An open mind and a good work ethic are your best friends.

For fluency in accents and dialects, it really helps to have a methodical approach to basic skills, the “building blocks” of speech, so that you can apply them in different ways. That way, you won’t have to feel over-focused on your speech instead of your acting. An accent is a good servant, but a poor master!

It’s a lot like learning how to play a musical instrument. Even if you are fundamentally musical, you can’t play compositions before you’ve learned what notes are, and you can’t play with expression until you’ve mastered technique. Speech skills improve along the same lines, and require the same kind of attention and practice.

Fortunately, it gets easier as you go along. Just as many musicians learn to play more than one instrument, and more than one style of music, you’ll be able to pick up all sorts of accents and dialects more readily once you’ve mastered your first one.

Last updated on October 29, 2010 by Amy Stoller