assume en language poland
In this technology driven age people rarely communicate face-to-face anymore. Emailing, texting, and Tweeting have kept us hidden behind computer screens and handheld devices. It's time to dust off your professional communication skills and speak to people, especially if you are searching for employment. In-person communication is always the best option so you can utilize eye contact and positive body language. Remember, first impressions are lasting so be prepared to put your polished, professional self out there.
Since you don't have a built in auto correct mechanism for verbal communication like spell check on computers, you must become self aware and take charge of your communication skills. Ask those in your circle of trust to give you constructive feedback and listen and observe others in your professional circles to emulate great communicators you know.
Here are some strategies to keep in mind as you begin to put your communication skills into practice.
1. Think before you speak and consider what you want to say before you open your mouth. In a professional situation you must be succinct and able to get your point across effectively. Rambling and tangential comments decrease your effectiveness and cause your audience to lose focus. Always consider whom you are addressing and customize your comments for each audience.
2. Diction is paramount - speak clearly and embrace your inner confidence. Be aware of your tempo and volume making sure not to speak too quickly or too softly. Channel your inner news anchor and aim for that kind of articulate delivery. Listen to yourself on your voice mail message to gage your clarity and vocal articulation. Clear diction is essential in the communication process - if you are unintelligible, your message will never land.
3. The use of appropriate humor is welcomed and can add levity to a situation but use it wisely and sparingly. Inappropriate language and off color jokes are never acceptable in a professional situation. This is not the time to test drive your stand-up comedy act, but a little humor can break the ice and set the tone for a conversation.
4. Body language is as important as what you actually say out loud. Make eye contact with those to whom you are speaking, assume a confident posture while standing or sitting, and be sure to smile naturally when it feels right. Avoid fidgeting and extraneous facial expressions. Keep an open body position and avoid crossing your arms so as to welcome your listener and draw them into your conversation.
5. Be an attentive listener - it's an important part of how you communicate with others. Don't interrupt or finish another person's sentences. Be engaged and show them you are genuinely interested. The ability to fully comprehend information presented by others through active listening is a vital part of communicating.
6. Avoid filler words such as: "like" and "um" and avoid colloquial phrases in the professional arena such as: "you guys". Actively listen to yourself to catch these filler words and remove them from your day-to-day vocabulary in professional conversations.
Since the hidden job market represents 80% of positions that are never posted, it's wise for job seekers to get out from behind the computer to be seen and heard. Building and stewarding professional relationships is how you will get noticed, recommended, and eventually hired. Strong communication skills still sit at the top of the list for career competencies that employers value most.
Honing your communication skills will distinguish you and set you apart from the competition.
It takes practice to polish these skills and build your communication confidence. So get out there and start talking with people. Attend networking events, community functions, or other activities and give yourself the opportunity to flex your communication muscles. Step away from your computer and start talking with people!
Caroline Dowd-Higgins pens a career transition blog called "This Is Not the Career I Ordered" (www.notthecareeriordered.com). She is also the Director of Career & Professional Development at Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
Did you know there’s a difference between learning a new dialect/accent in your native language and learning one across language lines?
If you happen to speak Polish with a Warsaw accent and you learn to sound like you are from Gdansk for a project shot in Polish, you aren’t in much danger of losing  (or forgetting)  your Warsaw accent during the process.  But, if you are a bilingual or multi-lingual actor seeking work in projects shot in languages other than your native language, you will want to pay special attention to how you go about learning accents of that language or you just might find yourself losing out on jobs.
Here’s what I mean: For the sake of illustration, let’s assume that you are an actor who grew up speaking Polish (or Urdu, Tsakonian, or Icelandic) who is seeking work in the English-speaking industry of American film, and that when you speak English many times Americans ask you ‘where are you from?’ and tell you that you have a ‘lovely accent.’ Let’s also assume that you have been hearing from your agent, manager and even casting directors that you need to ‘get an American accent’ so that you can be eligible for more roles.
If you are like most actors you will take the advice of these professionals and start Googling around for terms such as ‘American Accent’ ‘Learn American Accent’ and ‘Accent Reduction’ until you find a teacher. You will then invest months of time and thousands of dollars learning to sound ‘neutral’ for the sake of your career.
Let’s also assume that you are a model student who devotes the appropriate amount of time and attention to learning a ‘neutral’ American accent, and thus have managed to sound like you are 100% ‘made in America.’
Your agent is happy. Your manager is happy. You are happy.
You are getting sent out to audition for American characters right and left.
…and then your agent sends you out to audition for a role using your ‘old’ accent… the one everyone called ‘lovely’…
…and the weirdest thing happens…
…You can’t quite remember how you used to sound…and you lose out on a job that you probably should have landed.
Whoops.
This scenario is extremely common. Â It’s also extremely avoidable if you aware of a few things:
1) When your agent suggests that you ‘get an American accent’, they don’t typically mean that you should eradicate the one you have. Â They are asking you to add something to your skill set. They are trying to get you to add value to your acting product.
2) Not all dialect coaches/accent coaches are created equal. (Did you know that anyone can call themselves a dialect coach or an accent coach? Ummmm…Yikes.) If you want to have a great experience with a dialect coach, you have to make the effort to shop around and find one that possesses the skills you need, has substantial experience working with actors, and is coming from the philosophic viewpoint that there is no one ‘right’ way to speak English.
3) You need to be clear with your dialect coach about what you are asking them to do for you. If you hire a coach to ‘get rid of’ your accent, most coaches will earnestly try to help you do exactly that. Be mindful of your language. Always ask your coach to help you ‘add’ a new accent. Tell them you want to be able to keep the accent you currently have, but also be able to switch into the new accent at the drop of a hat. A good coach will be able to construct your lessons with this goal in mind. If you’re not sure if you’ve found a good coach, you might ask them to explain the strategies they’ll employ to help you achieve your goals, and evaluate from there. (You might also want to review my post ‘A Good Private Dialect Coach‘)
4) It’s essential to keep a record of your original dialect for future reference. Even when you hire the best coach money can buy, learning a dialect while crossing language lines is a tricky business. Language is a fluid (some would say ‘living’) thing and the human mind is extraordinarily complicated and mysterious. When it comes to dialect work and crossing language lines, the mind tends to want to substitute new pronunciations for the old, and you must consciously resist that urge. If you are a native speaker of Somali seeking to increase your opportunity for employment in American film, you may find that as you learn a ‘neutral’ American accent, some of those ‘neutral’ pronunciations will sneak their way into your daily speech, and your lovely Somali accent will start to morph into something new.  I advise that before starting any dialect lessons (no matter how good your coach is), you use the guidelines I shared here and make a thorough recorded interview of yourself, as a safeguard. (You’ll be your own accent donor!)
Before I sign off, I have a favor to ask of you — If this post doesn’t directly pertain to your own career, would you please pass it on (email it, Tweet it, send it in a sparkly greeting card) to someone you know that could use it? Â It’s my birthday this week and knowing that this information got out to someone who needs it, would start my new year off with a smile. :-)
