It took 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢 becoming the CEO of Google to make me "own" my 𝐦𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝-𝐮𝐩 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 accent.
Growing up in Mumbai and then working in Bengaluru and Eastern US for a while - my accent evolved considerably. It was always reflective of who I am/was. {Own: To wear clothing, accessories, or physical features with confidence.}
Don't get me wrong, I was always comfortable with how I sounded.
𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟓, 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 and in front of the world spoke with an Americanized accent with deep Tamil intonations. He looked like any other techie you will meet in Chennai. Always humble on stage and full of energy while answering any questions.
These public appearances from Sundar pivoted the internal perception of a mixed-up accent in my head: from something I was conscious about to something that I started celebrating.
As I reflect on my professional journey, these are the 3 key changes that Sundar Pichai inspired in me:
𝐚) 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
Despite always being in roles that required active public speaking, I always have had stage fright. However, once the inhibitions about my uniquely sounding accent were out of the way, I could focus on prepping my presentation and script better. This mindset shift was the biggest contributor to my confidence in the last 5 years.
𝐛) 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡
During my initial few years in the US, I used to switch my accent based on the audience. Now, I do not try to hide my South Asian intonations but neither do I try hard to lose my Americanized pronunciations. If anyone (American, European, South Asian, Middle-Eastern, Chinese etc) does not understand me, I am approachable enough for them to interrupt me and say "Pardon".
𝐜) 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Especially for webinars, presentations and recorded events - I have paced my speaking. Not only does it make it simple for my listeners but it also gives me the time required to actively think while speaking.
𝐏𝐒:
As I was writing this piece, I was worried about my current or future colleagues not liking these opinions on how accent affects communication OR even doubting my communication skills. But that worry made me want to publish this piece even more. After all, there is only so much that leaders like Sundar can do for us. We have to fight this perception management (internal & external) battle in our style.
Top comments (0)