Throughout the United States, American English varies from one part of the country to another. Many citizens who speak English as their first language have learned to pronounce words and phrases based on how their families and friends talk, rather than from teachers and books. Mispronouncing words based on heavily accented regional diction can cause static in communication, and while every region in the United States has a dialect, how you speak can affect how people perceive you.

Depending on what region you’re from in America, fellow citizens may assert that people in other parts of the country speak with a drawl or twang or that in some places the residents may speak too fast; in others, slowly. Unfortunately, differences in pronunciation have contributed to widely held stereotypes, for instance, that Southerners are friendly but perhaps not as intelligent as Northerners, and that Northerners may be more rude.

For professionals who want to break free of regional diction stereotypes, taking pronunciation classes can help increase confidence and be seen more as an individual, and less as a stereotype.

Online pronunciation classes are becoming highly sought-after with one in five people working on accent reduction in order to sound more sophisticated at a job interview or to be considered more professional by clients. Within the competitive job market, individuals from Texas, Boston, and New York are most likely to work on accent reduction in order to break free of regional stereotypes, specifically for phone interviews. In a study of 1,000 adults by Trulawn found that eight percent of Britons have worked on accent reduction in order to sound more posh, while many of the well heeled in politics and law have adapted their current dialect in order to appear more ‘of the people.’

While the motives are many and varied, taking online accent reduction classes can help users speak with more confidence and come off more clearly and trustworthy to others. Stop being boxed in as a stereotype of where you’re from, and start being seen for the unique person that you are. Start reaching for your full potential today!