Are Accent Lessons right for you?

Dialect Coaching for Actors

Are you English-speaking actor, comedian or performer who wants to add a new dialect to your skill set? You’ve come to the right place! Check out the For Actors section, or Contact Me for more information!

Accent Reduction Training

Does it ever cause you frustration that people seem to be listening to HOW you are saying your words, and not listening to WHAT you are saying?

Does it ever distract from your conversations when people interrupt you with: “I hear you have an accent, where are you from?”

Does it ever cause an obstacle in your communication when people misunderstand you, or ask you to repeat yourself? Or, during conversations, do people sometimes make a face as if they’re having difficulty understanding what you’re saying?

We all know that communication touches every aspects of our lives. Are you ready to take that next step in learning both verbal and non-verbal communication skills in American English? Are you ready to be confident when speaking both in person, and over the phone? Those who take these lessons report that daily frustrations caused by misunderstandings are eased, and they feel that learning these communication skills has made a positive impact on their work and their social relationships.

My accent training is highly personalized to fit your needs. It will help you:

  • Switch between your foreign or regional accent and Standard American English depending on need and context
  • Gain a solid foundation of knowledge about pronunciation and intonation of English, as well as non-verbal communication strategies
  • Increase your confidence when speaking

Contact me today!

I’m Ilana Shydlo, and I hold an M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology with a bilingual focus. I’m also a certified trainer in the Compton PESL Accent Modification Method, a research-based technique to reduce your accent. I have a decade of experience in the field of accent coaching. Click here to learn more about me.

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What people are saying

I have spoken fluent English for more than 20 years but always with an accent. Tired of having to repeat myself twice to order something at fast food restaurants, I decided to seek help. I contacted Ilana, whose patient, professional dedication and passion for helping clients with their accent has no match. She has helped me not only to reduce my accent but to feel more confident. I can't thank her enough. I highly recommend Ilana to anyone who wants to improve her/his pronunciation.

~ A.E. / BS in Civil Engineering, First Language- Spanish

My first interaction with Ms. Shydlo was a phone conversation in which I explained that my accent was an obstacle at my new working environment. Although she thought I would need a certain number of sessions, after the initial evaluation she said that I actually needed less. This honest statement gave me total trust in her. In addition to her honesty, Ms. Shydlo is very humanistic in her approach. She provided me with a safe place to make mistakes, express myself and learn how to improve my speech. Ms. Shydlo is very devoted to her students and passionate about linguistics. This can be seen in the fact the she is always available for questions via email and assistance during the week. Even after 5 classes, I feel improvement and more confidence in my speech. Ms. Shydlo is a person who will not only guide you through this process, but will also join you.

~ Scott L. / Community Habilitation Supervisor, First Language - Hebrew

My English level was intermediate and I had a strong accent, so I didn’t want to speak English in public. The hardest thing was that even if I was speaking English correctly, nobody could understand me because of my strong accent. At that time I met Ilana. She is very patient and generous, and she always tries to understand me. After 10 classes, I feel confident in speaking English. This is what I hoped for from this course!

~ Yukiko Sekiai / Sales associate, First language – Japanese

It's been such a great pleasure working with Ilana! She is kind, cheerful, approachable, flexible yet super organized with an impeccable work ethic. All the sessions are extremely tailored to your needs and she is always well prepared for each meeting. She is also very punctual and would not even waste one minute of each meeting. I have learned so much from her in just a short period of time. You can tell that she is passionate about what she does and truly cares about each client. I cannot recommend her enough and certainly look forward to more sessions with her.

~ SL / Analytical Consulting, First Language - Mandarin

Ilana has been an incredible support in my accent reduction. I'm a Singer-Songwriter who speaks Spanish and she has helped me a lot with my art! She is the best, so patient and dedicated! Sessions are super clear and personalized! I totally recommend her.

~ Karin Hofmann / Singer-Songwriter, First language - Spanish

I decided to take some accent reduction classes because I am thinking of continuing education in speech/language pathology. I am very happy that I found Ilana, since her classes are both affordable and highly professional. Although she said my accent was light, I learned tons of new facts about American accent I was not aware of before. Besides targeting problematic areas, Ilana provides very good materials for independent practice, which include, but are not limited to a digital textbook with audio tracks. In addition, throughout the lessons she creates the list of common words which the student needs to practice pronouncing and checks on the progress every lesson. We meet via Skype, and, if there are any technical problems, Ilana is always willing to add a few extra minutes to the lesson.

~ Anna Z. / Special Care Professional, First Language – Russian