I am thrilled to recommend Melanie Fox for anyone looking to elevate their public speaking and strategic communication skills. Melanie goes above and beyond the call of duty, consistently over-delivering and demonstrating a profound commitment to her clients' success. Her ability to help me communicate my message clearly and effectively to my audience was transformative. Through her Empowerment Coaching, she assisted me in refining my content for B2B engagements and helped me precisely "name" what I do, allowing me to articulate my unique value proposition in a way that truly resonates with my target audience. Melanie's expertise extended into the crucial aspects of follow-up, guiding me through the flow of communication and crafting impactful messages that keep connections alive. Her strategic insights were invaluable as I prepared for my keynote speech. She ensured that my presentation had a compelling call to action designed to generate leads and foster deeper engagement. Her technical support is on point as well--she ensured that my visual presentation was not just smooth but also powerful and aligned with my message, making a lasting impression on my audience. What truly sets Melanie apart is her incredible ability to connect people. She goes out of her way to introduce her clients to valuable leads and connections that accelerate their growth at a rapid pace. Her network is exceptional, and she doesn't just share contacts--she facilitates meaningful relationships that open doors and create new opportunities. Her generosity in this area is unmatched, and it's just another testament to how deeply she invests in her clients' success. Beyond these tangible outcomes, Melanie has a special gift for inspiring people to step outside their comfort zones and embrace new possibilities. Her genuine care for her clients, coupled with her motivational spirit, makes her a true asset to anyone seeking to grow their business through effective communication. I highly recommend Melanie for anyone ready to take their public speaking and communication strategies to the next level. With Melanie by your side, you will not only find your voice but also discover the confidence to use it in ways you never imagined possible. read more

I am a dentist and orthodontist from the Ukraine. A few years ago I immigrated to the US and decided to obtain a dentistry license here. In order to do it, I had to pass a number of complicated exams. I had no problem getting a high score in dentistry related tests, however I had a serious problem with the TOEFL. My English was not at the level I needed it to be. For me, the language issue was much more complicated than the medical and dental boards. I took some preparation courses for the TOEFL, but my score didn't improve much. I started to study with Melanie since the summer of 2017. She helped me greatly improve my English communication skills in speaking and writing. I started speaking clearly, with much less of an accent, and improved grammar and diction. Melanie pointed out my main issues and helped me correct them; and for that I am very grateful. After a short time (just a couple of months), I was able to pass the TOEFL with high enough scores to participate in a very competitive program for international dentists that I wanted to attend. Melanie helped me to compose an outstanding resume and curriculum vitae as well as a personal essay and statement of purpose. These were very important deliverables for this process. When I had received an invitation to the interview from one of the most prestigious dental schools in California, I started to prepare for this event with Melanie. I had no prior experience with interviews of this kind--and this was a competitive group interview, where I had to stand out. On top of that, the acceptance rate was very low--only 1 applicant out of 5 applicants would be selected. She prepared me for this challenging process so well, that I arrived confident and well-equipped to stand out from the crowd. I was not surprised when I found out that I was successfully admitted to this program. At the end of the process, I was only 1 of 32 out of 150 candidates who made the final cut. I strongly believe that Melanie played a key role in my success story, as I could not have accomplished these life-changing achievements, and so quickly, without the strategic help and support of Speech Fox. read more

It's never too late to learn and to be better..... I have been a litigator for many years. Through that experience, including jury trials and oral arguments, and from giving lectures and presentations throughout the years, I thought I learned all there was to know about public speaking. Then along came Melanie Fox with a skill set that enhanced my years of experience and knowledge. In the new world of video presentations, I didn't know if my usual way of presenting was enough-- would people listen if I were not physically in the same room? Would I not be effective if I was not making eye contact with everyone that was watching? Would members of the audience listen? For the first time in years, I thought of these questions and didn't have answers. Luckily, Melanie did. I began working with Melanie who listened and had the answers. As we spoke about the substance and what I wanted to convey for an upcoming presentation, Melanie was taking notes and asking questions. Before I knew it, an outline was formed. By my second meeting with Melanie, she had taken that outline, along with my notes, and created a Power Point Presentation that rivaled anything I had thought was possible. We worked on finalizing the presentation until it was perfect. Melanie Fox answered all my questions and taught me how to run the slides even the ones with effects. Melanie Fox made my presentation a success. She was a joy to work with, organized, professional, creating and most of all patient and knowledgeable. She answered all of my questions and did so with delight. My presentation was unique and conveyed the exact message I wanted to send. Melanie was able to see, hear and implement my vision, all while bringing me up to date with technology (that I feared) and providing new ideas using her creativity. The skills I learned will help me in many areas of my practice and business. I also am ready for any presentation at any time given the skills I learned from Melanie. I am so grateful for Melanie Fox! read more

