The best magazine
The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.
Believe it or not, there have been many, many courageous people since the beginning of time who have stuttered. This impediment held them in a very different world than people who do not stutter live in. However, they did not let this challenge stop them from finding their voice. In fact, they become some of the greatest leaders, orators and communicators of our time.
Over the past few months I've had the wonderful opportunity to hear from and dialogue with people who struggle with speech fluency from all around the world. And many of their stories remind me of some parts of my own. But, each story has its uniqueness. Why? Because, no two people are exactly alike. The wonderful people I hear from are from different countries, cultures, socio-economic levels, educational levels, races and ethnicities. Many of them speak at least two languages. So, what I'm about to say could not completely encompass all of these factors.
However, there are some common threads that are presented throughout each of the stories I have heard as well as my own. These common threads when woven together create a pattern and picture of a very different world; one that includes both a light side and a very dark side. To become the very best Power Coach you can possibly be, I'd like you to take a few minutes and try to understand this other world that people who stutter live in.
Let's talk about the social world of a person who stutters. This can be a very lonely place, one filled with fear, anxiety, regret, low self-esteem, self-worth, and low self-confidence. Wow! Can it really be that bad? Yes, and worse. I often get emails from people who are depressed and considering suicide. The worse the stuttering becomes, the worse those feelings I mentioned above get and vice versa, causing a self- reinforcing cycle.
Often people who stutter avoid social situations altogether. They spend time either alone or with people with whom they can stutter freely and not feel embarrassed. Relationships can be difficult because of the self-esteem issues and even anger. Not being able to communicate effectively can make one very angry and resentful toward God, oneself and the entire world. People are made fun of, passed over for promotions or worse, not even hired because they stutter. This is enough to make anyone angry especially if the person who stutters is highly qualified and an expert in their field.
Physically, people who stutter may experience a very high degree of stress. And we know that stress can affect our diet, weight, and overall health. People may experience headaches, tension in the throat, mouth and neck from straining to speak. They may sleep a lot to simply rest and escape the pressure of either having to speak or having had to speak.
Vocationally and educationally the impact can be devastating. Imagine, not being to get a job because you cannot pass the interview. Imagine, not getting a promotion that you are qualified for because you stutter. Imagine, avoiding the telephone because you're unable to talk on the phone. Educational environments can be equally as bad. Having to read aloud, make presentations, answer questions or being placed in a special class because of stuttering can be demeaning and just plain embarrassing.
The teacher or facilitators may think the person does not know the answer and grade the person down as a result. In many cases, the person does know the answer, but, simply has a hard time communicating it.
There is another aspect that I want to mention here as well, and that is Spiritual. How can one be affected spiritually when they stutter? Well depending on their religion or belief, they may have sought spiritual advice or solutions to their challenge. Perhaps, they prayed, fasted, meditated, or otherwise tried to lead a faithful life. But no matter what they did, the stuttering remained. This could cause the person to get angry at their God for not removing this "thing" from them. I often thought of the Apostle Paul in the Bible who had a thorn in his side and begged God on at least three different occasions to remove it. Apparently, God said that He would not remove it so that Paul would remain humble. Was this my case? Would I have to live with this "thorn" in my side for the rest of my life or the indefinite future? Why would God inflict such a malady on anyone? What about Moses? He had some sort of speech impediment as well. And, the Bible even records in Exodus 4 that God made the deaf, dumb and blind and seeing. So why would God make someone stutter?
Well, eventually I discovered my own answer to those questions. In fact, I have to say that I thank God that I did stutter. It was because of that thorn or whatever one may want to call it, I am so much deeper, stronger, more self-confident, compassionate and grateful than I ever would have been without it. I am now able to help others in so many different ways because of the process and journey I've gone through than I would have been able to had I not gone through this process. The things I've learned and experiences I've had have uniquely equipped me to do something I am passionate about and allows me to add great value to the lives of others. Furthermore, because of the fact that I stuttered so badly, I became a highly skilled communicator and public speaker. The work I had to do to get here was tremendous, but it continues to pay off in more ways than I will ever know.
One of your jobs is to shift the perspective of your family member or client regarding stuttering. Instead of seeing it as a curse or something they are stuck with for the rest of their life, they will need to begin seeing it as a gift that needs to be unwrapped and unpacked. This feeling of having unique potential that's just waiting to be realized is scary and exciting. It's almost unbelievable, but believe me it's absolutely true. The goal of this program is not to just help you help your family or client stop stuttering. The goal is to help them become an incredibly confident, fluent and excellent communicator. They will develop the confidence to know that they can accomplish whatever they put their minds to. Why? Because they will have the tools and experience of having overcome stuttering to support this notion.
I share this with you from experience and not from a theoretical perspective (which can be helpful as well). While I know this approach may not help everyone, I am quite confident that it can help the vast majority of stutterers. Understanding the worlds they live in and the world I use to live in can help you have a greater sense of compassion, understanding and patience. But, I must say here that you will need to be strong and resolute in your encouragement.
If you a family member, friend or client stutter, then keep this mind. They may want to quit, they may get angry or be angry. They may fight and probably will fight back against the process and you. They may be skeptical of the process and the approach. This is to be expected. Your job is get them to understand that by their own thoughts, feelings, words and actions they can transform themselves into tremendous communicators and people in general. What is required is hope that there really is a solution, support and clear path toward that solution. I hope this article has been a blessing to you and I look forward to serving you soon.
Source: ...