Jan 25 Meeting Update

It was great to see some new faces at our last meeting at beautiful Katie Wheeler Library (pictured to the left), as well as familiar ones. The effort you make to show up is much appreciated.

We followed loosely our new Toastmasters format, and it was fun and instructive. One member gave a speech, after which we had a discussion on the speech topic, and then we did some reading out loud. It's amazing to hear how people's speech changes when they read. Fluency seems almost effortless, although of course we all know it's not. Like ducks paddling under the smooth surface of water, we're working hard to apply the techniques we've learned in speech therapy.

But it's so confidence-inspiring to see that we do have the ability to be fluent, that the stuttering-modification and fluency-shaping techniques work. We can count on them and on ourselves. That's an invaluable thing for those of us who feel, when we stutter, like the ground has suddenly disappeared from under our feet and there's nothing to hold on to.

If you have stories about times when the techniques you learned in speech therapy worked in everyday life, please share them! It'll encourage each one of us to stay positive and continue working on improving our speech.

Public Speaking

Many of us want to practice our public speaking skills, so we've decided to organize our second meeting of the month (coming up on Wednesday, January 25th) like a Toastmasters meeting. (Our first meeting of the month will keep its usual format). Here's the list of activities we're planning:

1. Prepared Speeches. These can be 2-10 minutes long. You can prepare your own speech (if you need ideas for how to choose topics for your speech, this article will help), or you can read a speech by someone else (here's a list of famous speeches, and here's another).

2. Evaluations.  Feedback will be given regarding pauses ("um", "ah," "you know") and repetitions, grammar, and the content and delivery of the speech (was it interesting, was it clear). At least two positive comments are required.

3. Table Topics. These are off-the-cuff speeches, 1-2 minutes long. Members prepare 1-2 questions to ask the speakers.

4. Jokemaster. The person who volunteers as jokemaster for the day will tell a joke.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT NONE OF THESE ACTIVITIES ARE MANDATORY. You can come to the meeting and just observe. You can also give a speech but ask not to receive an evaluation if that is too much for where you are right now. Do what is useful for you, and don't worry about the rest.

Please come to the January 25th meeting and tell us what you think about this new meeting structure and how we can improve it so that you can get the most out of it. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

January 9 Meeting Update

We started our meeting by discussing the upcoming conference organized by the National Association for People Who Stutter, along with The Stuttering Foundation and Chapman University. It takes place on February 4 at Chapman University in Orange. It looks like an excellent opportunity to get together with other people who stutter, and it's in our neck of the woods, an extra incentive to attend. If you'd like more information, call 866-866-8335, or take a look at the conference flyer.

Next, we read an article from Six Minutes about changing our attitude and vocabulary about our speech. The article focuses on public speaking, but the suggestions it offers can very easily be applied to everyday speaking situations. Its central idea is to replace thinking about speaking as an obligation --"I have to do it"--with treating it as a privilege--"I have something important to contribute to the conversation and I'm being given the chance to do so." I know I struggle constantly with feeling that I don't have the right to say anything because the way I say it can sound "weird," so I found this article very encouraging.

Once again we discussed speaking on the phone, which is such a big challenge for many of us. Matt, our co-leader, mentioned a co-worker who keeps a small mirror on his desk by the phone so he can monitor himself as he speaks and get instant feedback about how he's doing. The co-worker doesn't stutter; he's using the mirror just to improve his general communication skills. We thought it was a rather good idea, although for people who stutter it may require a great deal of courage to look at themselves in a mirror as they speak. What do you think? Could you do it? And how useful do you think it would be?

Speaking of feedback, we'd like to know what you think about creating a buddy system in our support group. Some of us are working on specific speaking skills and would appreciate having someone to be accountable to. Others would just like someone to talk to when we come up against a speaking challenge, big or small. There's nothing like having someone who will listen to you patiently, understand exactly how you're feeling and give you solid and honest advice.

See you all at the next meeting!

StutterTalk.com

I hope all of you will check out this wonderful resource for people who stutter:

StutterTalk is a weekly, free podcast about stuttering. Since 2007, we have published more than 300 episodes. In addition to interviewing many people who stutter, StutterTalk has featured conversations with famous people who stutter including David Seidler, the academy award winning scriptwriter of the King's Speech, John Stossel from ABC and Fox News, Jack Welch from General Electric and the British author David Mitchell. We have featured many renowned researchers and speech-language pathologists including Dr. Dennis Drayna from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Gerald Maguire from the University of California and Dr. Patricia Zebrowski from the University of Iowa. 

StutterTalk has covered important topics with special series. For example, we have published:

• a four part series on Lidcombe treatment for preschoolers who stutter
• a three part series on a student who stutters facing potential discrimination
• a three part series on the SpeechEasy device
• a four part series on costal breathing

StutterTalk really appreciates hearing from friends of the show and listeners. Recently several listeners asked for an episode on fluency shaping. StutterTalk responded with Fluency Shaping and Stuttering with Dr. Joseph Klein (episode 309).

StutterTalk has also been asked by listeners for more episodes which discuss coping and treatment. In response, we have started a new series called Tips from Pros. Each episode features a leading professional commenting on strategies to manage stuttering. Last week Dr. Phil Schneider discussed tips for parents and in November Dr. Robert Quesal discussed tips formanaging stuttering during the holidays. Upcoming episodes will discuss freezing, cognitive restructuring, rate control,stuttering openly and voluntary stuttering. 

Subscribing and listening to StutterTalk is free. You may download StutterTalk episodes from our website and subscribe via iTunes and other free services.