Folks, if you're reading this, know that you've found the speech coach you were looking for! Working with Melanie has been an absolute game-changer for me. I'm originally from Germany, and after living in the US for 9 years, my accent had definitely become more American over time. But I hit a plateau where I felt like I wasn't improving anymore. I'd tried language learning apps in the past, but they were never able to catch the subtle nuances of speech, and none of them could really detect or explain the finer points -- like casual speech patterns -- in a way that clicked for me. Then I found Melanie. From our very first session, I knew I was in the right hands. She's not only incredibly skilled and knowledgeable, but she also makes every lesson fun. The way she combines theory with practical exercises has been so effective in helping me "reprogram" my tongue and muscle memory. Her approach helped me understand the why behind the sounds I was making, and once I grasped that, the changes became permanent. I was able to fix pronunciation errors that had stuck with me for years. After a year of weekly lessons, my accent has improved so much that people often tell me they can barely detect any trace of it anymore. It's crazy how much more natural and subtle it sounds now. What I didn't expect was how much I'd come to love the process. Working with Melanie actually turned into a passionate hobby for me -- it's not just about learning anymore, it's something I genuinely enjoy. On top of all that, Melanie has become a personal friend. She's so warm, supportive, and easy to talk to -- it feels more like chatting with someone who really gets you rather than a formal lesson. If you're looking to refine your accent or improve your pronunciation in any way, I wholeheartedly recommend her. Melanie is hands down the best coach I've ever had! read more

I'm a native Brazilian working as a Global VP of a prominent brand--and I regularly represent my company in high-level meetings and presentations. I am often onstage leading panel discussions and delivering keynote presentations--I present to the United Nations and other organizations, our CEO and board members, various media, and our global clients. I often need to make persuasive arguments or give interviews. Based on my experience, I know that delivering a presentation with poor pronunciation can cause a hugely negative impact on the outcome. Having stakeholders or audience members clearly understand and engage with you is key. Prior to working on my accent with Speech Fox, I learned just by listening; I incorporated whatever I could acquire naturally while living and working here in the United States. While I did pick up a lot on my own, my English speech was not at the level I wanted. During my assessment session with Melanie, she was able to identify areas where my speech did not match that of a native speaker. We focused on specific sounds, intonation patterns, and other areas of pronunciation. For the first time, I was able to learn that there are certain rules and patterns that apply across American English--and once Melanie clarified them using drills and worksheets, I could immediately apply the strategies to my own speech. This allowed me to accelerate my learning and improve very quickly. I am now confident when I deliver presentations for all occasions. In summary, pronunciation is crucial and has a very important role to play in your success--so, working on your English pronunciation and communication skills with Melanie is an excellent investment in your future and is essential to your success! read more

Melanie helped me to prepare for a major conference speech (my first, 100+ attendees, potentially skeptical audience). She was the difference-maker behind my strong audience feedback (100% valuable) and invitation to speak at a bigger conference. I'd recommend her to anyone looking to step up their game for high-stakes audiences and situations! Her biggest impact was giving me confidence grounded in fact. That felt great once the spotlight went up. I walked onto that stage confidently, knowing that I could do a great job because I already had done so with her help. To get there, Melanie's feedback was rigorous and comprehensive, all offered with a very positive and personable approach. She made a difference at every level of the final presentation, even though my topic was quite technical and surely took skill just to follow, let alone improve. Of course, she had plenty of messaging, structure, and content improvements, which made my points resonate and improved my credibility and clarity. But beyond that, her fixes ran the gamut: language precision, visual design, delivery coaching, audience engagement, contingency planning, and practical tools for managing the room. What was especially cool was that she followed up with more advice after our session. I was clearly still on her mind and benefitted from her input on reflection, not just in the moment. P.S.: We did our coaching over video call. Worked great. read more

I was looking to reduce my accent as I started taking a management role at my firm. I did my research and found that Melanie is probably the most qualified -- but to be honest, I wanted to try some cheaper options first. I found two English teachers (an ESL teacher from an Ivy league school and a professional writer), and I took about 20 private lessons in total. Only then, I came to believe that I needed someone with proper training and with specific expertise and experience in accent reduction; otherwise, I would not only waste my time but also end up spending more money. So I signed up for Melanie's 90 minute evaluation session and quickly realized I'd be in good hands. I took 12 lessons in total. I'd say her teaching is customized, analytical and methodical. The impact was immediate and I have to say I was impressed by her strong dedication, the level of which I had not anticipated. I could see that she genuinely wants to help her students and she builds rapport on a personal level. Each session is recorded and this is another great resource that you can use as a refresher later. Overall, I see it as one of the best investments I've ever made for myself. I very highly recommend Speech Fox. I've always felt proud of learning from the best, and I hope to work in Melanie again in the future. read more

