For those of you who are unfortunate enough to have a stutter I am sure that you will agree with me that there is a lot of rubbish out there in regards to stuttering therapy. I lost count the amount of times that I felt let down after yet another series of stuttering speech therapy sessions. As we start to enter into 2010 there is at least some good news on the horizon for people who stutter, there are now treatments for stuttering that actually work, and I will be writing about them in this article.
So what are your thoughts towards traditional speech and language therapy as a way of helping people who have a stutter to achieve fluency? Well I am not sure about how you have answered this question but I can tell you now, speech and language therapy will not help you to achieve fluency. Why? How many speech therapists do you know who believe that they can cure a persons stutter or stammer? Yes the answer is a big fat zero. If they do not believe it then there is obviously no way in the world that they will ever be able to achieve it.
So, next question coming up, if there is not a cure for stuttering then how come so many people have managed to eradicate stuttering from their lives?
When seeking any form of therapy it is surely better to see a person who is thinking in a positive manner about the chances of the treatment being successful.
So which stammering and stuttering therapy treatments do actually work? Well a recent survey highlighted the growing popularity and success of the one-to-one speech courses and their associated products, a course by the way which is run by a person who has, wait for it, overcome a stutter!
There is a great demand for these courses and this is without doubt going to be the future of stuttering therapy, a therapy that works.
Steve Hill is a speech coach from the UK; he runs The How To Stop Stammering Centre. He is also a well regarded SEO expert in England.
Are you looking for techniques that can help you to eradicate your stutter? Were you hoping for more after attending speech and language therapy? Is second best no longer acceptable? The above three questions are ones that I would regularly answer in the positive during the eighteen years when I had a stutter. I was constantly looking for that miracle “stuttering cure”.
Now I am fully aware to call it a stuttering cure is not exactly what some people would call the “correct English” but I basically was looking for a way or a set of techniques that could enable me to “stop stuttering“. At there time there were not that many stuttering therapies out there, or at least not ones that were worthy of the name.
I always find it strange when I read about the so called National Associations for Stuttering or Stammering. For some reason they seem to always advise people to attend local speech and language therapy. I think we deserve better than this! What is the point of asking people to attend speech therapy, something that has been unable to help them in the past? Speech therapy does not work for people who stutter, well not to the levels that they desire – again to stop stuttering completely and let’s face it anything else is to accept second best.
I searched high and low in my quest to find the solutions to stuttering. I read many a book, asked many a question and studied many of the “best talkers”.
I put in a massive amount of effort, hard work and dedication as that is what is required. The majority of people are fully aware and accept that there is not one magical pill that can cure a stutter. What is required is a desire to succeed and a willingness to work hard to ensure that the techniques become second nature.
There is now a seventy-minute film which has been produced by the How To Stop Stuttering Centre which has full explanations of the techniques required to achieve fluency.
What are the most popular treatments for stuttering? Is it possible to overcome a stammer/stutter? How long does it take to eradicate a stutter? Are there any specialist courses for stuttering that I can attend? Where can I find out about the “stop stuttering techniques”? These are questions that I am asked on a daily basis and ones which I will be answering in this article.
I am Steve Hill and I am a speech coach from the UK. I am a person who had a stutter for eighteen years before finally managing to achieve fluency at the age of 22. I am now thirty-five and for the last thirteen years I have been helping other people to achieve fluency at the How To Stop Stuttering Centre.
The main form of stuttering/stammering treatment that I offer comes in the form of a specialised speech course for stuttering. The courses are on a one-to-one basis which in my opinion is essential. The courses are run in South Birmingham, in England.
The most popular form of therapy that I offer; however; happens to be the seventy minute stuttering cure DVD. The film includes full descriptions of each of the techniques that I teach on the courses.
People are also able to buy an audio book and a stuttering therapy e-book.
Over the last few months I have introduced a couple of new stuttering cure therapy options; the first is fluency coaching over the telephone and the second is stuttering therapy via Skype. These are also starting to become quite popular.
The majority of the people who contact me; whether it be via e-mail, telephone or letter are from the United Kingdom however I do receive a lot of interest from the United States, India, Australia, Ireland, Pakistan, Norway and New Zealand. I have a blog at blog.stammering-stuttering.co.uk which has a map that shows people where the visitors to the site are located. This is something that is quite interesting to keep a track of from time to time.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.
Stuttering can have a major negative impact on people’s lives hence the reason why the majority of them seek help. There are many types of therapy for stuttering, including stutter cure courses or traditional speech therapists.
Since overcoming my own stutter, I am now able to order food and drink for example, without fear of stuttering or stammering as some people call it. I am able to talk on the telephone and am able to enjoy socialising without the fear of stuttering. I have become a more positive and happy person, life is no longer the battle it once used to be. I appreciate my speech compared with the average fluent person, who do not realise how lucky they are. There are those who have even stated that I speak too much – this has to be a good thing lol.
Ten years ago I met my present girlfriend, Sharron, who has an fifteen-year-old daughter, called Taryn. Together we have a son who is nine years old, called Ethan.
My fiancee has helped me as she is an extremely upbeat person who has a very much care-free attitude to life.
I have now become far more successful in my business life where I offer cheap calls as I work with a business cost reduction specialist.
Being able to speak fluently helps no end of course and I am very proud of myself for working so hard, with such a determination, to ensure that I eradicated the stutter once and for all. It certainly was not easy and it took quite a long time (around eleven months) but it was well worth all of the effort.
I now feel free, like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. My self confidence and self esteem levels have increased no end.
The importance of communication is well known; whether it be communication in the workplace, in a social environment or within the home, to be able to communicate with others in a fluid and cohesive manner is vital. So what about those people who are unable to communicate in this way; not because they do not have the sufficient brain power to understand its relevance but because they have a speech impediment? Can you imagine just how difficult it is for people who stutter to succeed in business and life?
I was one such person, yes I had a stutter, in fact I had one for eighteen years of my life. Life back then (I have enjoyed the last thirteen years being able to talk fluently) was tough and what made it even more difficult to bear was the fact that people had no idea as to what I was going through. There was certainly a lack of care, or at least it seemed that way.
In my early twenties I was working for a rather large financial corporation in the UK. I had a rather basic role within the organization however was often appalled at the lack of communication skills within the higher management. These people were able to speak free from any form of speech impediment yet chose not to. This was of massive frustration to many of the staff but especially to myself for obvious reasons. It was as if they could not be bothered to pass on information or to advise of the changes within the business, verbally or via e-mail.
Having a stutter in the workplace was quite an experience; you certainly get to know who your real friends are. Stuttering, or stammering as some people call it, nearly ruined my life however I did eventually manage to achieve fluency.
I have two pieces of advice for the readers of this article; firstly to the people who have a stutter – do not give up – if I can overcome my stutter then there is no reason why you can’t overcome yours. Secondly to the higher management of businesses – poor communication skills can often lead to lower profits therefore start communicating!
I now run a five day stuttering cure speech course. The courses are based in Birmingham, England.
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