How to Improve your ACCEnt ( for those who want to work in a call center)

Graduation sashes of gold, green, and maroons, blank papers assuming the role of as diplomas, music with the beat of victory, happy familiar faces, and mixed emotions of sadness and hopefulness. Sadness due to the fact that you no longer have excuse to ask for money. So you count on hopefulness to bring you to a good-paying job as soon as possible. These are some of the images and emotions that I distantly remember when I graduated in college. Since this time of the year is the time for graduation and looking for jobs as well, I thought it would be best to bring it up and share what I know about preparing yourself not for the real world but for the world of the call center. I assume that most of the graduates would consider working in a fast-hiring company with excellent pay which the call center definitely provides (not all though). Some graduates though may not consider the call center industry much appealing or maybe some are just not confident enough with their English grammar and pronunciation. So they opt to put an X mark on the Customer Service Representative on their list of possible jobs and consider other normal day jobs with of course normal salaries. I am not saying that the call center is the only option for making money after college. I am just trying to emphasize that if you want a job right after graduation and want to earn decent money, being a CSR would be a good option. For those who share my perspective, I would like to help you out on how to practice your English language and if I am ambitious enough, help you out to at least sound like an American. Just for the record, if you want to apply in a call center, it doesn't necessarily mean that you must have an American Accent. They don't expect you to sound like CNN reporters or Paris Hilton. You just need to sound fluent not flawless. This means that you don't stammer and grasp for words and most of all you must not have that thick accent. They prefer it slim and thin. So consider learning to slim down your accent like an aerobics or a work out. Remember that you might sweat a lot. I'm just gonna share with you the steps that I have learned on how to speak English fluently and it is up to you on how you are going to work it out.

So here are the steps:

STEP 1:
LOVE WHAT YOU LEARN!

First of all, before learning anything in general, you must love what you learn. So i you want to learn to speak English, you must ignore the notions that you will sound "maarte" and that you will be like a stinky fish and will feel like you've betrayed our national hero. You are doing this because you don't want to be a bum. Thus, you are actually a responsible citizen who will be contributing to the country's economy through paying your TAX!

STEP 2:
THINK IN ENGLISH!

Once you've come to love how Americans sound, the next step would be to think American which means that you should always think in English. I am telling you that this is very effective. When I was in high school, I was an MTV fanatic. It was my ultimate dream to be a VJ or DJ. I just thought they sound cool and they get to do a lot of talking. So I tried my best to sound like them. I was always alone at home so I had a lot of chance experimenting. At first I would just imitate the exact words that they say like MTV's Most Wanted phone numbers, email and address. But later on, I got ambitious and wanted to say more than contact infos. So I tried to imitate them when they introduce music videos but I would always stammer not knowing what words would be appropriate to say. I thought to myself that if I speak my own dialect, I don't stammer. I realized that the reason that I don't stammer besides the fact that that was the dialect I was raised in is that I think in my own dialect. The words would just automatically come out of my mouth like most of us do because we speak what we think. From then on, I had an epiphany to always think in English. So every chance I get like walking home from school, I would recall the events of the day in English. It was a good practice. It also helped me out in expressing my thoughts in class clearly. Unfortunately though, I did not become a VJ or DJ. I became a call center agent instead which is not that bad I suppose. At least I get the chance to say websites and phone numbers and I do get the chance to talk a lot.

STEP 3:
WATCH AMERICAN SHOWS

Since you've trained your mind to think in English, it would be now easier to understand it as well. It is important to know this because you will be talking to Americans from different states with different accents. You will hear people who sound like Larry King, Ellen Degeneres, Chris Tucker, and Jackie Chan. So considering this, I would highly recommend you should watch late night American shows. You can also watch TV series like Desperate Housewives, CSI, and Alias. Watching Rush Hour 1,2, and 3 is also a must! =) Observe the way the characters speak, interact, and make comments. Take note of the idiomatic expressions that they use as well. It may come in handy during interviews or when taking in calls. I guess it is also more effective to watch comedy sitcoms like Friends and Will and Grace. If you get their jokes and laugh, then you're on the right track. Just make sure you're not pretending to get the joke even if you didn't understand a thing. But of course, if you're already taking in calls and your American customer cracks a joke that you didn't get, just laugh, pretend that you understand, and hope that you'll get away with it without being noticed.

STEP 4:
READ! READ! READ!

Reading English materials is very important too. This will enhance your vocabulary skills. It really doesn't matter what you read as long as the grammar is correct. If you're the type of person who like reading, then this is hassle free for you. But if you're the type that considers reading more painful than a chemo therapy, don't fret because there are other ways to read. You can probably try reading the newspaper. You can read the Entertainment section and check your horoscope. Skip the Tagalog Comics. You can also read Archie or Marvel or Manga or the writings at the back of your favorite junkfood. Just right after you've picked the reading material of your choice, read them aloud. Make sure you're not in the bus, subway, or public toilet while you're doing this. You may do this before going to sleep, during commercial breaks, or when you're taking a dump. Seriously, by reading aloud, you will be able to assess how you sound and what vowels you need to work on. While you're at it, be mindful of the grammar as well. You need to match your accent with a decent grammar to make it believable. For a much more dramatic effect to achieve your goal, you can also record your voice. This will serve as your reference on your progress.

STEP 5:
BE PATIENT!

Being patient is always a virtue. You can't do all these overnight. It takes a lot of effort, guts, and practice. Like I said earlier, it is like an exhausting body work out. But you'll know in the end that all the sweat is worth it. You'll know it on your first payday and you will be surprised how good you are as a responsible tax-paying citizen.