in front of a group and I believe people now want to listen to and respect what I have to say.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Judy Tobe M.A. is a certified licensed speech pathologist based in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. She is the principal of Claro.

Claro specializes in accent reduction for clear communication for nonnative English speakers.

Visit us at www.claroaccent.com email judyclaroaccent.com or call 412.576.5684