Melanie is a great accent reduction specialist and Speech Fox is one of the best investment you can make on yourself! I teach high school and college so I need to speak a lot in public on a daily basis. Some of my students and colleagues would ask me to repeat something because of my accent, so I did an in-depth research on accent reduction and find Speech Fox. The very first assessment session help me identify many of my major mispronunciations and Melanie worked really patiently with me to analyze and improve on those sounds. Being an educator myself, I especially love the part in her lesson where we compare and contrast two similar sounds. This strategy very help me distinguish similar sounds and reinforce the correct pronunciation. Before I realized, I was already subconsciously practicing the correct pronunciation in my daily conservation. I'm also surprised to find that it's easier to understand other people when they speak too! Melanie also helped me nail an interview for a super competitive professional fellowship. She was really flexible to accommodate my last minute request for a interview prep session and gave invaluable advice on organizing my content and engage my interviewer in a meaningful way. I felt much more confident after the session and aced the interview. Thank you Melanie! read more

Melanie was highly recommended to me by my English school's group of advisors and teachers. I had an initial mini 20-minute phone consultation with her, explaining in detail what my specific issues and areas of improvement were. She was honest and direct, offering me her insight on the best methods to accomplish my goals in a speedy and cost-conscious way. Her friendliness, good sense of humor and high level of professionalism made me feel amazingly at ease and comfortable at our first in-person session. She administered an in-depth evaluation of my level of English pronunciation, grammar, word choice, intonation, and speech behaviors. Melanie made sure each session was comprehensive so that not one detail was overlooked or error remained unfixed. I had my own class curriculum customized specifically for me. Melanie creates worksheets for you to practice with and records the sessions so you can continue practicing outside of her sessions. After a few months of taking lessons with Melanie, my acting coaches, colleagues and family members also noticed dramatic progress in my English speech and pronunciation. I started receiving compliments, and people commented that I sound like a native speaker. Since working with Melanie, my English and self-confidence have both improved exponentially. read more

I hired Melanie to do a put together presentation for me to present my business. She was fantastic. She was able to make the presentation much better than I could've, she listened thoroughly and had great follow up skills. She was able to bring out the presentation in a much better format than I could've. She bought in great experience and visuals to help enhance the presentation. It was done extremely professional, and folks were impressed with the presentation. She also listened thoroughly to help bring the project to light. She was able to pick out details from our conversation and integrate them in the presentation to help add details of what I do. Listening is key in any engagement, and she does it well! She also has great follow up skills. We had a few calls scheduled after our initial meeting and she kept them and followed to make sure we were still meeting. It made all the difference in making sure the presentation was effective. I would definitely hire Melanie again and recommend her. Her professionalism, listening and follow skills made all the difference in making my presentation the best it can be. I have already recommended her to colleagues and they were very happy too. read more

I am an actor and voice over artist living in the city. I recently needed a little help with a few characters and specific accents I was trying to execute. I had the pleasure to work with Melanie Fox. I can't begin to tell you how incredible the experience was. She has been so helpful these past few months that I can't and won't go to anyone else ever again. Outside of being super flexible, which is convenient for me because my schedule could change at a moment's notice, but there is simply no substitute for a true professional for the proper schooling and tutelage. This has benefitted me in so many ways, it helped with recent auditions / sides, monologues, theatre and film roles I performed in. Some of the accents we worked on were Standard British English (RP), Cockney, Irish, Scottish, Brooklynese (New York), Southern. All of this work helped me create my character accents with greater imagination and proficiency. I'm also a singer and I must say that the IPA helped me understand my craft even better. My progress has been incredible as well, and in such a short time. I simply can't say enough. Thank you Melanie. You really are the best!! read more

I was already aware that Melanie is a highly trained and well-respected accent reduction and dialect coach but I only recently learned that she also helps executives fine-tune their public speaking skills. Since I was scheduled to give an important presentation about my services to a group of sophisticated networkers, I hired Melanie to help optimize my performance. Melanie helped me focus my presentation on the results I desired: clearly explaining my services and prompting audience members to provide qualified referrals. Without Melanie's help, I would not have achieved the goals of my presentation. She also pushed me out of my comfort zone of relying on and staring down at presentation notes, which no doubt created distance between the audience and myself. Instead, we substituted well-thought-out and structured slides, allowing my presentation to flow without the need for notes. I even made eye contact with the audience! If your business requires public speaking, I highly recommend booking a session or two with Melanie Fox to help fine-tune your presentation skills. read more

I recently moved to New York, and I felt that the first step before going on job interviews was to reduce my accent as much as possible. I also wanted to gain confidence in expressing myself in person and over the phone. I found out about Melanie and Speech Fox by searching online on "how to improve my English speaking skills" so that I could feel more confident while talking to others--especially to business people. Melanie is great! She's been teaching me for about two months now, and I already feel different while speaking. I'm more aware of how to pronounce words like an American. She's is very energetic, friendly, and has a lot of business experience in "corporate America." Since I also need a job, she's been helping me to prepare for job interviews. She knows a lot of people in NYC and connected me to several influential people already--and she always follows up. She's the best, I love starting my weeks with her contagious energy and positivity. I absolutely recommend her expertise to anyone working on pronunciation or business English! read more

