Posts by Paul Halagan

If English isn’t your native language, there’s a good reason becoming fluent in English may be a struggle. English has five characteristics that set it apart from your native tongue, and the first three are about having more things to learn. Becoming fluent English requires being able to understand more words. English has far more…

Everyone has an accent. Accents are influenced by where we grew up, whether it be in the North or the South in the U.S., in the Western world or the Eastern, or in other regions around the globe. Accents can create conscious or unconscious positive or negative bias – the perception that an accented speaker…

In American culture, small talk is an important personal and business skill. People from other countries often don’t realize just how important small talk is in the U.S., and are surprised by how naturally small talk comes to some Americans. They also don’t know that small talk is a skill that can be learned and…

Wearing masks and social distancing can help prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, social distancing can make it more difficult to hear others, and masks muffle sound, making it harder to understand what’s being said. Masks also diminish our ability to benefit from visual cues, such as seeing the other person’s lip movements and facial…

American accent training helps non-native English speakers effectively communicate, enabling them to speak confidently in their day-to-day lives. But why is the ability to speak English without a strong accent so important, and how does speaking with a heavy accent really affect your life? This article covers five of the most commonly asked questions about…

If you’re a native English speaker, think of a time when you couldn’t understand a non-native English speaker you were with. Did you pretend to understand them? Did you ask them to repeat themselves, or were you afraid to embarrass them? Did you want to suggest a resource for accent reduction, but didn’t know how…

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented us with challenges beyond what we could have ever imagined. But it has also provided us with a terrific opportunity to embrace virtual communications and remote work. Whether you’re conducting a business meeting, interviewing for a job, or consulting with a doctor, here are some tips to help you make…

Part 1 of 3 Have you ever heard the saying, “Nothing in life is free?” Well, it turns out that Literacy Volunteers may just be the exception to this rule! I recently sat down with Meghen Fitzgibbons, ESOL Program Manager at Literacy Volunteers of Greater New Haven to hear firsthand about Literacy Volunteers and the…

Part 3 of 3 In our previous two posts, Meghen Fitzgibbons, ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) Program Manager at Literacy Volunteers of Greater New Haven, talked about the organization’s history and the wonderful work its members do around the country. She introduced us to the students and programs of the New Haven volunteers…