Communication is successful because of how effective, efficient, and productive the language is, not necessarily and not always because of how correct the language is.
For the practical purpose of training and coaching, incorrect language is only ineffective when it interferes with clear communication. The purpose of training and coaching is to make communication more effective, efficient, and productive.
What’s the plan? The plan is to target the language. Target the language and the plan develops. Go where the language goes. Training and coaching are dynamic.
Confidence building
Sometimes people think accent reduction is the fix or improving grammar is the fix. They’re part of the fix sometimes for some people but not the entire fix all the time for all people.
Part of not being understood is not being assertive enough. Choosing to speak in the first place and using more volume can do much for “reducing and accent”.
Pronunciation improvement could be more practical than accent reduction. The objective is to speak so that people can understand. Improve pronunciation, and let the “accent” take care of itself.
Language for meetings
Use the language of meetings to practice pronunciation, increase communication competence, and build communication confidence. Low volume or speaking too softly can be part an “accent”. Increase the volume a little, and decrease the accent a little. Confidence is tied to the understanding that an “accent” is okay. Get rid of the accent dragon. Don’t let accent limit progress.
It’s less about what and more about how. How should I say it?
I feel uneasy about saying that I disagree. I think I should be careful if I want to do this. How can I confidently say that I disagree?
Find the right words or the right phrase to say what you want to say. Silence is agreement. What do you do when you do not agree with something at a meeting? Do you remain silent? Do you speak to a colleague, the project manager, or director after the meeting? The time to speak up is during the meeting, not after the meeting.