German pronunciation coaching for executives · C1–C2 · online
You already use German to explain complex ideas. Yet when you have to respond in a negotiation, speak to camera or take an audience through a presentation, finding the words still demands too much of your attention. You assemble each sentence before you say it, too many syllables carry equal weight, and your intonation does not guide the listener through the argument as clearly as it should.
At a glance
Executives, academics and professionals who work in German at C1–C2 and whose spoken delivery carries weight in meetings, negotiations, presentations or interviews.
Pronunciation, stress, intonation and fluency in your own professional situations and, where needed, phrasing that weakens your impact or presence. An audible accent may remain; it simply stops being the first thing listeners notice.
One-to-one with a coach, online by video call, from wherever you are. If your company requires a particular conferencing system, we work with that.
Enquiry form, free initial consultation of around 20 minutes, written proposal. The programme then runs in two phases: analysis and a first block of training, followed by consolidation.
Programmes from €3,000, always as a complete package with a defined scope and timeframe.
On request, the proposal and the invoice are addressed to your company, university or funding body.
All coaches are bound by confidentiality agreements. Recordings, material and the content of your sessions stay within the coaching. Beyond the proposal and the invoice, your company only receives what you choose to share.
Analysis, explanations and one-to-one work are in German, which requires a stable C1–C2 level.
What listeners actually follow
In a specialist discussion, listeners form an impression long before they have processed every case ending. They follow stressed syllables, pauses and the overall shape of the sentence. If almost every word is equally prominent, endings are pronounced as fully as they are written or words fail to link up, the listener has to work out for themselves what matters most. This is often where a gap opens up between your actual expertise and the authority your spoken German conveys.
The starting point
Executive coaching starts where German is already your working language and your speech has a clearly defined professional purpose. We therefore look beyond a general wish to ‘improve my pronunciation’. The key question is where your spoken German has to deliver results.
Leadership and negotiation
A board meeting, a negotiation or a difficult conversation with a member of staff leaves little time to construct your next sentence in advance. We work on the set phrases, stress patterns and transitions you rely on again and again in these situations.
Research and teaching
Professors and researchers present projects, teach and defend their positions in debate. Their subject may be highly technical, but listeners still rely on sentence structure, rhythm and a clear signal of where the key point lies.
Media and public speaking
Interviews, television reports, keynote speeches and public appearances expose patterns that may go unnoticed in everyday conversation. We identify what is currently weakening your message or making your delivery sound more laboured than the content warrants.
Funded professional development
In senior roles, academic appointments and funded research projects, the benefit extends well beyond the individual. Following the initial consultation, we set out the recommended scope of coaching in a written proposal, which you can share with your employer or funding body.
How we assess fit
The enquiry form gives us the professional context: your role, the situations that matter, the outcome you need, the time you can commit and your likely budget. If your starting point looks suitable, the next step is a free initial consultation of around 20 minutes with one of our coaches.
Describe the role German plays in your work and the moments when your spoken delivery has real consequences, such as a media interview, a lecture, an investor meeting or leading a team day to day.
A coach listens to you speaking freely for around 20 minutes. Together you clarify which professional situation takes priority, what a realistic objective looks like and whether the format suits your starting point. The detailed analysis of your speech is then the first step of the programme.
After the consultation, you receive a tailored proposal setting out the recommended timeframe, the scope of the one-to-one work and the investment.
How we work
An initial diagnosis is not a list of every way in which you differ from a native speaker. We first listen to how a longer stretch of your speech comes across. Where does a sentence lose direction? Which pattern costs you unnecessary effort? What creeps back in as soon as you have to think and speak at the same time? The answers determine the order in which we work.
We examine rhythm, stress, intonation, reduced forms, linking between words, articulatory setting and individual sounds. A small number of patterns with real impact gives us a clear starting point for the next phase.
You learn to hear the difference, practise short word groups and carry the new pattern over into full sentences through shadowing. If you are unfamiliar with the method, our shadowing tool shows you how it works.
We work with the phrases, technical terms and recurring speaking tasks from your professional life. Every practice sentence serves a purpose: it needs to be there when you have no time to search for the right words.
You record yourself, compare your version with the model and receive precise feedback. You then keep working on the same focus until it starts to hold in spontaneous speech too.
The coaching programme
The coaching includes a dedicated onboarding process, access to the DMB Academy, one-to-one sessions and practice material drawn from your own professional situations. Each session provides diagnosis, feedback and the next priority. In between, you listen, repeat and record yourself often enough for the change to become automatic rather than something you have to control consciously.
