... RACING THROUGH WORDS OFTEN MAKES CALLS LONGER, AS CUSTOMERS NEED REPETITION, CLAR- IFICATION, OR MAY EVEN CALL BACK...
The turning point came when I listened to a recording of one of my own calls. That was when I realized I needed to make a conscious effort to improve my speaking skills, so that my message would come across more clearly and efficiently.
I didn ' t eliminate my accent— and I don ' t believe that it should be the goal— but I did take steps to strengthen my communication. These are some of the techniques I used: which may help you or someone on your team. In the next section, I ' ll share a few of those practical steps.
ACCENT TRAINING: A SKILL, NOT A FLAW
Over time, I experimented with different techniques and built a personal toolkit. Many of these approaches are common in formal accent training and can be easily adapted by call and contact center agents.
1. WARM UP THE MOUTH AND MUSCLES
Clear speech starts with control of the mouth, lips, and tongue. Just as athletes stretch before a game, agents can benefit from quick vocal exercises.
• Mouth exercises: Exaggerate the opening of vowels(" ahhh," " eee," " oooh ") to loosen the jaw.
• Tongue twisters: Practice sentences like " She sells seashells by the seashore " or " Rubber baby buggy bumpers.” These train agility and pronunciation clarity.
Tip: Before a shift, spend a few minutes practicing vowel stretches and tongue twisters.
2. MASTER COMMON VOWEL SOUNDS
Vowels often cause misunderstandings because they vary across languages. For example, the short / I /( ship) and long / i:/( sheep) can sound alike in some accents. On a call,“ The ship will leave at 6” might be heard as“ The sheep will leave at 6.”
Training both your ear and your mouth helps prevent these mix-ups( see TABLE 1).
Diphthongs are like gliding sounds; they begin with one vowel and slide into another, as in phone line or oil change.
Tip: Record yourself saying“ I’ ll call you tomorrow;” check if“ call” and“ tomorrow” sound like distinct words or blur together.
3. TRAIN YOUR EAR THROUGH IMMERSION
In language, it’ s not just about speaking; it’ s about listening.
• Watch English-language TV with subtitles. Start in your language and then switch to English.
• Read children’ s books in English. They have simple words, strong repetition, and clear structures.
• Shadowing. Listen to a native speaker( podcast, training clip, or even a colleague), repeat immediately after them, and record your response.
For example, watch a two-minute news clip, record yourself shadowing the anchor, and then play back your recording to compare pacing, stress, and clarity.
Tip: When watching TV or shadowing native speakers, focus on voices from your target country: for example, U. S. shows if most of your callers are American.
... RACING THROUGH WORDS OFTEN MAKES CALLS LONGER, AS CUSTOMERS NEED REPETITION, CLAR- IFICATION, OR MAY EVEN CALL BACK...
4. PAY ATTENTION TO RHYTHM, STRESS, AND INTONATION English is a“ stress-timed” language; certain syllables carry more weight. Getting this wrong can change the meaning.
•“ I didn’ t say she stole the money.” → Emphasize a different word each time and the meaning changes.
• Practice rising intonation for questions(“ How are you?”) and falling intonation for statements(“ I’ m fine, thank you”).
Tip: Misplaced stress can confuse customers, e. g., saying inSURance instead of INsurance.
5. USE PAUSES AND PACING WISELY
Speaking too quickly is common, especially when agents feel nervous or worried about their handle time. Ironically, racing through words often makes calls longer, as customers need repetition, clarification, or may even call back if they couldn’ t understand the agent the first time.
COMMON SOUNDS AND PRONUNCIATION TIPS
TABLE 1
30 CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE