About Accent Arrow

Meet Chelsea Woods

Hi there! I’m Chelsea, an experienced pronunciation professional with a passion for helping students improve their accents and communicate confidently. Over the years, I’ve had the joy of assisting hundreds of students to modify and neutralize their accents, so they can be better understood and feel more confident speaking English.

I’m based in the U.S., and my native language is American English. I earned my Bachelor’s Degree from Oberlin College and my Master’s Degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Northeastern Illinois University. During my training, I discovered my love for teaching pronunciation and accent modification, and I’ve focused my career on helping students achieve clarity and confidence in their speech.

I’ve been fortunate to work with students from six continents, including countries like Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, France, India, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, and many more. From my office in Chicago, I teach internationally through video conferencing on Skype or Zoom, connecting with this amazing global community every day.

Many students feel self-conscious about their accents, and I love creating a welcoming and encouraging atmosphere where everyone feels supported. Each student is a partner in their own learning journey, and I’m personally invested in helping each one succeed.

Why Accent Arrow?

Premier Provider of Accent Modification Training

Expertise & Experience:

  • Targeted & Customized Content

  • Flexible Scheduling

  • Goad-Oriented One-On-One Instruction

  • Empathetic Learning Environment

  • Partners in Your Progress

  • Helps Your Message Get Heard

6 Continents

30+ COUNTRIES

Who takes the classes?

•Financial Analysts • Broadcast Journalists • Software Developers • Petroleum Engineers • IT Directors • Management Consultants • International Business Professionals • H.R. Professionals • Graduate Students  • Energy Efficiency Consultants • Parents re-entering the workforce • Human Factors Engineers • Real Estate Agents • Actors • Teachers • Medical Professionals

Among others, students have worked for Citibank, World Bank, American Express, The United Nations, Accenture, Christian Dior, Hitachi, Marketwatch, The Wall Street Journal, Showtime, MIT, Userwise, Tidewater Marine, Total S.A., ICF International, and the Kuwait Ministry of Health.

Your professional one-on-one coach will:

  • Work with you to refine your pronunciation so that you become a more precise speaker of the English language

  • Help you learn to speak the General American Accent (also called Standard American or North American) with greater confidence and clarity, so your ideas are clearly and successfully communicated

  • Custom tailor your online coaching sessions to meet your specific needs

  • Conduct a speech analysis to identify specific areas which require improvement

  • Together with you, target the pronunciation elements that require attention and focus, in order to maximize the effectiveness of each lesson

  • Develop a customized lesson plan for your particular needs and situation, so that you can communicate more confidently and successfully in the workplace, at university, during presentations, while auditioning for acting roles, or just while getting that essential cup of coffee at the local Starbucks!

  • Practice, with you, the English you need for specific situations that are important to you

What to expect from your Coaching Sessions:

Personalized Content. 

Each student’s needs are unique.  Your background, native language, area of expertise, goals, strengths, and exposure to English will determine our direction and focus.  In addition to class materials targeted specifically to you, you are encouraged to bring along any material or documents from your workplace or personal life that you would like to work with. Using content that is personally meaningful to you will promote accelerated learning on a deeper level, and you will have more opportunities to practice your new skills outside of class.

Partnership

We will develop a learning strategy TOGETHER. This includes setting goals, developing benchmarks, and setting a pace that makes sense for you.

Precision

We work on the General American Accent, sometimes also called the Standard American Accent, or the North American English Accent.  Although this accent is not specific to any single region in North America, it is generally accepted as the “neutral” accent. Our goal is to reduce the workload on listeners and target the broadest audience possible.

Expertise and Experience

Accent Arrow’s students come from diverse backgrounds and countries, and with a variety of goals and objectives. Together with you, we apply our academic and practical expertise to develop a strategy that WORKS.

Efficiency

We use class time and practice materials effectively and efficiently to minimize the overall cost to you.

Self-Support Materials

You will receive practice materials; specifically, audio recordings of what we have practiced so that you may use them for reference outside of class. This helps you to develop the ability to hear yourself and gradually make corrections on your own.

Patience

We understand the challenges that accents present in the real world, and the resolve it takes to reduce or modify them.

Thoroughness 

Each student will discover specific American English sounds that require focus. Just as important, we will also work on linking words together for smoother speech, expanding your intonation range, using syllable and word stress effectively, and acquiring the rhythm of spoken English.

Your Accent Questions, Answered:

  • Age, practice, motivation, your first language, and opportunities to interact in English are all factors that affect how much you can modify your accent. Fortunately, it’s not typically necessary to completely lose an accent! For most students, the main goal is to be more easily understood by others.

  • Practice, motivation, and your first language all contribute to the progress you can expect to make. Students who take time every day outside of class to practice improve much faster and more significantly.

  • Many students choose the 25-minute option if they are taking the lesson from work or in between tasks. Some students have even taken class from the car while waiting to pick up their kids from school or in between appointments. 50-minute lessons allow for more time to go in depth and to experience guided practice.

  • The answer is yes! If you need to work on an upcoming presentation, audition, etc., we can work on this specific material to help you gain confidence before speaking in front of others.

  • We can meet via Skype or Zoom. You can choose the platform you prefer.

  • For your convenience, you can purchase lessons by using Paypal (feel free to contact me if you prefer a different method). Please make sure to purchase lessons before scheduling.

  • Understandably, life gets very busy and you may occasionally need to cancel or reschedule a class. If you need to cancel, please do so within 24 hours of your scheduled class time. You can schedule a makeup class through the scheduling page. If you cancel less than 12 hours before class, you will be charged the full amount for the class.