University faculty and students are required to present academic expertise effectively and with precision. The Accent Reduction Institute (ARI) provides instructional programs for non-native English speakers who struggle to communicate clearly with colleagues, students, and peers.
ARI's internationally acclaimed curriculum is based on the proprietary Ravin Method TM for rapid accent reduction as well as Ravin's best-selling "Lose Your Accent in 28 Days" book and CD-ROM. The Ravin Method TM has been successfully used by Fortune 500 companies across the country and featured on CNN.com, CBS Radio, Yahoo!Finance, NPR, Computerworld magazine, and media forums around the world.
- Half-Day Seminars
- Full-Day Seminars
- Semester Courses
- Teacher Certification
- Customized Online Courses
- Assessments
- Diversity Seminars for English Speakers
Half-Day Seminars:
Participants:
- Master the visual and auditory techniques necessary for clear articulation of the 10 most commonly mispronounced sounds in English.
- Are taught the proper pronunciation for the 500 most commonly used words in American English.
- Are taught industry specific words, idioms, and jargon which professionals use on a daily basis.
- Receive guided practice and individual feedback.
- Receive a copy of "Lose Your Accent in 28 Days" book and CD-ROM.
"Must have for international students. Period"
"The best executive skills workshop that I've attended! This will change the way I speak."
-Half-Day Seminar participants, University of Michigan, Ross School of Business
Half-day seminars are provided on-site, and scheduled according to the university or department's needs.
Full-Day Seminars:
All course material in the Half-Day Seminar PLUS:
- Learn the pronunciation techniques necessary to articulate all Standard American Pronunciation sounds. Specifically: 15 vowel sounds; 24 consonants; and 23 patterns of rhythm, stress and intonation.
- Intensive practice and coaching using ARI's proprietary materials, customized to each individual participant and their needs.
"The best in the field"
"The course is just what I need to help me interview effectively."
"No more 'what?...what did you say?'"
-Full-Day Seminar participants, Cornell University, Johnson School of Business
Full-day seminars are provided on-site, and scheduled according to the university or department's needs.
Semester Courses:
The Accent Reduction Institute provides semester courses to international students and faculty either on-site or using our distance learning formats. Classes:
- Meet hourly, once per week for the duration of an academic semester.
- Cover a complete course in American accent training: vowels, consonants, rhythm, stress, and intonation.
- Use the propriety methods, books, software, and curricula of ARI for rapid accent reduction.
- Can be attended by small groups of students and faculty, or on an individual basis.
Assessments:
The Accent Reduction Institute (ARI) assessments provide both a metric for determining the areas in which a person struggles with effective communication and the instructional feedback to solve the problem. ARI assessments include:
- A 30 minute live interview with an ARI faculty member, certified in both speech pathology and accent reduction. Interviews are given either on-site or using teleconferencing formats.
- A written assessment detailing the accent reduction areas in need of pronunciation accuracy.
- A customized practice guide that teaches the techniques necessary for the individual to speak with clarity and precision. Tailor-made practice guides target the individual's pronunciation problems in the areas of: vowels, consonants, rhythm, stress, intonation, rate of speech, and volume.
Please contact us at:info@lessaccent.com or (734) 665-2915 to schedule a customized ARI proficiency assessment.
Teacher Certification:
The Accent Reduction Institute ( ARI ) provides certification in the Ravin Method TM of accent reduction training, considered the premier accent reduction curriculum. ARI certified instructors will:
- Learn the specific techniques for teachers of English pronunciation: place of articulation and the mechanics thereof for vowels, consonants, and patterns of rhythm, syllable stress, and intonation.
- Learn the strategies to successfully address the target sounds of their international student population.
- Learn the neurological and phonological process of language acquisition, and how this affects the process of accent reduction training.
- Receive a full accent reduction curriculum with which to incorporate into their department's program of English language studies.
- Teacher certification is provided to individual faculty members, or to entire English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching staff. Certification programs are delivered on-site, or at our language institute in Ann Arbor, MI.
Diversity Seminars for English Speakers:
Judy Ravin, President of the Accent Reduction Institute, provides on-site diversity programs to students and faculty for whom English is their first language. The core of this training is to help people in multi-cultural academic environments recognize sources of communication difficulties. The objective is to increase effective communication and cultural awareness between native and non-native English speaking students. The diversity training focuses on: language and culture (both verbal and non-verbal), differences in cultural mores in an academic forum, and specific strategies to help foreign nationals ease, and maximize, their acclimatization process into the American university setting.
