Marked improvement in vocal delivery

I had a kick start session and ten scheduled coaching calls with Sonya.  They were all very useful and there was a marked improvement in my voice and vocal delivery compared with when I started. Sonya provided techniques to address some of the issues I had experienced in the past when delivering business presentations or in free speech.  In particular we worked on improving the flow of my voice.  She devised a structured plan that included regular practice and homework. By the end of the sessions, she had addressed all my initial concerns with a lot of practical advice and useful techniques.  Sonya also provided me with a comprehensive set of learning materials and summary of what we had worked on, which I continue to use. I fully recommend Sonya as a voice coach.

Ralph – June 2024

The tools are clear and precise

The 4 weeks pronunciation course with Sonya was incredibly comprehensive. The methodology is very well structured, and the tools are clear and precise. I really felt myself progress from week to week, thanks to the daily tasks and the deeply informative one-to-one meetings. Sonya is generous, patient and she adapts her teaching to individual needs. I sincerely recommend this course!

Marie – Dec 2023

Progress quickly, well and in depth

Sonya is very professional and knowledgeable. She was able to immediately point out the elements to improve in my pronunciation. Her method is complete. Personalized support really allows me to progress quickly, well and in depth. In addition, Sonya is very pleasant, it was a joy every day to be in contact with her for this training. I absolutely recommend it.

Guillaume – Dec 2023

Techniques to speak clearly and with confidence

I have had a great experience working with Sonya. She has provided me with the skills and techniques to speak clearly and with confidence. Sonya is a sincere, patient, and friendly professional who has a vast amount of knowledge and experience. She has supported me in communicating clearly and effectively, and the sessions were always thoughtful, interesting, and enjoyable. I would highly recommend Sonya as she is an excellent teacher!

Shareen – native English speaker, Sept 2022

Immediate confidence

As an actress coming from Germany to the UK Sonya has upgraded my knowledge about british pronunciation with great practice lessons and well prepared homework sheets. Her one-on-one course trained me well for future use and immediate confidence. During lockdown the accent training was a very useful occupation. On top of that Sonya is a super nice person to have contact with, to chat (in your best trained British accent off cause;) and to build exactly around your personal training needs and goals! Highly recommend!

Ana – native German speaker, Sept 2022

Extremely useful

I found my ten sessions with Sonya extremely useful as they provided me with many skills to improve the clarity and range of my voice as well as techniques to improve my pronunciation. Sonya developed a very structured plan, including regular practice and homework, and by the end of the ten sessions I was provided with advice and techniques that covered all of my initial concerns. I would highly recommend Sonya as a voice coach!

David S – native English speaker, July 2021

Fantastic methodology

I have taken regular sessions with Sonya over a year and the progress has been great. Despite I didn’t have always time to revise and practice in between sessions as much as I should have done, her method is so efficient that I still did excellent progress. I have done other pronunciation courses in the past but they resulted to be a total waste of time. Instead, Sonya has developed a fantastic methodology with a simple but effective organization of the different sounds. She also adapts the material to the students’ needs and challenges, so for example, comparing and contrasting similar sounds, or with good suggestions to put in practice the contains learnt in class. I feel now a lot more confidence and even more, I have excellent notes and audio and video files to come back whenever I feel I have to check something again. Very recommended!

Pilar A – native Spanish speaker, December 2020

Now I can not only speak precisely but also with a lot more confidence

I found Sonya’s lesson from her LinkedIn profile. After reading  the other good feedback I told myself to give it a try.

I pinged her and she quickly replied and asked me some I would say standard questions like what’s my culture background, professional, purpose of joining this course etc. But one thing caught my eyes, that is, she uses a very different approach, which is similar to a vocal course for those who want to improve their singing*. I immediately loved that.

As the training went on, Sonya showed her training skills and profound professionalism. She tailored the content of the course for the sound which I usually get wrong. We have a lot of deep diving in these areas thus the course in the end turned out to be very successful. Now I can not only speak precisely but also with a lot more confidence. It in a way completely changed my image in my workplace.

Here I would like to show my great gratitude for the service she provides, even though of course I paid. I would say the price is very worthwhile and the price is very much a fair one. It was overall a wonderful journey to take this course. I would strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to take it.

Jerry – Singapore, October 2020

*Note from Sonya: Jerry is referring to the breathing exercises we did to free and strengthen the speaking voice – we don’t actually sing in the sessions!

Brought back my confidence

My mother tongue is Polish. I moved to the UK 16 years ago and since then, English became my primary language to communicate in day to day life. I work in a scientific field and very often I must explain complex technical information to people who might not have as wide technical knowledge. Using English to explain complex information was very challenging, especially when listeners were not familiar with my accent and pronunciation. I felt that my listeners had to work extra hard to understand me and this affected my confidence.

Luckily I have met Sonya! Sonya is an amazing teacher, with great knowledge and attention to details. She is very engaging and extremally personable. During our first session, she very clearly identified areas I need to work on. Each session is well structured and supported by practical exercises, plus homework! Working with Sonya was absolutely a pleasure. Sonya not only helped me with my pronunciations but also brought back my confidence. Thank you, Sonya!

Honor Puciato – native Polish speaker, June 2019

Fantastic teacher, attentive to desired outcomes and has helped me immensely!

I have undertaken regular sessions with Sonya regularly for over a year and I can say the impact has been extraordinary. Sonya is an experienced teacher and can instantly advise on areas of improvement with very quick results. Very friendly, professional and personable, Sonya applies bespoke training methods with powerful positive results. Many of my colleagues along with my team and partners have commented on the improvement of my delivery of presentations along with the overall flow of my speech. Invaluable tools and knowledge gained professionally and personally.

