In addition to working on improving your American Accent, you may want to work on other English language skills such as grammar, vocabulary building, listening skills and fluency.  Here are some resources we recommend for English-Language learners:

Improving Grammar:
Grammar topics (types of speech, verb tenses, free weekly lessons)  http://www.englishpage.com/
English grammar lessons sorted by ability level: http://www.learn-english-online.org/
(This website is based in the UK, so some of the content will be different because they focus on British English.)

Listening skills:
VOA:  Leveled news articles with additional information for English learners:  http://learningenglish.voanews.com/

Also from VOW: Let's Learn English is a new course for English learners. Certified American English teachers designed the course for beginners. The course continues for 52 weeks.

Each week, there will be a new lesson with video showing the lives of young Americans. The lesson includes instruction in speaking, vocabulary and writing.
There are also printable worksheets, assessments and lesson plans for individual learners and English teachers.
http://learningenglish.voanews.com/z/4729.html

Podcast with a variety of topics for advanced level English learners (idioms, grammar, word choice, etc,):
http://www.allearsenglish.com/

Vocabulary Building:  http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/vocabmania.htm

Fluency:  Read more about ways to build fluency in this post.

You've been practicing your American accent, working on words, patterns, and changing pronunciation.  You are able to change how you say words when you practice, but when you go to speak with colleagues, friends and strangers, you still have an accent.

Sound familiar?  Changing your speech patterns can be challenging because in order to have conversations, we have to think about what we are saying, rather than how we are pronouncing words.  Here's a practice tip to help you get those new patterns into your everyday speech.

Think of something you say on a regular basis.  For example, do you order the same coffee drink at the drive-through, or greet the same person as you arrive at work each day?  Think about the words you use.  Do any of them have your target sounds?  For example, if you usually order a vanilla latte, are you using a good intial V sound on the word vanilla?  If you typically say "good morning" to the receptionist, are you able to used a voiced "d" at the end of the word good?  Select one small target to keep in mind, and try to use it each time you are in the setting.  Soon you will find you don't have to think so hard to use your correct pronunciation pattern, because it has become a habit.  Then you are ready to add a new target or a new setting.  It may seem like an insignificant step, but small changes are the way to get real results in in your real communication interactions.

Leave your ideas and successes in the comments below.

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