They Speak in Funny Accents and Dont Care About Fitting in
Whilst social anxiety and introversion are not synonymous with each other, if you are an introverted leader and experience social anxiety when put in the spotlight, it can be stressful and worrying. The more senior you get as a leader, the more get put in the spotlight. But not all leaders are comfortable being in the spotlight and in this episode of the Quietly Visible podcast I talk about how to manage social anxiety if this applies to you. Click on the link above to listen to it.
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Should a Person Change their Accent to Fit in or to Progress?
I sometimes get asked by leaders who want to fit in, or want to progress, whether I offer accent coaching as part of the public speaking coaching service that I provide. My answer to this question is always no.
Our accents are part of our cultural heritage and help to shape who we are. Changing them to fit in with a particular group is like denying part of ourselves. If a person can communicate in a way that is understood, then no, I don't think someone should have to change their accent. I will coach someone to improve their verbal communication skills as opposed to changing their accent.
When I moved from Sheffield in the north of England to London in the south many years ago, I often had colleagues make fun of my northern accent. For me this wasn't an issue because I gave as good as I got. However, for some people knowing that their accent is different to the dominant group, can affect their confidence.
Having an accent that is different to the dominant group can affect confidence to speak out
I have had clients for whom English is not their first language who found it challenging to speak up in meetings because they were worried about not speaking clearly, or not being understood. Invariably they have been bilingual or even multilingual whereas the rest of the people in the room can only speak one language.
When I have questioned them about other people not understanding them, it is often the case that no one has ever told them this. It has been their perception that people won't understand, which is based on their beliefs. And when I highlight that they are multilingual whereas their colleagues across the table only speak one language, it gives them a boost.
This anxiety about the way they speak has also happened for clients with a regional accent, or from a different social background to the dominant group. They don't speak the 'Queens English' like their peers. This can invoke imposter syndrome and other self-limiting beliefs in them.
Whilst I don't believe the majority of people deliberately berate someone because of their accent, there are some people that do. We saw it recently where Lord Digby Jones publicly criticised on Twitter, Alex Scott MBE (the BBC Olympic Presenter) for not pronouncing the letter 'g' at the end of her words.
For some people being criticised like this can have a negative impact on their self-confidence. Fortunately, Alex Scott has a high level of self-belief, and she is proud of her 'working class' roots.
Other similar situations that have been in the public eye include Steph McGovern who, when she was the BBC Breakfast presenter, was sent £20 by a viewer to fix her Northern accent. Or TV presenter AJ Odudu who is reported to have nearly quit TV because of the abuse she received about hers.
Over the years we have also seen reports of TV and radio presenters being sacked for speaking too posh. In 1999 Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reported to have said he was sacked from BBC Radio 4 for this.
Code switching
People often make a judgement about someone based on their accent before they get to know the person or before hearing all of what they have to say. Many people do this without even realising. Such bias can be discriminatory and put certain groups at a disadvantage.
Code switching is the process of switching from one language or dialect to another in order to blend in to different social or professional situations. It is said to occur more by people of African heritage, or other non-white group, because what is considered to be the social norm in professional situations is dictated by the white experience.
…code-switching involves adjusting one's style of speech, appearance, behavior, and expression in ways that will optimize the comfort of others in exchange for fair treatment, quality service, and employment opportunities.
Harvard Business Review
Whilst there may be some benefits to be gained through code switching, it can have a negative impact psychologically.
Whilst I don't think that leaders should have to change their accent (unless it is something that they themselves want to do), as mentioned, I do believe that all leaders should ensure that their verbal communications are understood.
This may require speaking slower if people can't grasp what you are saying if you speak too quickly. It may mean pausing appropriately to give people time to digest what you have said. It may require you projecting your voice so that you deliver your message with the right impact.
Whatever it is you need to do so your message is understood, don't feel like you have to change your accent in order to fit in, or to progress. If the environment is not accepting of your accent, what does that say about the environment? And do you really want to be in an environment that is not accepting of who you are?
What do you think? Should a person change their accent in order to fit in or progress? Or should organisations increase awareness of unfavourable accent bias, and do more to make sure that they are more inclusive?
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Events you may be interested in:
I have a few free, open events coming up that I am speaking at which you might be interested in. Click on the links to find out more and to register. I would love to see you there.
This free webinar takes place on Tuesday 21 September at 7pm BST. Find out more and register here.
It can be too easy to get caught up in the busyness of a demanding job and not see the signs of burnout creeping up. On this free webinar on 21 September at 8.30am BST, myself and other Executive Coaches from the Diverse Executive Coach Directory will be discussing how to avoid burnout in our 24/7 'always on' work culture. Find out more and register here.
Along with Alize Hofmeetser, Kerri Twigg, Matt Nicholson, Tom Szekeres and Paulina Lezama, I will be speaking about the challenges of a purpose-driven career. This is both an in person and online event that starts at 7.30pm BST on 29 September. Find out more and register here.
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About Me
I am an Executive and Career Coach specialising in introverted women who are senior leaders. I've been the featured expert in Women and Home Magazine, Good Housekeeping Magazine, the Telegraph, on BBC Radio 5 Live, named a LinkedIn Top Voice UK 4 years running, and received awards for my work developing women leaders.
Through my work I have helped 1000s of women across the globe to increase their confidence, influence and impact as leaders, and overcome imposter syndrome, increase their executive presence, and improve speaking performance in meetings. My vision is that ALL women achieve their full potential and become spheres of influence for positive change in their respective fields.
If you are an introverted woman and a senior leader and want to increase your confidence, influence and impact, take my free assessment and get a report identifying areas to develop. You can take the assessment here .
My book Quietly Visible: Leading with Influence and Impact as an Introverted Woman addresses many of the challenges that introverted women face as leaders and shows you how to overcome them. It was listed as one of the 10 best self-development books written by women to read during lockdown by BeYourOwn. You can get your copy here along with a FREE recording of my How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome workshop.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/should-person-change-accent-fit-progress-carol-stewart-msc-finstlm?trk=articles_directory
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