Adeem Azhar – native English speaker, July 2020

My pronunciation and confidence improved significantly

I have been Sonya’s loyal on and off customer for good few years now  and I would not hesitate recommending Sonya if you have a goal of eliminating your accent. Sonya is an exceptionally professional, friendly, punctual and flexible (within reasonable limits) coach. My pronunciation and confidence improved significantly after a few sessions with her and I learned how to pronounce the trickiest English sounds. Sonya is well aware of difficulties faced by the speakers depending on their mother tongue and never has “one size fits all” approach. I also became more confident with public speaking and I think the sessions are worth every penny.

Marina – Russian speaker, June 2020

Her lessons are of great value

Over the last two years I have been working with Sonya. She is a fantastic teacher and her lessons are of great value! I learned about the correct pronounciation of the individual letters in different contexts for the first time. This Knowledge has really helped me to improve my pronounciation, which in turn has led to more confidence in speaking English.

Feyko – German speaker, May 2018

People have no trouble understanding me

As a university lecturer who is also often invited to speak at conferences and events, I sometimes felt that my accent and pronunciation meant that audiences found it difficult to understand me. Sonya quickly identified what was needed and set about helping me to put it right. I now feel much more confident, and people have no trouble understanding me. Sonya is a superb teacher and I would recommend her without reservation to anyone seeking to improve their spoken English.

Svetlana – native Russian speaker, March 2018

I strongly recommend Sonya to anyone who wants real results

I have been working with Sonya for over 4 years now and she has significantly refined my English. The improvements made have helped me to build up strong self-confidence and significantly supported my career development. I am Italian by background and I run a successful PR and IR company working with English companies. When I met Sonya my English was just ok, now it is excellent. Her ability to identify my weaknesses as well as understanding my specific needs helped me to get to results I would never imagine. My family even said my Italian accent completely changed and some people who met me at university were impressed. I strongly recommend Sonya to anyone who wants real results.

Stefania Barbaglio – Public and Investor Relations Director – native Italian speaker, May 2017

I am learning how to express myself more clearly

Being Spanish my accent is quite strong. Sonya is an excellent teacher, very experienced with different accent backgrounds so she customised my learning program to my specific needs, as she knows what sounds specifically are more challenging for me. She explains very clearly how to pronounce the sounds in RP English. She is also very good at giving practice exercises which are relevant for my professional life. Having lived in the UK for many years, with her help I am learning how to express myself more clearly and make sure native speakers understand me which is very important also to build up my confidence to speak in larger audiences. I would highly recommend her as a teacher.

Aranzazu Sardina – native Spanish speaker, April 2015

I would recommend her in a heartbeat

I am very glad I found Sonya to help me improve my pronunciation. As a Native Spanish speaker, I had old habits and sounds that Sonya help me bring awareness and the right methods to correct it. I am happy with the journey as it was very pleasant to work with her and I quite enjoyed the lessons. I would recommend her in a heartbeat.

Rebeca – native Spanish speaker, July 2020

I feel less stressed

I would totally recommend Sonya as a teacher! She has a wide experience and know how to teach according to your major weaknesses. She always suggests you some homework that helps to improve your pronounciation. Now I feel less stressed when I have to talk with native speakers and I am more aware in the way the words are pronounced.

Laura E – native Spanish speaker, Sept 2018

Very pleased with the results

Initially I had some troubles with my accent as it was very strong but with Sonya’s help I not only improved it but also built up my confidence to talk to other people and make myself clearer and more easily understood through the exercises, techniques and tips Sonya taught me. I am very pleased with the results and would highly recommend her.

Luisa Ruiz – native Spanish speaker, April 2014

Genuinely enjoyable

I asked Sonya to help develop my quiet, mumbly and unarticulated voice as my role at work was involving communication and public speaking much more. The classes were genuinely enjoyable and I learned a great number of techniques which have not only improved my clarity but also my overall confidence.

Peter Bailey – native English speaker, March 2014

Very effective exercises

So far I haven’t stopped practicing, as regularly as possible, the pronunciation exercises Sonya gave me a few months ago. Why? Just because they are very effective! Especially when practiced every day, no more than 5-10 minutes. It really helped me for my songs. Besides, Sonya is a very professional, thorough and generous teacher so it’s been a real pleasure to work with her during those 2 months. When I’ll come back to London I’ll definitely call her to continue the work we’ve started.

Mademoiselle K, songwriter – native French speaker, July 2013

Very professional and enjoyable lessons

Thank you for very professional and enjoyable lessons. Sonya Ross is an excellent teacher. Highly recommended.

B.G.R. SW1- native English speaker, 2013

Very patient and excellent at explaining

Sonya is a really good teacher, very patient and excellent at explaining everything. Her knowledge on pronunciation and voice coaching is very impressive and she implements effective techniques and exercises into her teachings. I enjoyed my lessons and highly recommend her.

Sofia L – native Portuguese speaker, 2013

Fast and permanent results

Sonya is a very experienced elocution trainer and she deploys rather innovative techniques to make students understand and learn by their pronunciation errors. She is very methodical, patient and at the same time persistent and her broader European languages and cultural skills enable her to be a very understanding and effective coach. I strongly recommend Sonya for fast and permanent results.

Dio Psyllas – native Greek speaker, 2012