If there’s one thing that prevents people from starting a podcast, it’s their accent. I hear this so much, especially from those with a southern drawl. “I don’t like my accent,” said a baby boomer to me recently on a teleclass. “It’s too southern.”

There’s little anyone can do if they have an accent. You could hire a dialect coach to help you lessen the sound of your accent, however, you won’t need to go this far. Why? Because there’s an audience of people who will love your accent and listen or view your podcast because of this.

There are 7 things that influence how we pronounce our words. These are:

1. Level of education. Those who graduated from university tend to speak differently than those who didn’t complete grade school.
2. Country of residence. Not just country, but also region. A British person sounds different from a Canadian, however, even within each country, the region you live in will influence how you say things. For example, I can instantly tell if someone is from the mid-west because she would sound different from someone who was raised in one of the New England states. Often, Americans tells me that I don’t sound Canadian and that’s probably due to the fact that I was raised in the city vs the country.
3. Cultural background. I’m a first generation Canadian raised by Jamaicans and if you know anything of Caribbean culture, they strive to speak “the Queen’s English.” So, we were always encouraged to speak proper English in my home. Others whose parents come from former British colonies, such as India, Trinidad, etc. will tell you that they too were encouraged to speak proper English.
4. Economic status. If you’re poor, you tend to speak a certain way, compared to the wealthy. I would imagine that the amount of money you have affords you the chance to learn different languages and to perfect your mother tongue. There’s probably tons of other reasons why this is, but money influences people’s dialect as well.
5. Speech impediments. A lisp tongue, stuttering, or some other speech impediment will greatly influences the way you say things.
6. Other languages learned. If someone has been exposed to more than one language as a child, the way they say things will be vastly different from someone who only speaks one language. My first language is English, my second is French. The way I say things is French will sound more Anglicized than a native French speaker. Why? Because my first language greatly influences the way I say things in my second language.
7. Audience. The way I speak with my family isn’t the way I would speak with my clients. With my family, I’m relaxed and can say things in the most informal way (with a slight Jamaican twist). With my clients or if I’m recording a spot for my podcast, I use the voice you hear in my podcasts. Audience will influence how you speak.

Any other factors that will influence the way you say things?
Thanks to mom for giving me some ideas