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The InFluency Podcast

Author: Hadar Shemesh

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The InFluency podcast is your go-to resource for learning, speaking and teaching English.
Hadar Shemesh is a pronunciation expert and fluency coach with thousands of students around the world, though she herself was an intermediate speaker of English once.
In this podcast she will share her best strategies for learning English, speaking English with confidence and mastering the American accent.

Discover how becoming fluent has everything to do with acquiring the right mindset, setting goals and learning how to overcome challenges.
Hadar will also share her teaching philosophy and techniques to support English teachers looking to help their students become fluent.
429 Episodes
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Episode 200! Woo-hoo! In this podcast-convo, I’ll share with you what I loved most about making the previous 200 episodes and what I’m hoping to do more in the next 200 episodes! I’ll also share with you a list of the 10 most downloaded episodes of the InFluency podcast, and what I think about them!  And here they are!!  The Schwa: How One TINY Sound Can Make a HUGE Difference How to effectively practice your intonation in English Why I Quit Acting and Became an Accent Coach | My story 10 Things You Should Stop Doing if you Want to Speak English Fluently American Intonation: What They Don’t Teach You In School How to Stay Motivated When Learning English Why pronunciation is important when learning a language Why Perfectionism Will KILL Your Fluency How Small, Smart Choices Can Transform Your English | The Compound Effect Why do I feel like a fraud every time I speak English? | The Impostor Syndrome If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course: https://hadarshemesh.com/audio-accent-course/ You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words: https://theaccentsway.com/mispro-signup/ Join our Facebook community to connect with non-native English learners from all over the world: https://hadarshemesh.com/influency-community/
In this ‘Ask Hadar’ podcast episode I’m answering Silvana, an English learner from Brazil, who wants to become an English teacher. Silvana isn’t sure she can do it, because she still has a lot to learn herself. I get asked this question a lot – whether non-native speakers of English should teach the language. And I always say – absolutely. If pursuing a teaching career is what you want, don’t let anyone – teachers or colleagues – put you down because you’re not a native speaker of English. Because teaching is so much more than transforming knowledge, especially in this day and age. In this episode, I share some thoughts on how to know you’re doing a good job teaching English, whether you’re a native speaker or not. Want to ask me a question on the podcast? Submit your audio recording here: https://hadarshemesh.com/ask-hadar/ If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course: https://theaccentsway.com/audio-accent-course/ You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words: https://theaccentsway.com/mispro-signup/ Join our Facebook community to connect with non-native English learners from all over the world: https://theaccentsway.com/influency-community/
The end of 2024 is near – maybe you set some goals for yourself back in January, and even though you’d really love to achieve them,  you’re not sure HOW exactly to do that. The good news is…we still have a quarter left in the year! If you’re wondering how to turn around your practice and get inspired, motivated and determined to achieve your goals, there is a way. 💪  My membership, Beyond, is now open until Tuesday, September 17! We’ve been keeping it a secret for a while now, because we’ve been making big changes inside. Today, I’ll tell you about what’s inside and how it can help you stay on track and achieve the goals you set for yourself in 2024. Click here to learn more https://hadarshemesh.com/beyond/
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/
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/
Summertime is in full swing, and it has been busy! Summer camp, road trips, weddings and family visits are on the calendar over the next few months. Today I’ll talk about navigating it all, the definition of ‘feeling at home’ and the idea of homesickness.
When you read out loud, do you feel monotonous, like everything you say sounds the same, and there’s no emotion or expression? Whether you’re practicing for a presentation, reading to your kids, or you just want to have more expression when reading, this video is for you. We’ll walk through different ways you can unlock more expression in your voice to sound more engaging when reading out loud.
This week my sister and her children gave us a surprise visit in Barcelona so I sat down with my niece Gaya to talk about our relocation, feelings and plans.
Do you pronounce it day-duh or daa-duh? Or should you pronounce ‘route’ as root or rowt? Today we’re talking about words that have 2 (and sometimes more!) different pronunciations in English. You’ll learn the different pronunciations of words including data, pecan, adult, envelope, often, and more! Let’s go
This week, I asked on social media if you had any questions for me about what relocation has been like. I got a lot of questions, so we’re splitting it into 2 parts! You ask, I answer. Part 1 Enjoy!
What is a limiting belief in English? Do you have one, or maybe even several? Today, I’m talking all about what those beliefs might sound like, and most importantly, how you can overcome them to step into your full potential and reach limitless fluency in English. (free!) 30 powerful English affirmations to change your limiting beliefs for good https://bit.ly/41UMrpr Learn more about my 30-day audio course, My English Mindset https://bit.ly/47wXuYD
It’s been 6 months since we’ve relocated to Spain – I can barely believe it! I’m spending some time today reflecting back on the past few months, comparing my own progress, the progress of my daughters, and sharing how DIFFERENT things look and feel since we arrived in January.
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Comments (92)

نارنگدون🍊

Hi be ready tonight. I have good news from Iran :))

Aug 10th
Reply

Sia Rey

Hello teacher How can I download pdf?

Jul 15th
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Mehran Rakhshande

Tank you so so much for your energy. How could I use your episodes to improve my speaking?I understand all your words but it's hard to speak and use these sentences. Please inlight me

May 25th
Reply

Mehran Rakhshande

👌🌺

May 18th
Reply

Behnam gholizadeh

great

Apr 19th
Reply

Zahra Moamer

I live in Iran and unfortunately we don't have credit card

Feb 1st
Reply

Soraiya Bahaduri

wowwwwwwww your story is amazing. 😍😍😍

Jan 7th
Reply

Mohammad Saeedi Rezvani

I would thank you, Mrs. Hadar, you made a perfect podcast. I myself enjoyed and used a lot

Nov 17th
Reply

Afshin Rostami

time is flying. It's inevitable

Oct 21st
Reply

Afshin Rostami

many of our furniture are redundent

Oct 21st
Reply

Afshin Rostami

pace of speaking is a very common mistake for non-native speakers . thank you, Hadar .

Oct 20th
Reply

Parham Salehi

👍

Oct 14th
Reply

Afshin Rostami

I downloaded the pdf file. It's awesome 👌

Oct 5th
Reply

Afshin Rostami

thank you, Hadar, for your good tutorial . I think the key is understanding why contraction happens? if we understand and recognize it . it'll be easy to comprehensive

Oct 1st
Reply

Afshin Rostami

thank you, Hadar. very practical methods to improving intonation

Sep 29th
Reply

Afshin Rostami

what a tutorial ! very useful

Sep 27th
Reply

Afshin Rostami

what a wonderful tutorial...... thanks a lot

Sep 20th
Reply

Afshin Rostami

exiting from comfort zone is one of the best ways to learn everything......thank you Hadar

Sep 16th
Reply

Afshin Rostami

very very very awesome lesson 👏

Sep 14th
Reply

Afshin Rostami

very great tips. thank you hadar

Sep 13th
Reply