Let’s face it some foreign accents can be sexy but those are far and few such as French. But overall many accents can be a hindrance, especially in the western culture.

Accents can hold one back not only in social settings but more importantly in careers. Often in the workplace there is the perception that one with a foreign accent may not be well being educated or not familiar with the western culture. And worst if promoted to a higher level such as management, then staff members may or may not respect or follow orders making productivity and profitability decline.

How does one lose or erase their accent? Well there are various types of schools that teach one how to lose or soften their accent, and they definitely serve a great purpose. But it can be costly and time consuming.

Here is one tip that works extremely well. I started applying this process when I first got into radio broadcasting. At times when I went on the air, due to nervousness, a trace of my Indian accent became noticeable. Accents were not acceptable twenty years ago, matter of fact they still are not favourable today in the western radio and television.
Basic steps:

1. Place a soft-led pencil (horizontal) between across your lips and slight biting with your teeth.
2. Read a short paragraph for about 30 seconds
3. Now remove the pencil and read again
4. Repeat the procedure for five minutes

You will notice the results immediately that your pronunciation is becoming much clearer. This simple procedure makes the tongue work harder to pronounce the English words. This concept works quite efficiently for other languages as well.
The key is to read it every day for five minutes and within a very short time your pronunciation will improve immensely. I would highly recommend that you record your readings on a regular basis and then go back later to monitor your improvement. You will be amazed!

I teach this technique to new immigrants getting into the workplace or when I deliver workshops or give private consultation to executive from foreign countries.