I asked Melanie to help me with my accent reduction and she was fabulous. If you are looking for someone who commits to your success and is fun and engaging- choose Melanie. She is really great at what she does and she makes it fun. She takes the time to get to know you and what I liked the most is that she goes above and beyond to help you. I have worked with many other people but Melanie stood out to me because of her personal commitment and dedication to my success. It is not just about an hour's class to her- she doesn't watch the time or end abruptly when the hour is up- she works with you until the lesson is done and you are comfortable with the lesson. Her study aids and related materials are excellent. She is extremely organized and she is skilled at her assessment of your issues and is quick to come up with a lesson plan. I have had a wonderful time working with her and hope to work with her again. If you are serious about accent reduction- hire Melanie. She is an effective coach and I highly recommend her. read more

Melanie is a very professional and responsible coach and a very kind and delightful person! I enjoyed every minute of her tutoring and truly benefited a lot from her expertise. We started working on my pronunciation at the beginning of the year, since "improving my English pronunciation" was one of my New Year's resolutions. Melanie did a pronunciation assessment before the course began. She then created a detailed lesson plan based on my pronunciation issues, so that there is a lesson specially designed to correct each problematic sound. She records each session and shares the sound files with me so that I can review and practice with them at home. She always kindly and patiently helps me overcome any language difficulties, and I definitely feel a vast improvement in both my English pronunciation and my confidence to speak English! I'd love to recommend Melanie to any students or professionals who want to improve their English. You will have a wonderful and fruitful time working with her! Thank you, Melanie! :D read more

A trusted colleague referred me to Melanie, as we are both Brazilian executives working in high visibility, client-facing roles. He uses Melanie at Speech Fox as his coach for accent reduction and business presentations, so I met with Melanie to discuss working with her in the same capacity. And Melanie did not disappoint! Our first meeting was an assessment where she listened to my speech and systemically documented the "nonstandard" sounds I was making. Then she presented me with a customized lesson plan that would cover all of those areas. Our sessions are very focused and efficient in learning the phonetics and drilling the sounds, and they are also fun -- especially when we practice the sounds in conversation. I have also used some sessions to prepare for high-stakes presentations as well as company videos I produce on a regular basis. I would recommend Speech Fox to any executives who want to improve their English pronunciation and communication skills -- Melanie is an excellent speech coach! read more

Working with Melanie to improve my accent was the best decision I've ever made! I couldn't be happier after taking a few lessons because of the positive changes that both I and my colleagues are aware of. I came from China and spent a few years in NYC to get a master degree and to become an investment banking professional. My job requires frequent communication with senior bankers and external clients, and my accent posed a big pressure on me. Melanie took the time to evaluate my pronunciation and designed effective study plan to correct my accent word by word. I benefit a lot from the highly organized lessons and comprehensive material that she created for my specific problems. I can not only get instant feedback from in-person teaching but also review the recorded sessions afterwards. Melanie is extremely helpful. Her lessons make me more comfortable either when presenting to professionals or dealing with colleagues. It is my most successful investment in my career! Fox Speech is AMAZING! read more

I am a Real Estate Broker and needed to present my business to a networking group. I worked on the presentation prior but I originally had too much information for the allotted time-frame, and it was not as strategic or as organized as it needed for the best results. Then I met with Melanie Fox. She helped me to streamline the presentation, focus on the results and, at the same time, gain and maintain the audience's interest. Melanie was knowledgeable, patient and honest with her opinions yet delicate and tactful in how she delivered her suggestions for improvement. The presentation I had been so nervous about went incredibly well. Within less than a week, I received two referrals that exactly fit my target market. Without Melanie's help, I would not have felt as focused or as confident--and, I'm actually looking forward to my next public speaking opportunity. I highly recommend Melanie at Speech Fox to others looking to optimize their business presentation skills. read more

Melanie has been my savior. I am a financial advisor and sit down with folks coming from high net worth families and ivy league educations. Growing up in Brooklyn, I speak what you would call "Brooklynese". In order for me to build a strong practice in my field, I needed help with reducing my accent. I also wanted to perfect some business communication skills, such as outbound sales calls (cold calls), sharpening my elevator pitch, in-person presentations, dealing with sensitive clients and topics, and even re-recording my voicemail. When I reached out to her assistance, immediately I knew she would be my coach. She had me come in for an assessment, and this enabled her to create a customized program for me. From there, step by step, I began to see major improvements. Her help has been invaluable to me and my business. I would recommend her to anyone that is looking for accent reduction Melanie's process is proven!!! read more