Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does a person have to take the course material in a specified order? |
A: At first I had planned to "force" people to sit through specific Course content, before being allowed to proceed on and “cherry pick” particularly popular units. But my webmaster convinced me that if people were paying the money for the courses, they should have to right to go through them as they wished, and that since the people would be adults and wanting to take the courses, that surely they would be willing to follow my recommended, long established, successful order of course progression.
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Q: Does a person have to take the courses “all at once”? |
A: Below are the courses offered and how they can be taken:
Voice Course Depending upon the type of course, the time frames vary. For example, the Voice Course is designed to be taken all in one day, or it can be done by sections. Foreign Accent Modification Course The 3 days of Foreign Accent Modification Course, for the best success, should be taken by the Immersion Method, with the first module done all in one day the first week, the second module done all in one day one week after the first week’s training, and the final module done all in one day, two weeks after the completion of module two. Alternatively, the course may be done in smaller units, over a more spread out period of time. Consonants Course The American English Consonants Pronunciation Course is designed to be taken all in one day, or it can be done by sections. Telephone Skills Course The Telephone Skills Course is designed to be taken all in a few hours, or it can be done by sections. ADA Course The ADA (Speech-Language-Hearing Perspective) Course is designed to be taken all in a few hours, or it can be done by sections. |
Q: Once I begin a course, am I “stuck” with having to continue straight through with the course?
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A: You would have to continue on with the particular element of the module you were in, for a maximum of twenty minutes, but then you always have the choice of picking which element of a module you would like to practice. At times, you will be given the option of selecting Pause, Continue or Skip from one section to another.
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Q: How much do the different courses cost? |
A: Prices vary by individual course or by specific course packages and are a per-person cost. Below are special INTRODUCTORY PRICE offers and are subject to change without notice.
Voice Course: Production, Protection, and Use - $180 Total Foreign Accent Modification Package PLUS Consonants & Telephone Courses (Best Buy) - $360 Foreign Accent Modification Course Day 1: Better Speaking in American Business - $100 Foreign Accent Modification Course Day 2 - $100 Foreign Accent Modification Course Day 3 - $100 Consonants Course - In-Depth Instruction in American English Consonant Sounds - $120 Telephone Skills Course: Let's Get on the Horn! A Guide to Telephone Usage on the Job - $100 ADA Course: Complying with the ADA from a Speech, Language, and Hearing Viewpoint - $150 ALL of the training courses, if purchased all at one time: $690 per person. |
Q: Are there discount rates for corporate, non-profit, or governmental entities? |
A: Corporate, non-profit and governmental discounts are available for one person taking all of the courses or several people taking the same course.
From 2006-2019 Talk Business Online, LLP was recognized as a Certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) from Women’s Business Council-Southwest (WBCS) and Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) from Women’s Business Council-Southwest (WBCS) for Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), HUB (Texas Historically Underutilized Business Program) from the Women’s Business Council-Southwest (WBCS) and had a Trading Partner Identification Number from System for Award Management (SAM), (formerly the Central Contractor Registration System). Contact La Rita Mason if interested in group rates. Long-term leasing arrangements may be made. |
Q: How can I pay for the courses? |
A: One way you can currently pay for any of the courses is with a credit card. Corporations, non-profit, or governmental entities, may make other payment arrangements by negotiating with La Rita Mason. Long-term leasing arrangements may be made. Payments may be made by electronic funds transfer to Talk Business-Online, LLP's checking account from a US based bank or by Western Union transferring funds electronically to our home bank account.
Note: User names and passwords will not be issued until funds are secured and the number of employees to be accessing the training is confirmed by individual names, e-mail addresses or other identifying information. |
Q: How long can I work on the courses? |
A: You will have a specific time frame in which you are to complete a course. However, there are often handouts which you will be allowed to download from the website which you may use for future reference, as long as you download the handouts within the time frame of your specific course.
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Q: Can people contact you for specific diagnosis of their problems? |
A: No, due to restrictions related to my Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech Pathology placed on me by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and due to restrictions placed on me by State Licensing Boards, these courses will have to be utilized by those who know what consonant or vowel sounds they have problems with, or they can figure out what problems they have from the information provided on the public side of my website before taking the Foreign Accent Modification Course or the American English Consonants Pronunciation Course.
The other courses do not require any “self-assessment” or "self-analysis" of any specific problem to be made for the person to benefit from them. |
Q: Will a person's health insurance pay for these courses? |
A: In the last several years, health insurance companies have been refusing to pay for speech, language or hearing services when such were provided in a therapeutic setting, at an average cost of $125 US to $300 US per contact hour.
These Talk Business-Online® Courses are geared for people just wanting to better themselves, progress in their jobs, or be more self-confident…so health insurance policies won’t pay for them. In some cases, companies are willing to pay for their employees to take these various Internet based self-study courses. You should check with your company’s administrative head or the manager of Human Resources to see if your company is willing to pay for these website courses. From 2006-2019 Talk Business-Online, LLP was recognized as a Certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) from Women’s Business Council-Southwest (WBCS) and Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) from Women’s Business Council-Southwest (WBCS) for Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), HUB (Texas Historically Underutilized Business Program) from the Women’s Business Council-Southwest (WBCS) and had a Trading Partner Identification Number from System for Award Management (SAM), (formerly the Central Contractor Registration System). |
Q: Who needs these courses? |
A: This type of training is not for everyone. However, there are people who can’t afford to pay the cost of one-on-one service delivery with a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist, who live too far away from services, who work odd shifts and can’t attend traditional training, or who just want to pursue their goals at home, in private, via the computer---these courses would be exactly what they need.
Companies interested in having their employees receive better "customer service" evaluations, or those companies wishing to communicate better with their customers or employees will benefit by leasing this training for their employees. |
Q: Why should speech-pathologists refer their own clients to Talk Business-Online? |
A: Speech-language pathologists may wish to refer clients to this website: because clients cannot afford to see you for face-to-face services in the near future, you cannot schedule clients into your caseload in a timely manner, you would like your clients to have some training before you begin working with them, or you would like to give your clients a resource for reinforcement after you have worked with them.
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Q: What if they do want a live person? |
A: A licensed and certified speech-language pathologist may be found at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association website,
https://find.asha.org/pro#f:@Provider=[Speech-Language%20Pathologist] Additionally, I would recommend that you try and find a private practitioner who is a member of the American Academy of Private Practice in Speech Pathology and Audiology. |
Q: What kind of system is needed to take these Courses? |
A: A High speed internet connection is recommended because of the large size of the video files you will need to download. All courses are in .mov video format, so a video player capable of playing .mov files, such as Quick time, or iTunes is needed to watch the courses.
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Q: How do I use QuickTime or iTunes? |
Q: Who should and should not take these Courses? |
A: These courses should not be attempted if you do not have a self-disciplined personality and the ability to follow step-by-step instructions to learn new pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, sentence order or telephone skills via independent study on the Internet.
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