“As a research fellow I often need to present at conferences. This makes accent-free and clear pronunciation very important to me. I have been taking accent reduction classes with Françoise Balthazar for several months, and the progress has since been significant. In my opinion, what truly differentiates Françoise from other tutors is that, as a voice-over artist, she has mastered various accents herself. This allows her to see subtle details that are usually overlooked by others; and it makes a huge difference in practice. When other tutors need to guess how to approach a problem, Françoise knows exactly how to solve it."
Ivan Pustagorov (Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Toronto)
"I am a recent immigrant to Toronto from Iran. Being in the health care industry, I need to communicate clearly with people from all different backgrounds. I also wanted to work on my accent as part of my experience of settling into a new culture and community. I am so lucky that I found Françoise through a Google search. I had a hunch she would be the right voice coach for me, and it turned out even better than I expected. Françoise is a very warm, fun, reassuring, and safe person to learn from. She has an exceptional expertise in understanding the mechanics and psychology of producing sounds and articulating words. Her background as an actor and voice over artist makes her an ideal accent teacher because she knows all about performance anxiety in speaking out in addition to understanding facial expressions and movements. I am several weeks into my work with Françoise, and I can already see the tremendous difference in my speech and accent, and also in my level of confidence in interacting with people. I highly recommend Françoise to anyone who is looking to feel better about how they sound in English."
Nahaleh Moshtagh (Psychoanalyst and Clinical Psychologist)
"The phonology classes with Francoise have been a game changer for me. I'm originally from Albania and for many years I believed that living in an English-speaking country would automatically mean acquiring a native accent without necessarily making a conscious effort. Once aware of the fact that after living in Canada for many years I still had an accent, I decided to work with an accent coach. The results have been mind-blowing. In only a few months, with Françoise's coaching, I have managed to progress immensely through conscious and well guided efforts and training. Françoise is very knowledgeable, and she possesses the actor's well-trained ear that will detect even subtle phonetic mistakes and patiently guide you into producing the right English sounds. Moreover, Francoise is very passionate and persevering and will not give up on you, which is quite reassuring and motivating for a learner. Lastly as an English Professor, taking these sessions has not only benefitted me personally, but it has also immensely impacted my students positively."
Ergela Fezollari (Certified English Professor)
"As a Professional Real Estate Agent and a non-native English speaker, I felt self-conscious about my Spanish accent. Especially when talking to clients or friends as I was tired of being asked to repeat myself constantly. I realized that it was very important for me to have clear pronunciation and to be properly understood by my clients. So, I started to look for accent reduction coaches and luckily came across Françoise Balthazar. Her professionalism, experience, and expertise in coaching the North American Dialect, is a blessing. My progress has been significant and I am so pleased with the results. I now have the skills needed to communicate clearly and to be fully understood by my clients. I highly recommend Françoise Balthazar to anyone who is interested in accent reduction."
Luis Hidalgo (Real Estate Representative)
"As a Chinese-Canadian actor who speaks Mandarin at home and lived in Québec before moving to Toronto to pursue my acting career, I naturally developed a blend of regional accents. I was concerned about how this might impact my auditions and knew I needed to adapt to thrive in the competitive acting market. That’s where North American accent training with Françoise came in. The experience was eye-opening—helping me neutralize my regional influences while gaining the tools to approach a wide range of roles with more confidence. After just a few sessions, I began to see significant improvement, and it wasn't
long before I landed my first principal role on The Institute, a US TV series based on the Stephen King novel. It's incredible how much of an impact language can have on an actor's opportunities. Thanks to Françoise, I now walk into auditions knowing I can deliver lines with authenticity, regardless of the accent required. This flexibility has become one of my greatest assets. I’m so grateful for this training because it’s not just about mastering an
accent—it’s about opening doors to a broader range of opportunities. The tools and confidence I’ve gained have been invaluable, both professionally and personally. I highly recommend Françoise’s services!"
Bo Hung Fu (Actor)
“I’m an entrepreneur who recently moved to Canada. My work mostly involves working with clients across North America. Since I’m on the sales/business side of things, I’ve always felt the need to have a neutral North American accent to be able to connect better with my clients. I discovered Françoise on Superprof website, and after a quick demo session, immediately signed up for 16 sessions with her. Françoise has been absolutely phenomenal in helping me neutralize my Indian accent and sound more like a native English speaker. Françoise is very professional and is able to pick up all the subtle variations in pronunciation, rhythm and flow. After assessing my capabilities and shortcomings, Françoise was able to customize the sessions according to my specific needs - focusing on the areas which needed most work. Françoise does a very good job of explaining how to overcome the shortcomings and even helps practice during the session with her. The tips and tricks for practicing after the session have helped me pick things up pretty quickly, and I feel like I’ve made good progress in a few weeks’ time. I would highly recommend Françoise to anyone who is looking to work on their accent and improve their spoken English. The investment is well worth the reward!”
