kanon
03-22-2011, 09:18 AM
Hi. Allow me to give a background of myself. I had a terrible stutter as a kid. I was often made fun of during grade school until high school because of my stutter. I believe everyone here knows what I'm talking about :( Back then my parents were even so worried that I wouldn't be able to get a job because of my stutter. Most of the time during my childhood I stayed silent because of my fear. People thought I was shy but honestly I wasn't. I was just scared that I might stutter.
Fast forward a decade or so later and I'm a law student at one of the most prestigious law schools in my country. Being a law student is probably the last thing a stutterer would jump on since you are required to publicly speak on a daily basis. By speaking it's not simply answering questions, you are asked on a daily basis to present casis, argue and give your opinion.
So far I am doing fine. Some of my professors even commended me for my articulation. I would just like to share some of these tips.
I know how painful is it to be a stutterer, but I would like to reiterate that stuttering should not impede your dreams and pursuit of happiness in life.
1. SPEAK SLOWLY.
When one stutters, regular people will say "chill man go slowly". Well listen to them because they know how one speaks regularly. When we are nervous, our mind gets clouded with a lot of clutter and this in turn makes us even more nervous. When one is nervous one will tend to speak faster subconsciously to end the speech ASAP.
Well don't be. Speak slowly and clearly. No one's timing you and speak as if all the time in the world is yours.
2. BREATHE. INHALE before speaking.
Ever wondered why inhaling and exhaling are used for relaxation? The same can be used in speech. Inhaling before speaking would at the very least drop your nervousness by a significant margin for a second or so, lowering your chance of stuttering.
3. PAUSE before every sentence.
Pausing allows you to recollect and clear your thoughts of unnecessary clutter. It similarly makes you more relaxed as well. Do not be afraid to puase for a beat or two before every sentence. No one's chasing you to finish it ASAP.
4. Do not be afraid of FILLERS.
Words like "ummm" or "uuuh" may not be the most pleasant thing to hear, but they are generally easy to pronounce words that give your speech a "warm start". I'm not saying use them everytime, but these are the last resort measure when you just can't say that word.
In short
a. Pause
b. Inhale
c. Speak Slowly
d. Fillers when absolutely necessary.
and 5...
5. We will never be perfect speakers. You have to recognize that even some of the most profound orators in congress or senate stutter once in a while. Don't feel down whenever you stuttered more. We ourselves are more conscious of ourt stuttering than other people.
Fast forward a decade or so later and I'm a law student at one of the most prestigious law schools in my country. Being a law student is probably the last thing a stutterer would jump on since you are required to publicly speak on a daily basis. By speaking it's not simply answering questions, you are asked on a daily basis to present casis, argue and give your opinion.
So far I am doing fine. Some of my professors even commended me for my articulation. I would just like to share some of these tips.
I know how painful is it to be a stutterer, but I would like to reiterate that stuttering should not impede your dreams and pursuit of happiness in life.
1. SPEAK SLOWLY.
When one stutters, regular people will say "chill man go slowly". Well listen to them because they know how one speaks regularly. When we are nervous, our mind gets clouded with a lot of clutter and this in turn makes us even more nervous. When one is nervous one will tend to speak faster subconsciously to end the speech ASAP.
Well don't be. Speak slowly and clearly. No one's timing you and speak as if all the time in the world is yours.
2. BREATHE. INHALE before speaking.
Ever wondered why inhaling and exhaling are used for relaxation? The same can be used in speech. Inhaling before speaking would at the very least drop your nervousness by a significant margin for a second or so, lowering your chance of stuttering.
3. PAUSE before every sentence.
Pausing allows you to recollect and clear your thoughts of unnecessary clutter. It similarly makes you more relaxed as well. Do not be afraid to puase for a beat or two before every sentence. No one's chasing you to finish it ASAP.
4. Do not be afraid of FILLERS.
Words like "ummm" or "uuuh" may not be the most pleasant thing to hear, but they are generally easy to pronounce words that give your speech a "warm start". I'm not saying use them everytime, but these are the last resort measure when you just can't say that word.
In short
a. Pause
b. Inhale
c. Speak Slowly
d. Fillers when absolutely necessary.
and 5...
5. We will never be perfect speakers. You have to recognize that even some of the most profound orators in congress or senate stutter once in a while. Don't feel down whenever you stuttered more. We ourselves are more conscious of ourt stuttering than other people.