Scope and funding
Individual coaching starts at €3,000. The exact scope depends on your starting point, your professional objective and the level of support you need. If an employer, university or research funder is likely to cover the cost, you can indicate this in the enquiry form.
Between sessions
Several short practice sessions a week achieve more than one long session just before your next appointment. You need to be prepared to record the same patterns repeatedly and to apply the feedback you receive.
Expertise and methodology
The DMB Academy's method was developed by Benjamin Rannig. Our team consists of qualified coaches with in-depth expertise in phonetics, language acquisition and working with academics and executives. Who is involved in your programme, and at which stage, depends on the scope agreed in the written proposal.
Founder and Head of Methodology
Benjamin develops the training system and the tools behind it. He analyses German as it is actually spoken and turns phonetic observations into practical exercises for advanced learners.
Qualified coaches
Your recordings are reviewed by coaches with a background in linguistics and in-depth expertise in phonetics and phonology. All coaches are bound by confidentiality agreements. The coach assigned to your programme is named in the written proposal.
Linguistics, phonetics and foreign-language education
Our team combines academic expertise in phonetics, prosody and adult language acquisition with many years of teaching experience at university level, including doctoral-level qualifications. Our coaches have worked with executives, researchers and teachers undergoing professional development, among others. For you, this means a precise diagnosis, focused feedback and a way of working that respects your time. New coaches are selected to the same standards and given thorough training in our method.
Our participants come from
DB Netz
Participation from MUK Vienna and the University of Graz was funded by the FWF, the Austrian Science Fund.
How we measure progress
What matters is whether listeners can follow you easily, whether your intonation carries the information and whether your German reflects your professional standing more accurately. Promising that you will sound indistinguishable from a native speaker would be dishonest. If that is the outcome you are looking for, this coaching is not the right fit.
Frequently asked questions
Executive coaching requires a clear professional objective and recurring situations in which we can apply the work. If you would like to build a systematic foundation in German pronunciation, the DMB Academy is usually the better place to start.
The coaching is designed for C1–C2 speakers who already use German regularly in demanding professional situations. If basic grammar, general vocabulary or conversation practice is still your main focus, this format would be premature.
A business German course builds vocabulary, grammar and text types. In your case that competence is already there. We work on the points listeners hear first and that most strongly shape your impact and presence in demanding situations: stress, rhythm, pausing and intonation. The material comes from the phrases and situations of your own working life.
That is not what this coaching sets out to achieve and promising it would be dishonest. We work on whether listeners can follow you easily, whether your intonation carries the information and whether your German reflects your professional standing. An audible accent may remain; it simply stops being the first thing people notice.
Yes. The one-to-one sessions are held by video call; practice material and feedback are delivered digitally. You can therefore fit the coaching into your working week from wherever you are. If your company requires a particular conferencing system, we work with that.
Yes. The enquiry form, the initial consultation and the coaching itself are all in German, so you will need a stable C1–C2 level before applying.
The initial consultation takes around 20 minutes and is held by video call. A coach listens to you speaking freely and clarifies with you which professional situation takes priority, what a realistic objective looks like and whether the format suits your starting point. The detailed analysis of your speech is then the first step of the programme. The consultation is free and without obligation; a written proposal follows.
Individual coaching starts at €3,000. The final price depends on your objective, the duration and the level of support required. If the format is right for you, the written proposal sets out the full scope and investment.
Yes. On request, we address the proposal and the invoice to your company, university or funding body. The written proposal sets out the scope, timeframe, level of support and investment in a form you can pass on to HR or your line manager as a basis for approval. Indicate in the enquiry form who is likely to cover the cost; we confirm the billing address and any purchase-order number before the booking.
Your recordings, your material and the content of your sessions stay within the coaching. All coaches are bound by confidentiality agreements. If your company covers the cost, it receives the proposal and the invoice. Content and progress are shared only if you wish.
That depends on the patterns involved, how often you practise and the situations in which you use German. Some adjustments may be audible early on. It takes regular repetition over a longer period before they hold up in spontaneous speech.
Yes, provided these situations are a recurring part of your professional role. We then work with your own material on pausing, stress, intonation, fluency and the phrases you need to have at your fingertips under pressure.
The next step
The enquiry form asks about your role, the situations that matter, your objective, the time you can set aside for practice and your likely budget. If your starting point is suitable, we will invite you to a free initial consultation, followed by a written proposal.