Here's the truth: you will never 'get rid of' your accent.

This idea, and this language of 'getting rid of' an accent, as though it were something you can just put in the bin and never think of again, is very common among people I work with, and in the discourse about accent reduction online.

The trouble is, it's false advertising. I don't believe it's possible to get rid of an accent, and replace it with a new one.

I do believe it's possible to learn a new accent - and to choose which one you speak with.

You can sound the way you want to sound, when you want to sound that way.

Which is not the same as 'putting on an accent'.

This philosophy underpins my whole approach to the work of accent reduction and to my role as your accent reduction and public speaking coach - not teacher, coach.

Let me explain.

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The question I'm asked most often by people who take my accent reduction courses is this: How Do I Know Which Sounds to Use in Which Words?

January is my busiest time of year.

This is the month when many people decide it’s finally time to soften their accent, or improve their public speaking and communication skills.

Looking in detail at the differences between one speaker and another, with broadly the same accent, reminded me that although RP is its own distinctive accent, it's tempting to observe that no two British English RP speakers sound the same!