Public Speaking & Presentation Skills Courses in Malaysia

Azmi Shahrin - Public Speaking Coach & Trainer

Sound Right!™ English Pronunciation Programme

This is a 2-day intensive programme in English pronunciation skills for anyone who wishes to speak English correctly for personal satisfaction or career success.

Course Objective

It is well known that most Malaysians pronounce English badly. This is because when we speak English, we tend to import the sounds in our respective mother tongues into English. This programme aims to create an awareness of the common pronunciation mistakes made by Malaysians and to highlight several key areas for improvement that will enable participants to sound dramatically better in a short time. Participants will also be taught to read the International Phonetic Alphabet used in English dictionaries.

Course Methodology

This programme employs adult learning techniques which include active learning strategies to facilitate understanding and retention. Participants will spend 80% of the time in actual practice which allows them to learn and develop a new way of speaking English. A workbook is used to facilitate the programme. Included in the workbook is a chart which the participants can use (after the programme) to track their progress in incorporating the various elements of correct pronunciation in day-to-day speech. The number of participants is limited to 15 to ensure personal attention for each participant.

Course Syllabus

Module 1 Introduction to English Pronunciation - the importance of correct pronunciation, Received Pronunciation, International Phonetic Alphabet	Module 2 Listen To Yourself - taped reading exercise, demonstration by teacher
Module 3 Plosive Sounds I - say b, d, g, k, p and t with a puff of air	Module 4 Plosive Sounds II - combinations of plosive sounds in root words and past tense
Module 5 The Schwa - learn the most common sound in English	Module 6 Th, v, z - distinguish these sounds from t, w/f and s
Module 7 Long Vowels & Diphthongs, Phrasing - distinguish long and short vowel sounds, speak in phrases rather than word by word	Module 8 Listen To Yourself Again - reading exercise again, comparison with earlier results, what to do next to become even better

Course Timetable

Time	1st Day	2nd Day
9.00-10.30 a.m.	Introduction to English Pronunciation (M1) Listen to Yourself (M2)	Th, v, z (M6) Individual Practice
10.30-10.45 a.m.	Tea Break
10.45 a.m.-12.30 p.m.	Plosive Sounds I (M3) Individual Practice	Diphthongs & Phrasing (M7) Individual Practice
12.30-1.30 p.m.	Lunch
1.30-3.30 p.m.	Plosive Sounds II (M4) Individual Practice	Group Activity - apply all elements learned
3.30-3.45 p.m.	Tea Break
3.45-5.00 p.m.	The Schwa (M5) Individual Practice	Listen to Yourself Again (M8)

Course Requisites

Participants need to bring along the Oxford Elementary/Advanced Learner's Dictionary. (Some dictionaries don't use the International Phonetic Alphabet. Please bring one that does.)