FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Please see the price of our training here: costs of Speech Active training. 

Some people wonder – ‘It’s an online course – how will I know I’m not making errors without a teacher telling me’.

If you rely on a teacher to point out your errors what will happen when your teacher isn’t there?

You will make the errors and not realise – as the saying goes – ignorance is bliss! I see this all the time. People who have spent a lot of money on training but they haven’t learnt the essential skills of self – monitoring. So they aren’t sure if they are improving or they think they have and they are making errors without realising it.

The most useful tool that the course equipped me with is an ability to recognise my mistakes and self-correct. Phuong, Vietnamese speaker, Importing and logistics, Australia

We help you monitor and assess your progress in two ways:

1. Speech Recording Tools with Quizzes to monitor and assess your speech in every module

2. Developing your auditory and skills through training.

With Speech Active English Pronunciation training you will become an expert on your own pronunciation. An expert at hearing your pronunciation differences, understanding the positions of the mouth and how to correct them. 

With our specialised audio and visual training you will learn to monitor your speech and progress – an ESSENTIAL step in improving your pronunciation. We train you to hear differently. You will be able to identify the correct and incorrect pronunciation.

Being able to hear the difference in your own and others speech is the first step to becoming clear.

We provide you with tools as well to assess and monitor your progress throughout the course.  Every module includes progress check recording tools and the course includes guided self assessments and before and after speech recordings.

Don’t worry – we’ve got this covered. We understand how crucial this is to achieving improvement and it’s one of the main reasons why our training is so successful.

We only include one 1:1 Zoom session because each Speech Active course has been developed to give you everything you need to successfully master clear, excellent English pronunciation. Most people feel they get more than enough in depth teaching and practice from the online course and we also want to keep the course as affordable as possible.

We include one 1:1 live training session with one of our English Pronunciation teachers online to provide you with 1:1 feedback, get you motivated, cover your own industry related language, create a target word list recording, clarify your priority areas and make sure you get the most from your online course. 

We provided face-to-face training for over 10 years. Face-to-face training has its benefits but it has downsides too.

In fact, a group of our clients did both our 1:1 sessions and then our online training. So we were able to assess and compare their progress and their opinions. We found that people did more practice with the online course – they engaged with their training more often because they could access it easily on a day to day basis. They could dip in and out whenever it suited them. In between meetings, at the gym, on the train.

Speech Active online English pronunciation course has been created by a team of Speech Pathologists, elearning specialists and ESL tutors. All working together to make the best online English Pronunciation Course available today. See this article on 5 Questions to Ask When Choosing an English Pronunciation Course.

Some of the main reasons as to why any people are achieving even better results than they did with an online course are:

Easy access means better results.
You can complete your training when it suits you and from where it suits you. From your couch, from your desk, while you are sitting on the bus. Greater flexibility adds to better outcomes. You need to practise regularly – you are busy, so you need to dip-in and dip-out when it suits you. This course is built specifically for busy people. You’ll have everything you need to make practise happen.

“While I loved the instant feedback of face to face sessions, I didn’t practice much. I had to cancel my appointments sometimes because meetings came up in the last minute. With the online course I practiced much more, on most days with video and audio, at home and in lunchtimes. Some lessons that were difficult for me I did lots of times, like lesson on ‘th’,. That would have cost me over $700 if it was face to face lessons. For me the online course give me better results and for me is most effective”
Peter Krichevtsov
Russian Speaker, IT, Australia

Get the practise you need.
We ensure you get the practise you need to successfully use your new skills in real life situations. The course is packed full of conversations, presentations, interviews, meetings etc. We make sure you are prepared for real life conversations. Each course includes over 25 hours of training -with 20+ bonus lessons. So you can do as little or as much as you like to suit your goals.

Quality, proven training at your fingertips.
It can be difficult to find someone with the right experience and skills to teach English Pronunciation. There are not many people that specialise in providing quality training in this area. I see many students who have been taught the wrong thing or are following a program that has obvious flaws. Or they are not given sufficient practise materials, so they do well in the class but they lose the skills between lessons.

Many students rely on their teacher to point out their errors. They do not learn to monitor their own speech and therefore they don’t learn the essential skills required to make meaningful changes.

Also, many course are expensive and hard to access. People often have to take time off work to attend classes or travel long distances. It often costs $100 AUD or more per hour and doesn’t include sufficient practice resources. 

