Diction

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2979895296/tt0058385 "The Rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain..." is a line from a movie that came out when I was in the 4th grade! Professor Higgins does his best to get the guttersnipe Eliza to become a lady.

Being in television and/or radio was always a dream of mine. Never afraid of the stage, nor a sufferer of 'mike fright', I majored in Broadcast/Journalism in college, right out of high school. http://920kvel.com/index.php

Years later I realized my dream, by working first for a mid-sized market TV station. I had a weekly interview show, which was a blast for me! After that stint I went to work as on-air talent for the sister stations KVEL and KLCY in Vernal UT. I am a big deal there, just so you know!!! http://klcy.com/ I still have fans!

I was live on the air 4 hours every weekday and did 8 newscasts a day. I also introduced concerts, emceed events and was the queen of live remotes!

Then I relocated to Tucson AZ to take a position as the Business Development Director for 4 radio stations in that market and my on-air presence was minimal.

During all this experience a couple of things happened. I lost much of my 'Chicago dialect', developing a smart-ass, smooth (in my opinion)persona with lazy language peppered with slang and made-up words! It has stood me well for nigh onto 10-15 years!

Now an odd thing happened with my language skills recently that I didn't notice right away. My diction has sharpened. Where I used to slur and accent my words for effect, I find I am unconsciously speaking more clearly. My consonants are becoming crisp. In a state known for lazy speech, mine is snapping to attention! If you listen to me, give you our toll-free number, for instance, you will hear me pronounce the 't' on the end of every 8, in 888.228.1798. That's a lot of '8's'!

As I start The Listening Program for the 2nd time through, I am seeing my speech and language skills improving and I'm wondering what effects will be evident in the next weeks from repeating TLP at a higher level of functionality this time...

Stay tuned!!!