Former lifelong stutterer with a unique outlook on stuttering, just nailed a phone interview today. Here's some tips to hopefully help you guys out.

Former lifelong stutterer with a unique outlook on stuttering, just nailed a phone interview today. Here's some tips to hopefully help you guys out. My name is Mike and I've been a stutterer my entire life. When I'm around my friends or in a non-pressure situation, I'm alright, but put me in a pressure situation (Speech, phone, etc.) and I can't talk. After years and years of hearing all the mental techniques, I'd all but given up. Then I took a look at myself. Why could I speak fluently alone or to a pet, but not on a phone? Now, I cannot physically Bench Press 500 pounds, it doesn't matter if I'm alone, or at a gym, or in a different state, the point is I physically cannot do it. But why can I *physically* speak fine alone but not in public. Clearly there's nothing wrong with my vocal cords, or else I'd never be able to talk. The best way I could describe my anxiety stutter would be running a mile, then attempting to recite a sentence or paragraph without taking a breath. I'd run out of air instantly, and I'd feel my chest on fire. I'd try to "Power Through" in an attempt to finish the sentence quicker and to be able to stop speaking. Attempts at air were quick and gaspy. This lead to many inaudible blocks and stutters as I was struggling to speak. Much like a distance runner and swimmer has to "Control" Breathing, so did I. For whatever reason, I was not blessed with the ability to speak and have my body Auto-Breathe. That's fine. Thinking about difficult speaking situations, I realized that I preferred Yes/No answers and short sentences over speaking in sentences or longer. I could "Power Through" a phrase, but couldn't a paragraph. Now the training. Read EVERYTHING you possibly can aloud to yourself. Take a block of text and write in where you are to manually breathe. When you breathe in make sure it is SLOW and count the seconds. Practice this over and over, until it becomes second nature. *Inhale 1..2...* Read EVERYTHING you possibly can aloud to yourself. *Inhale 1...2...* Take a block of text *Exhale..Inhale 1* and write in where you are to manually breathe.*Ex...Inhale 1...* When you breathe in make sure it is SLOW and count the seconds.*Sigh...Inhale 1...* Practice this over and over *Quick Sigh* until it becomes second nature. By consciously exhaling and inhaling you will help relieve the anxiety which is causing the stutter. You body will automatically revert to PANIC mode when in a stutter situation, but just stay conscious over your breathing techniques, and you will have a much better chance to become fluent. We'd much rather have people accuse us of being slow, articulate speakers, than stutterers.