Get direct benefit from a team.
Elearning specialists have made the course easy to use, flexible and effective. Speech Therapists / Pathologists have customised your course specifically for speakers of your first language and have made sure you work on the most important areas in the most effective way. ESL Tutors have made sure that all content is applicable to real life, every day situations.

The content of a Speech Active English Pronunciation course will benefit you for social and professional interactions. The team worked together to make sure your progress is easy for you to track and measure with the speech recording tools and quizzes along the way.

If you work through all your lessons, doing 2 videos twice a week, you would finish the main lessons in your course in 4 – 5 months (depending on your first language because each course is different). 

But we want you to approach this course with ‘quality’ not ‘quantity’ in mind. Take a THOROUGH approach – to make sure you have made meaningful change and improvement in an area before moving on to the next.

So, this might mean that you spend an extra week here and there on a certain area. 

We give people 2 years access to our courses so they can move at their own pace, revise as they wish and spend time completing the helpful bonus lessons and consolidating their skills. 

The audio files will be yours to keep forever and students often still use these years after finishing their Speech Active English Pronunciation course.  

Someone very wise once said – “Listen to the experts. They got that way for a reason!’. I agree with this statement.

The two most important factors determining how well you will improve are:

YOUR AWARENESS – If you are aware, you can control. If you are not aware, you will not have the control needed to change. From right now – start to ACTIVELY listen (I mean really listen) to your own pronunciation and other people’s pronunciation. ACTIVELY feel the sounds you make when you speak. You need to be able to control your tongue and lip movements for certain sounds – this takes practice – start now.

YOUR PRACTICE – We are changing habits that you have had for many years – since you started speaking English! At the moment, the way you pronounce words will be quite automatic. To change and improve pronuncation, you will need to practice – ideally daily. The more you do the better.

This course will give you the framework you need to speak clear, more fluent English.

Every lesson includes lots of listen and repeat practice words and sentences and also some conversation practise – both professional and casual.

The more practise you do – the more you will improve.

We have designed your Speech Active Course to include everything you need, for it to be as effective and helpful as possible! As a result, many students don’t feel like they need an assessment.

Your course is already tailored for speakers of your first language, so this means that most lessons will be relevant to you.

Your course also includes a guided self assessment, where you’ll listen to your speech and check areas – this is a very important exercise for building your awareness.

Our English Pronunciation Assessments include written and audio feedback on all the areas of pronunciation for clearer English. 

In saying that, some people want as much 1:1 feedback as they can get. They want to know as much about their problem areas as possible. They find it motivating and they have the budget. If that sounds like you, then an English pronunciation assessment is a great choice. You’ll gain a greater understanding of your problem areas and how they affect your clarity and English accent. See more on English Pronunciation Assessments.

1:1 Zoom Training: Yes. Some people will book a session if they have an important presentation coming up or an interview they want to prepare for. Some people like a regular session – every 3 weeks or so for a few months. This is flexible and can usually be arranged depending on our capacity. We can discuss this during your 1:1 Zoom session.   We only complete 1:1 Zoom sessions for people enrolled in our courses.     

Assessment: Some people purchase an assessment when they start their training. If you didn’t and you would like to go ahead with an assessment, you can add it later. Some students do like a full assessment completed half way through the course or at the end of their course.  We only complete assessments for people enrolled in our courses.     

We only complete assessments and 1:1 Zoom sessions with people who are enrolled in our courses. We spent three whole years designing and developing our training structure. A lot of thought went into the way it is presented and the order of things. For most people (unless their circumstances are unusual) completing our online course with the 1:1 session is the best way forward.

YES! A tailored Speech Active English Pronunciation Course will help you improve many areas that are important for these exams.

Speaking clearly is one of the most important factors for getting a good speaking score on these tests. Why? Because if your examiner misses some of what you say, this will negatively other graded areas such as vocabulary, fluency, grammar etc.

You need clear English to score well on the speaking parts for these tests. With this course, you will not only improve your pronunciation, you will improve your fluency on a huge range of topics. You will improve your understanding of English expressions and expand your vocabulary. The course is packed full of real life conversations and interviews while guiding you through correcting pronunciation problems.

