Do great communication skills get you everywhere? 10 points for the best advice. Thank you?

Most people think Obama has great communication skills. He gives good speeches and attract many voters' attention.





I learnt in class that communication skills are very important. I wish I have great communication skills. My problem is I am a foreigner. English is my second language. I speak English with accents. I am always underpressured when I have to give a presentation in class or conduct an interview.





How do I solve this problem? Thank you.Do great communication skills get you everywhere? 10 points for the best advice. Thank you?
Yes, indeed! It gives you confidence and with confidence it lets you go somewhere. Speaking English with accent is not bad at all as long as you speak it the right way and you are able to express yourself, but of course it is extra point to learn to speak English without accent so someone could understand you clearly. Although English is one of the official language in my country, it is also my second language but I learned to speak fluently without any accents in a short time. When I tried working in an American firm, I was taught to speak a bit slowly and clearly, because people say I speak so fast and with like British accent that they could not understand me. So I did try that, and I saw improvement that most people understand me because I learned to speak slower and clearly, although they notice a bit from my accent. Then I tri茅d everyday to record my voice and try to listen how I sound while I speak. I do that while I was reading a book and I noticed how bad I sound with my accent. So I watch English movies and try to immitate the accent. I did it over and over and tried over and over recording my voice while I was reading the book, and guess what? It did not sound like I was reading a book at all, it sounded like some native american was talking to me for real!





So, if you think your only problem with English is your accent, I tell you, it is not bad to have accent at all but it gives you really great confidence to speak English when you know you are speaking it the right way. Trust me, I've learned it by experience, and it's still what I do up to now while I'm learning German:)Do great communication skills get you everywhere? 10 points for the best advice. Thank you?
It's not the way in which you speak, it's not the actual words being said. Those things don't matter. It's not your accent that makes you an effective speaker. It is what you're trying to say. That is that most important thing. It's a skill anyone can have, it's called ';body language';. For example, My friend is a exchange student from Korea. She knows next to no English. She has so much to learn still...yet, She is here in America, getting by just dandy without know very much English. I mean she can't even put together a complete sentence, she knows so little. But she is my best friend and I think she is a great speaker. She talks mostly by using her hands and face, but I'll tell you, she gets her point across just fine by making faces and waving her hands. Obama is just the same. anyone could read his speech, but it was he, Obama that put the emotion into it, to make it effective. It's not the words being said, it's the emotion behind it that makes someone win a crowd's votes. You won't win a crowd's opinion if you don't convince them right? YOU have to use YOUR voice and PROVE that you want them to belive in YOUR opinion. THIS is what speaking is all about. The POINT of YOUR paper/fact/opinion whatever. It's Not the fancy words being used, or even your accent, it's how you get YOURSELF across in the message.





As far as you accent goes, I say don't get rid of it. Be proud to be where you came from. I know if I had a Japanese accent, I would be so proud of it. I wouldn't hide it at all, in fact, I would worsen it on purpose. Just because I could. But accents are not something to be worried about. All that matters is that when, for example, you read you paper in front of that class, you did your best at getting YOUR point across. and after all, it's YOUR opinion that matters not anyone else's opinion.





So do me a favor, next time you have to get YOUR point across, REALLY say what you mean. Tell them what YOU think, LOUD and PROUD, with, your foreign accent.





:D OK?