The General Motors Corporation has awarded a $10,000 grant to the WWAAC Alliance Foundation for public speaking and accent reduction workshops. This is the first grant ever received by the WWAAC Alliance Foundation.The General Motors Corporation has awarded a $10,000 grant to the WWAAC Alliance Foundation for public speaking and accent reduction workshops. This is the first grant ever received by the WWAAC Alliance Foundation.
Public speaking is one of the most important skills and valuable assets anyone can possess, and can be the deciding factor in career development, business growth and relationships with friends and family. In the Speaking Powerfully with Minimal Stress Workshop, we work with non-native English speakers — particularly in the Asian American communities, to teach the basic fundamental skills of public speaking, helping them have the opportunity to get better jobs and to grow in their careers.
A lot of our self-esteem is gained by our perceptions of how effectively we get our message across to another person. Non-native English speakers may be embarrassed about this, but do not have the opportunity to take classes and improve because of the lack of financial means or other circumstances. Good public speaking skills are essential in securing a better job or getting a raise, and can have a profound impact on a job interview or performance review.
Through the principles and role plays taught in this workshop, participants improve their communication skills, leadership skills, confidence and ability to understand people, thus allowing these non- native English speakers to assimilate into the American society and business world more smoothly.
The Speaking Clarity for More Effectiveness Workshop is for non-native English speakers who are generally new immigrants who struggle to be understood. They are often embarrassed by their accent, which leads
to low self-esteem and lack of confidence – causing them to avoid speaking up and being assertive. Unfortunately, some people make judgments about people’s worth and intelligence according to how well they speak English. Often, non-native English speakers are overlooked for opportunities of advancement, and that is one of the key reasons this workshop is so important and necessary.
A study by a Midwestern university found that the lack of communication skills (not technical expertise and overall performance) was the main reason employees were not promoted.
The main goal of the Speaking Clarity for More Effectiveness
Workshops is to focus on clarity and reducing the accent – not accent elimination – allowing the participants to improve in their effectiveness and articulation of speaking, hence building confidence and self-esteem. Without these two critical things in their personal lives, the participants find it very difficult to move through society with ease, and face difficult situations in their personal and working environments.
This workshop is designed to teach pronunciation of American English but it is not designed to teach the English language or grammar, assuming that the participants are fluent in English.
Asian Americans represent nearly 6% of the U.S. population and are made up of immigrants or their descendants from dozens of countries in the Far East, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. With the large number of Asian immigrants in the U.S., there is a severe need for public speaking and accent reduction training for this community alone. Without this specialized training, the Asian American immigrant community will lag behind in securing jobs and getting promoted.