Christi Barb

About

I have specialized in the area of foreign accent modification through the combination of my doctoral research in Speech-Language Pathology with the teaching of English as a second language for the past 20 years. I integrate aspects of cognitive psychology, psycholinguistics, intercultural communication, and teaching English to speakers of other languages into the specifics of speech production and analysis. I apply this analysis of an individual's speech to identify differences, set goals, and create instructional plans that fit specific speaking needs. After a decade of teaching speaking skills in universities, I started my own speech coaching business specializing in foreign accent modification, Adastra Speech. Since 2020, I have done all my coaching online and meet with people from all over the US and internationally. 

I am a professional speech coach and accentologist, specializing in helping people who speak English as a second language master the art of clear, confident English communication. With a blend of experience in speech-language pathology, cognitive psychology, and teaching English to speakers of other languages, I crafted a unique approach to accent modification described in my book, "Thinking About Speaking: The Adastra Approach to Mastering the American English Accent." I use speech analysis to help clients improve their communication skills by teaching the power of prosody and guiding them to meet their specific speech goals. I named my business Adastra Speech to represent my roots in Kansas and the aspirational goals of my clients, "to the stars"!