Vineet Sen (CEO/Co-Founder Cybernext)
"As an international student, I feel that I am at a disadvantage in the job market due to my lack of language proficiency. The accent reduction sessions I took with Françoise have greatly increased my competitiveness when looking for a job. It helped me to speak English confidently and clearly. Because of that, I am able to express and to demonstrate my technical skills in interviews without any misunderstanding. With Françoise's help, I landed a Software Developer position at a giant tech company. I highly recommend Françoise's accent reduction sessions to any non-native speaker looking for a job in Canada."
Alex Ding (International Student at McGill University)
"As a licensed paralegal, I had the pleasure of working with Françoise, who is an accent reduction specialist and I couldn't be happier with the results! Françoise was extremely knowledgeable and patient and helped me to improve my accent in a very short amount of time. I highly recommend this service to anyone looking to improve their accent, whether for professional or personal reasons. Thank you for your help, Françoise!"
Kev Satt (Licensed paralegal)
"I decided to take accent reduction lessons because I am of Italian origin and an
actress. I wanted to gain more confidence while speaking the English language
and to increase my range of acting roles. Françoise’s guidance has been
instrumental in achieving that.
She’s always been patient, attentive, and utterly honest with her feedback and
how I can improve.I saw so much improvement working with her that even my friends and familyhave noticed the difference in my accent and the way I speak Overcoming challenges has been a significant part of this journey. Initially, I struggled with the nuances of certain sounds and the fluidity of sentences, but Françoise’s detailed feedback made a huge difference.People that don’t know me think I am native English speaker, so she has helped
me a lot with not only gaining more confidence in myself, but also in communicating the English language with ease.
Working with Françoise has also been a joy on a personal level. We’ve formed a wonderful connection, which makes our sessions feel less like lessons and more like a collaborative effort. Her empathy and understanding, especially given our shared background in acting, create a comfortable and supportive learning environment.
I can't wait to see how much more I can grow with Françoise’s help. Each session brings me closer to my goal of mastering the accent and becoming even more confident in my English-speaking abilities. I’m eager to continue this journey and see where it takes me!"
Vanessa Marucci (Actress)
"As I have immigrated to Canada and English is my second language, I really wanted to improve my spoken English. Françoise helped me gain confidence and pronounce English with clarity. She designed a custom made program to meet my needs and to have fun at the same time. She was patient and genuinely cared about my speech classes for accent reduction.”
Natasha Denkovski (Director, Automotive Finance at BMO)
“As a non-native English speaker, I always feel self-conscious at work and in school because of my Chinese accent. Especially when I moved to a sales role, I realized the importance of pronunciation. Clear pronunciation can convey messages clearly and confidently to my clients. I have been working with Françoise for several months now. I and my colleagues are amazed by my improvement in the precision and clarity of my English pronunciation. She customized a learning plan for me, and has taught me with patience. She not only helped me reduce my accent, but also build my confidence in speaking English with assurance. I recommend her to anyone who would like to improve English pronunciation, and build their confidence in speaking English with clarity and consistency.”
Fiona Hu (Equity Trader)
"Francoise helped me to dissect and embody a new accent in preparation for an audition. She equipped me with important key points and nuances of learning the Southern US accent in a single session. As a result, I successfully landed the role of Anita in the Norm Foster play ‘Jenny’s House of Joy’. I had a great experience continuing my training with Francoise to further bring the character of Anita to life!"
Kelly Seo (Actress)
"As a non-native English speaker, I often felt discriminated against and saw my accent as a barrier to my career development. Working with Françoise helped me to speak clearer and louder. Over time, I noticed that people are not asking me to repeat myself as often which boosted my confidence. Françoise gave me personalized exercises to do at home. They were fun and challenging. I really enjoyed my time with Françoise. She helped me tremendously. I have worked with her for 5 months now, and plan to continue working with her. I recommend her to anyone who is interested in accent reduction."
Zahra Faraji-Dana (Researcher and Software Developer)
“I’m a French Canadian actress who realizes how obtaining the skill of speaking with a North American accent offers me many more career opportunities. Although I have been speaking English fluently for many years, I still have a small Quebec accent that is perceived as 'charming', but which sometimes harms me. I have been working with Françoise in accent reduction and I can note a considerable decrease in my Quebec accent. It is becoming less and less of a barrier in my career progression in Toronto. Our work helped me in landing a role in the play 'Albertine in Five Times' with Alumnae theatre, and to feel confident in my delivery. Françoise works in a personalized way, a caring atmosphere, and in a professional manner. I highly recommend her services.”
Valérie Carrier (Actress)
''I was born in Quebec in a French-speaking environment, and although I appreciate the beauty of my mother tongue, I always wanted to be an actress in the biggest productions, which are often English-speaking. I listened to a lot of TV shows and movies in English to practice. It helped me a lot with my comprehension and vocabulary, but I would never have progressed as quickly without Françoise's help. I may have been bilingual, but my accent was quickly a glaring obstacle for me: I needed to master the North American accent. No pronunciation error escapes Françoise, and that's what made me progress at a speed I never would have thought possible. She has taught me the skills necessary to master the North American accent. We've been working together for only a few months now, and there is already a huge difference. My English-speaking friends often comment on how much my accent is improving. I recommend Françoise to everyone without hesitation!''
Sandrine Morin (actress)
45 Oakmount Road, Toronto, Ontario M6P 2M4, Canada
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