Accent vs. Knowledge

My first visit to the United States of America was in 1984. I was hired by an Olympian to manage his preparation and participation in the Olympic Games. I could hear languages from around the world; of course, this being the Olympics, the biggest international sports competition, there were representatives from many countries. This Olympian also hired an American physical rehabilitative sports medicine expert—a wonderful doctor and a great expert. Since then, we have developed a lifelong friendship.

Thirty-two years ago, I immigrated to the USA, and this doctor hired me to be a staff trainer. In Southern California, this doctor used to run the biggest physical therapy company, providing inpatient and outpatient services to practically every hospital. He employed more than 100 physical therapists and physical therapy assistants, as well as dozens of speech therapists. It was a large operation. At that time, I was already an experienced medical and sports massage practitioner, as well as possessing experience in teaching classes. Because of my less-than-perfect English, I initially tried to decline the teaching position and asked him for an opportunity to have a massage job. However, he insisted otherwise. He said, "First of all, your English is good enough. In fact, thank you; we are communicating with no difficulties. Besides, I remember how you managed with this Olympian—excellent professional communication in English." At this point, he said, "I cannot hire you as a clinician, only as a staff trainer." I needed the job, so I accepted the position. I didn't have much to lose; if the physical therapists couldn’t understand me, then I would quit. Almost for two years, it was a very successful project. I presented on weekends and evenings. Practitioners used to attend classes voluntarily; he paid me, and they could come and leave whenever they wanted. Classes were always booked. One time, I presented a post-isometric relaxation techniques class. We used a big room at Midway Hospital, which is now Olympic Hospital. It was Sunday morning, and the room was overwhelmed. The fire department stopped my class and asked some people to leave. I had never seen such a huge, enthusiastic crowd of professionals with a desire to learn, in order to better treat people who suffer. I assume that during the first few years of teaching in English, it contributed to the improvement of my English. Languages are like massage therapy—the sky is the limit when it comes to improvement.

After seven months, this nice person, my friend and boss of the company, proposed developing educational VHS tapes. I hesitated. On front of the camera I don't know how to work with scripts. I told him, "When I'm teaching in class, it's different; people can ask questions. In front of the camera, I have to be close to perfect." And I asked him, "What about my Russian accent?"

Prior to his answer, I would like to say a few words on America being a melting pot. Like I mentioned, in 1984, I could hear many different languages, which I attributed to the Olympic Games. Thirty-two years ago, from the very beginning, I realized that America is a melting pot of cultures. Long after the 1984 Olympic Games, I continued to hear Americans speaking different languages, with different accents. I also realized that New Yorkers speak with a difficult accent, different from Bostonians, and accents in the South are different from those in other states. But we all spoke English, and we could understand each other, if we wanted to understand each other—LOL.

Back to his answer to my question: "I asked him, 'What about my Russian accent?'" He said, "Boris, no matter what your accent is, what really matters is what you know and how passionate you are to share your knowledge." And he continued, "Once I will take you to our local medical school, and you will listen to faculty members' presentations. Many professors of medicine speak with heavy accents; what is important is what they are talking about." He continued, "For some reason in the US, if somebody is speaking with a British accent, Americans label this person as smart. Then he asked, 'Can any accent make a person smart? Or knowledgeable?' He convinced me, and I produced my first VHS tape introducing medical and sports massage. Since then, as a consultant, I have participated in numerous research studies and presented to people with rich academic backgrounds—MDs, PhDs. I always felt good and always remembered what my friend said.

There is a reason why I decided to share my story. Revisiting my YouTube channel, I came across the videos I produced then. Honestly, I had neglected my channel a bit, not having reviewed my old productions for a long time. My goodness, it was moving; people loved my work. I decided to share my happiness with you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4Jn1gtUtDg&t=3s

if you'll click you will find 10 million views, almost 5.000 likes, 1300 comments.

Thank you for watching.

Best wishes.

PS. Also you're welcome to read what my team wrote.

Why Take Classes from Boris Prilutsky?

1. You can be certain that you will receive training in science-based research-developed protocols. "Science-based research-developed protocols" means they have been trialed, tested, and proven as safe and effective methods of treatment. For more details, please refer to the short presentations provided. 
2. For better understanding, consider cranial sacral therapy, which, like many other massage methods, is not based on research and has never been tested against a control group. Many massage methods are compromised, focusing solely on providing a feel-good experience. I encourage you to read and watch hands-on performances of European craniosacral therapy. Link below. 
   European Cranio-sacral Massage (medicalmassage-edu.com)
3. Boris practices these protocols practically every day. When teaching, he shares clinical experiences, not just information from thousand-page text books.
4. Because the protocols were developed through research, including a step-by-step sequence of techniques, they are very easy to learn and can be implemented on real patients with great outcomes.
5. Learning from reputable sources like ours will enable you to build and improve a successful career. The ability to deliver successful treatment outcomes is the only way to achieve financial success. As Boris always says, "Helping people who are suffering and generating good income is a successful career in the fields of medical and sports massage."
6. Please examine the content of each program, and you will discover that purchasing one program actually gives you access to many different protocol modalities and disciplines. By paying for one program, you gain the opportunity to learn multiple techniques and save money. A typical example is program number 4, which includes separate protocols for European craniosacral therapy, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Rotator Cuff Syndrome, Frozen Shoulder, Tennis/Golf Elbow, and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. By investing in one program, you have the opportunity to acquire extensive knowledge and save money.
7. There are not many massage educators who maintain documented cases and use a patient-reported outcome system as required by the FDA. Furthermore, when you listen to patient-reported outcomes, scroll down take the time to read endorsements from MDs and professors of medicine. As you know, it's not common for these professionals to endorse massage therapists or trust them to refer patients, themselves, and their family members.