The InFluency Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

What exactly is a syllable? You may have heard this term a lot, but were never sure how to identify it on your own. Understanding syllables is essential to building a foundation for your pronunciation practice. So today, I'll explain what a syllable is in English, how to divide a word into syllables, and how it will help your English practice.

Get your FREE syllables practice sheet here! https://bit.ly/3Z9DauZ

For more syllable practice, check out these videos:
Schwa – the BEST vowel sound in English https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/schwa/
How to Find the Primary Stress in Words https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/how-to-find-the-primary-stress-in-words/
How to find the stress in long words (words with suffixes) https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/long-words/

I'm hosting a FREE 5-day challenge from September 2 - 6. Join us here! https://bit.ly/4dYqfjC

We're revisiting some of our most popular and favorite episodes on the podcast.

Like any other challenge or thing we need to work on, improving your fluency is first and foremost about developing the right mindset. In this video, I'll discuss some of the things that hold you back and that you really need to let go of if you want to achieve a breakthrough in English.
Download 30 English affirmations that will help you reach a breakthrough: https://bit.ly/4739Kkl

We're revisiting some of our most popular and favorite episodes on the podcast.

I mention the schwa almost every time I speak about American English. That's because this vowel is all over the place, and once you hear it, you never stop hearing it 🙂

The schwa is a very short and "relaxed" kind of vowel. It's a pretty tricky vowel for non-native speakers but if you get it, you get the secret to American English pronunciation and you become SO much clearer.

Also, you will find yourself investing much less energy in speaking, which is also important 🙂

Tune in and learn more about this special vowel and how to use it. And let me know what you think in the comments below.

Check out a new episode about the schwa here: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/157/

You can also watch my older video about the schwa: https://goo.gl/tvDJ6o

And you'll also find my video on American Intonation helpful: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/american-intonation/

We're revisiting some of our most popular and favorite episodes on the podcast.

In this podcast episode I elaborate on how to practice it effectively and integrate it into your day-to-day speech.

Because forming a sentence is not enough. And making the right sounds isn't enough. It's the intonation that determines the meaning of the sentence: is it a question or a statement? Is it a joke and you're just being sarcastic? This is also where culture and your inner feelings are thrown into the mix. Intonation conveys ALL of that.

To do that you need to know how to practice! This is why I also share my most effective practice techniques that I've used myself and with my students, that are going to help you improve your intonation and deliver your message in a clear way.

If you haven't listened to my previous episode about American intonation, don't miss out on it: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/12/ 

How not to be monotone when speaking English: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/intonation-pitch/

The R sound is NOT an easy sound to pronounce. Even if you've been practicing it for a while, you may feel frustrated that you STILL can't use it as consistently as you would like.

So today, instead of telling you how to pronounce the sound, I'm giving you the best strategies to practice the R sound and make it STICK!

Download the free R sound PDF to practice with me: https://bit.ly/3Alq9Eq

More episodes about pronouncing the R: 👇🏽

R in English - make it easy with this 10-min daily practice https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/american-r-sound/

Make the American R! | American English Pronunciation https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/the-american-r/

The R sound in English: The most in-depth lesson you'll ever hear https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/17/

Are you watching the Olympics? Today you'll learn how to pronounce 10 of the most popular sports in the Olympics, so you can say them like a pro.

Over the summer, we're revisiting some of my FAVORITE episodes and stories that I've shared with you over the past several years on the podcast!

Pronunciation is the door to understanding and mastering spoken English. It's the secret of speaking with confidence and communicating clearly. In this episode, I pinpoint the reasons why learning pronunciation is crucial if you want to make an impact and not compromise your message. Because this is really what it's all about. It's not about you sounding more American and losing your identity. It's about you feeling amazing in your own skin when you communicate in English.

Full transcript: https://hadarshemesh.com/transcript/podcast-04/

Are you curious about how you can improve your writing in English? In this interview, I speak to teacher, author and non-native speaker, Fabio Cerpelloni as he shares tips for writing, expressing yourself in a second language, and the contradicting rules he writes about in his book, Any Language You Want. 

Read more about Fabio's work here: https://fabiocerpelloni.com/about/

Over the summer, we're revisiting some of my FAVORITE episodes and stories that I've shared with you over the past several years on the podcast! 

In this episode, I'm re-sharing with you how I transformed from being a timid speaker of English to a pronunciation expert and fluency coach who runs a thriving online business, and how I get to do what I love teaching students from all around the world who inspire me every day. This is my story.

Full transcript: https://hadarshemesh.com/transcript/podcast-02/

We're revisiting some of our most popular and favorite episodes on the podcast.

Taking small actions every day leads to great results. Author Darren Hardy calls it "The Compound Effect", and it holds for a lot of things in life. In this episode, I'll discuss how I've realized it's deeply relevant to English learning and speaking. I experienced it in acting school, in the accent training courses I took, and in the past decade in teaching and building my business. I see it in my students as well, as they put in the work day in day out, not seeing immediate results but then reach a breakthrough and impact other people around them.

See more information and links here: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/15/