January 29, 1999

"Speech accents need not be forever, aina hey"

By Carlise Newman

Nancy Hayer and Amy Vuyk had been in the work force as speech pathologists for a few years before realizing their services could be used in the workplace.

Through talking with friends in varying occupations, they found that most were working in environments that were very diverse, and that diversity sometimes obstructed communication between co-workers. In some cases, it was even a problem from the start at the interviewing process.

Recognizing the need for business and professional speech improvement, Hayer and Vuyk recently joined together to open Hayer-Vuyk LLC, a professional speech consulting firm. The Milwaukee firm serves area businesses, organizations and individuals and specializes in improving foreign and regionally accented speech, whether it be a Wisconsin drawl or a Kentucky twang.

"There's definitely a need for such a service. The world is changing, and people need to communicate and be understood," said Vuyk. "We're not looking at changing clients' native accents, but helping people to communicate clearly and effectively."

The market for accent reduction services is growing, and similar firms have surfaced in other states, particularly on the West Coast, Vuyk said. A look through the Yellow Pages, however, shows that while speech pathologists are plentiful, none focus entirely on improving accented speech for workplace communication.

"People are becoming aware of the need for this type of service. The work force is becoming more diverse and includes many non-native English speakers," Vuyk said.

She and Hayer have a combined nine years of experience with working with adults with various communication problems. Both have master's degrees in speech pathology and have completed Compton's Foreign Accent Reduction Program, a nationwide certification program.

Both are also members of the American Speech and Hearing Association.

Their firm offers screening, evaluation and training in areas of articulation and pronunciation of American speech. Training is customized to each client's needs. Vuyk and Hayer say the end results of their program are more effective and efficient communication with customers; increased productivity; decreased turnaround time for processing work; greater advancement opportunities; and increased self-esteem.

The two have been working with individuals, but they are hoping to land contracts with large corporations, including Allen Bradley/Rockwell Automation; Briggs & Stratton Corp.; Johnson Controls Inc. and Miller Brewing Co.

They are also interested in firms that hire a lot of technical help, because there is a big market of employees with computer skills that come from other countries, Hayer said.

"We hope to tap into a big market. It's becoming a global marketplace, and it's only going to get bigger," said Hayer.

Universities also are in need of speech consulting. Foreign professors often use heavily accented speech, and students have a difficult time understanding it, Hayer said.

The small business has contacted the major Milwaukee-area colleges as well as the Medical College of Wisconsin. Visiting professors at the Medical College could use short-term courses in articulation and pronunciation to give presentations.

A few similar speech consultant firms have popped up in Chicago, and the idea should catch on here in Milwaukee, said Robert Shuter, chairman of the department of communication at Marquette University in Milwaukee and a consultant in areas of diversity and non-mass mediated communication.

"This is a fairly new industry," Shuter said. "It sounds like a valuable service, as long as the focus is not on accent change, but on clarity and pronunciation."

There is no evidence that having an accent will affect a person's chances of obtaining employment or hindering it, Shuter said. In fact, moving into the areas of changing a person's accent can border on some discriminatory issues, especially if the accents are regional and cultural, he said.

"However, the goal of improving pronunciation and teaching communication skills is a good one, particularly in the changing workplace," he said.

Hayer and Vuyk said they have not intention of changing clients' accents or reducing them to one homogeneous tone, unless that is the goal of the client.

"We don't want to change anyone's speech who doesn't want to change, but they come to us," Vuyk said. "Many people have said they are proud of their accent and don't want to change them, but that's not what we do. We train in pronunciation, and in some cases, phrasing and grammar."

Hayer-Vuyk also can help with cultural differences that may interfere with communication, such as body language. Hayer and Vuyk look at their services as the step after English as a Second Language courses, which are becoming increasingly popular as the work force becomes more diverse.

"It's a service that is really needed here," Vuyk said. "We see it becoming more necessary very rapidly. We're looking to help them communicate in the changing workplace."

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