The Speech Active course will help you boost your skills for a better English speaking score for  PTE, IELTS, TOEIC, TOEFL and OET English speaking tests. 

With a course like this you can achieve a lot of change quickly. You can study the course all day if you have the time. You’ll have over 30 hours of video and audio training at your finger tips. It’s all laid out in a easy to follow format and you can repeat lessons and dip in and out as much and as often as you want. 

People taking these exams LOVE their Speech Active course because it is self paced, so they can work through it quickly and revise areas as they wish. They can take training from anywhere they like – while they are on the bus or at the gym!

In the past, some students have studied this course 6 hours a day to develop their spoken English skills for PTE, IELTS, TOEIC, TOEFL and OET exams. They also find it improves their listening score too!

If you are looking for an English Speaking Course to boost your skills for your English exam, read our article: 5 Questions to Ask When Choosing an English Pronunciation Course. 

Many employers understand that developing your ability to communicate effectively will improve your job performance.  A course which improves your spoken English skills is a solid investment in your future with their company.

As a result, many employers will fund Speech Active Training for their staff.

Talk to your employer about possible funding or even part funding for this course.

See our article on ‘Asking My Employer to Fund English Pronunciation Training’ to introduce them to Speech Active training. There is a two page .pdf document to download to introduce them to the course and how it will benefit you.

We have many people enrol in our courses who are speakers of languages that are not on our language drop down list. For example speakers of African languages, speakers of Slovak or Romanian.  We recommend the following process.

Select ‘Other’ for first language when enrolling.  Email us at ‘info @ speechactive.com’ and let us know your first language.

After you have received your log in details and logged in to your course, you will be guided through making a series of speech recordings. This takes around 10 minutes and is very easy – you will be guided through this process.

We then log in from our end and listen to these recordings and create a course for you that will assist with all areas that you need to improve. 

Yes, you can. You can call or email your teacher directly and ask questions about your training.

If you call us please leave a message or text us and we will call you back. 

We are here to make sure you get the most from your course.

Most people from non-English speaking backgrounds have put a lot of time and effort into developing their English skills, over many years. If they have difficulties with pronunciation and being understood by others, this can be very frustrating for them. Many people welcome the idea of support to improve this area. But there are many factors at play here and it isn’t always the case. 

Before offering English Pronunciation Training to your staff members, we recommend you read our article on How to Raise The Topic of English Pronunciation Training with Staff.

We don’t have a free trial of our full English Pronunciation Courses but check out the following:

   – Free 5 day starter course. Free English Pronunciation Course – emails with video and tips over 5 days. 
   – Check out our English Pronunciation Youtube channel. These youtube videos are very different to our full courses but can be a good starting point to start thinking about your pronunciation for clearer English. 
   – we offer a money back guarantee for the first 30 days. If you do the first few lessons of your Speech Active course and feel that you won’t benefit from it, we will give you a refund (assessments and 1:1 sessions non-refundable – see T&C’s).

Yes. One of the top things that students say this course helps them with is to understand English more easily.

Our lessons include ear training exercises that help you learn to hear and say sounds and stress patterns (the rhythm / music of English). By the end of the course you will be very good at hearing subtle aspects of speech and pronunciation like pitch changes of the voice, vowel length and consonant sound quality.

You will understand exactly what native speakers do with sounds and the pitch of their voice when they speak English. You will be a pronunciation expert and you will be able to hear the important differences between your pronunciation and a native speakers.  All of our students find that their listening skills improve with this training.

You’ll learn everyday expressions that English speakers use and important vocabulary too.

One of the main goals of this training is to give you the skills you need to keep improving your English pronunciation over your life. This is a long race – not a sprint!

This course gives you with the skills needed to continue improving into the future. You’ll learn to recognise your problem areas AND know exactly what to do to correct them. You will get the practise you need to use your new skills successfully in your everyday life. 

After your video course ends, you have 2 years access to refresh and revise your learnings. After that you can revise with the audio files and notes.

If you want ongoing access to the videos, we offer month to month extensions.

Many of our students use the audio files for months and even years after they have completed their course. We recently met with a student still using some of our original recordings from 8 years ago!!! This is a testament to the true and ongoing value and positive impact the course materials have.

The first step in the process of change is awareness. Without awareness we cannot change anything.

We help you become aware of your problem areas.

Then we provide step-by-step visual and audio training to improve them.

