The diagnostic speech assessment is a two-hour, computerized, verbal test, that our students complete before instruction begins. The test identifies current speech needs and perceived difficulties, current speech intelligibility, current pronunciation needs and other sources of unintelligibility (such as speech volume and adjustments for background noise).

During the initial diagnostic assessment, careful training to instill specific clear talking strategies makes most nonnative-born speakers of English succeed in increasing their understandability. Talkers get specific instructions about speech volume, enunciation of words, and detailed tips about how to move their speech muscles for accurate English consonants.

Rooted in speech science, this brief training during the diagnostic assessment is detailed and adheres to mastery learning principles. Designed to set the tone or stiffness in speech muscles, the training targets the talker’s physical system. The typical result is an instant gain in intelligibility. The improvement is measurable (from 15 to 30 percent), but fleeting (possibly lasting only until the talker exits the test room). This training is not meant as a magical wand to make clear speech suddenly appear. Rather, its purposes are to alter vocal muscles momentarily, give evidence about what will happen by the time the talker finishes the 12-week Clear Talk™ program.

The diagnostic assessment determines current intelligibility and how well the Clear Talk Strategies work. With this information, instruction for individuals can be tailored exactly to fit their needs, making the instruction optimally effective and efficient.