Our goal is for you to gain the skills needed to keep improving your pronunciation skills over your whole life. This is not a short race we are running – it is a long one!

Clearly see and copy your teacher in the videos as she guides you through correct positioning. See other students as you learn. We make sure you know exactly what your problem areas are and exactly how to correct them.

At the end of each lesson you have had the guided revision and practice needed to succeed in using your new skills correctly. Check your pronunciation with the recording tool, to develop your self monitoring skills. Measure your progress with the Before and After Course Speech Recordings.   

Yes. A Speech Active English Pronunciation Course is a great addition to your resume. It tells employers that you are actively improving your spoken English skills. Most people put it under Professional Development or Education. 

Yes. You can download a certificate on it that has how many modules you completed, with your name and the date of the course. 

It’s possible but very challenging to completely lose an accent as an adult. It requires a very high level of skills and commitment.

The great news is that reducing an accent and improving pronunciation skills for clear English is easily achievable. Just about anyone can reduce their accent significantly to achieve clearer English with practice and the right help.

For most people who are not native speakers or English, reducing a foreign accent is easily achievable. Losing a foreign accent completely requires a very high level of skill and high engagement in training. A person’s ability to successfully change their accent depends on their level of skill, commitment to practice and quality of training materials. 

See more on ‘Can I lose my accent?‘. 

Some people grew up speaking multiple languages so their English accent is influenced by several first languages, rather than just one. If this is you, we recommend you select ‘Other’ for first language when enrolling. Email us at ‘info @ speechactive.com’ and let us know the language you grew up speaking.

After you have received your log in details and logged in to your course, you will be guided through making a series of speech recordings. This takes around 10 minutes and is very easy – you will be guided through this process.

We then log in from our end and listen to these recordings and create a course for you that will assist with all areas that you need to improve. 

Here are some steps you can follow until you are ready to take a full online course.

1. LISTEN! Listen more carefully to your own speech and the speech of English native speakers. Pay attention to the emphasis and stress that native English speakers put in words. Listen to the sounds they make. Open your ears and start to compare.

2. Start with our free English pronunciation resources. Sign up to our 5 day Free English Pronunciation video course. It’s a great place to start thinking about your English pronunciation. See our youtube channel.

3. Speak more English. The only way to improve your English fluency is to SPEAK MORE ENGLISH. Start with this video that will help you speak more fluent English – video.

4. When you are ready to get serious about speaking better English, enrol in a Speech Active course. Find our more about your tailored course here.

Yes. One of the top things that students say this course helps them with is to understand English more easily.

Our lessons include ear training exercises that help you learn to hear and say sounds and stress patterns (the rhythm / music of English). By the end of the course you will be very good at hearing subtle aspects of speech and pronunciation like pitch changes of the voice, vowel length and consonant sound quality.

You will understand exactly what native speakers do with sounds and the pitch of their voice when they speak English. You will be a pronunciation expert and you will be able to hear the important differences between your pronunciation and a native speakers.  All of our students find that their listening skills improve with this training.

You’ll learn lots of everyday expressions that English speakers use and important vocabulary too.

We give you lots of ways to practice when you are living your day to day life. That’s one of the reasons why this course is so successful – we give you actions to complete in your everyday conversations! So you actively transfer your skills from practising with the course to using your new skills in real life.

As well as your video lessons, you’ll put audio files on your phone or mobile device. You’ll use these to practise with when you are out and about. You should aim to use the ‘listen and repeat’ audio files for 15 minutes per day. This gives you important repetition and practise needed to successfully improve your speech.

The audio files will provide an opportunity for you to:

• Improve your listening skills.
• Develop your vocabulary.
• Improve your language skills.
• Improve syllable stress in hundreds of important words and phrases.
• and more.

This course gives you with the skills needed to continue improving into the future. You’ll learn to recognise your problem areas AND know exactly what to do to correct them. You will get the practise you need to use your new skills successfully in your everyday life!

After your 6 month video course ends, you will continue to refresh and revise your learnings with the audio files and notes.

If you want ongoing access to the videos, we offer month to month extensions.

Many of our students use the audio files for months and even years after they have completed their course! We recently met with a student still using some of our original recordings from 8 years ago!!! This is a testament to the true and ongoing value and positive impact the course materials have.