Tips and Tricks to get through a bad moment that worked for me!

Tips and Tricks to get through a bad moment that worked for me! **This is LONG!** I am not an SLP, just a person who stutters. As such my advice comes from personal experience rather than scientific research or study. My stutter is generally mild, but there are times when I get blocked or am having a rough day where my stutter is out of control. If it helps, I have mostly repetitions which can sometimes progress to full blocks. I am a Registered Nurse in the field, and I am also a graduate student- I have many oral presentations(3-4 /month) and patient interviews (>10/week), and I also do a lot of patient education. Most of the advice about self-acceptance, voluntary stuttering, advertising etc is moot for my situation. Most of these are from personal experience but also gleaning information from reading books and blogs, watching videos of others who stutter, etc. Here are some crutches that I use to get through a bad stuttering moment or a situation where I need to be reasonably/perfectly fluent. I'd like to also add some basic rules to how I use these crutches. 1. **Use a variety not just one** or else it may stop working and become just another characteristic of your stutter that becomes hard to eliminate. This has happened to me in the past. 2. **Use for only high stakes situations** like job interviews or presentations etc where fluency is critical and important for your self confidence, advancement, etc. No sense in feeling extra bad after a presentation to add to your repertoire of feelings of shame and failure. Theres more than enough of that already. 3. **This is not a substitute for proper speech therapy**. I definitely think speech therapy can be useful but its just not for me, my situation, or the goals I have. My goal (right now) is to be fluent, not to somehow accept and love my stutter as a part of who I am. Ok so here are the crutches: 1. **Skip the first letter or syllable of the first word or feared word.** Even if its a name. In context, no one minds or even notices. My address starts with a 7 so I just say 'even. San Antonio becomes "'An Antonio" etc 2. **If vowels are easier to say, place a vowel (really quickly) before the feared consonant.** I have trouble with "W" words- my most feared because many questions I have to ask start with W. So instead of "wwwwwwwwhat meds are you taking", I say "a-what meds are you taking?","a-when did the pain start?". You can even just make the shape of a vowel with your mouth and then quick switch to the consonant, that sometimes works just as well. 3. **If vowels are hard to say, add a consonant (really quickly) before the feared vowel.** So instead of "IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'd like a beer please", I say "MmmmI'd like a beer please". It makes it seem like you are thinking and trying to make up your mind. Its super helpful in loud bar with busy barkeeps. This one is dangerous one though and must be used sparingly because it can become a big part of your stutter and then every sentence starts with some unrelated consonant... its weird and awkward to listen to. 4. **Use starter/filler words.** Americans use Uhm, or Ah. These can help you get out of a block and start your vocal chords thrumming. I use Ehm, Mmh, So. But I have heard so many from different languages that are cool. Swahili- Nini; Italian- Allora, Ecco; Japanese- SoKah; French- Comme, Donc... etc. Look at a list of filler words. 5. **Use a synonym, acronym, or similar word.** This of course requires a elephantine vocabulary so start reading a lot. I understand its not always feasible but acronyms also qualify. Instead of Chronic Kidney Disease I say CKD. I use a lot of acronyms:) 6. **Skip the feared word entirely if possible.** If you think you can't say something, you probably won\\t be able to, Kick some dirt over that shit and move on. 7. **Interchange words or phrases.** I use this a lot. If your name is James Bond, Say "Oh I'm Bond, James Bond!" 8. **Stop talking.** This is the best one, its called pausing for effect. Sometimes before I respond, especially in class when asked a question, I take a few seconds even when I know the answer. And more often than not, what I end up saying is far more well thought out and profound than if I answered right away. Then I look like a star! If I'm talking to someone, I take a few seconds after they finish just to ponder what they said. Its so respectful and they often leave feeling like they have really been heard. I do this all the time and people often tell me their entire life stories in supermarket parking lots! At my 2 last job interviews, HR spent the whole time telling me about their own lives, their struggles, their goals and dreams. I got both the jobs of course but cannot remember any questions that I was asked about me lol. On the other hand I know everything about all of them. 9. **Use voice modulation and expressivity when you talk.** Some of the best communicators use this tool and no matter how they speak, they keep the listener engaged and interested. - See Neil DeGrasse Tyson etc. It also takes your mind of the fact that you may stutter. Whisper, shout, pause, paint a picture, use inflection. Many people tell me that they love how I talk because I am often very invested in what I say. I love when that happens. 10. **Sometimes stage whisper**\- Its apparently universal that people who stutter cannot do so while whispering. But it has its place and if all else fails, its a good thing to have in your back pocket. It can help in certain endeavors where "MmmmmmI love you" doesn't sound quite right! 11. **Change the entire thought through circumlocution.** Speech therapists hate this, but its a necessary tool sometimes. Lets say you have to introduce someone like a client or colleague. I have to do this a lot. Instead of "This is Wwwwwwwwwilliam, your day nurse" I say, "Please to meet this amazing nurse. He is one of the best nurses on our staff. I have told him everything about you..." and 99 times out of 100, the nurse will blush and quickly introduce himself to the patient and my work will be done! 12. **Modulate the speed of your speech.** Talk slower or faster. Pausing at every word is like begging for a block. Don't do it. If you are having trouble in the middle of a sentence, slow down a wee bit. If you are having trouble at the beginning, once you get past it, keep going. I avoid the monotone, metronome, paced system. I used to tap to pace myself then it became a part of my stutter where I would even tap my chin like a maniac! That was a hard secondary to break. 13. **If you can, speak with an accent.** I already have an accent, so I sometimes lay it on really thick especially in presentations. Its a good, very understandable sort of accent - a mix of African and British English and most Americans - my main audience- really enjoy it. Or so they say. 14. **Do not volunteer that you stutter** \- unless you absolutely have to. Telling people to volunteer that they stutter is the wildest advice I hear given. For some people, it may relieve tension. For me it deflates me. It also solidifies that persona of being a 'stutterer' and all the baggage that comes with it- frustration, anxiety, embarrassment...etc. If you are ok with your stuttering- more power to you. But if you require a life where you have more agency in how you communicate and how you are viewed in the world, then this is a terrible idea imho. The only situation I can think of where I would be compelled to volunteer that I stutter is if I am in imminent danger of being arrested for drug use , or if there is chance that there will be a total breakdown of communication if I don't clarify the reason for my disfluency. I will not avoid speaking situations because I stutter, but I will go into every situation with a sense of control over how I communicate and how I will be perceived. In my line of work I can't just say a person who mocks me or responds poorly to my speech is "Trash". Nor can I just develop a crocodilian skin and ignore them. They are still my patient with the right to non-judjmental, equitable, health care and treatment and I have to not only treat them, but also ensure that they understand and respect my communication. If a new diabetic doesn't take me seriously, he may not take the medical advice I give seriously, and end up dead because he didn't take his medication as prescribed. The stakes are too high to stay in myself and force the world to accept me just the way I am. I really hope this helps someone on a bad day, or when they need some really quick tips for a presentation tomorrow and don't have 6+ months to devote to speech therapy. Edit: If you have any of your own, please share them. I'd like to also cite Lee Lovett, a non-trained speech therapist who used to stutter and wrote a book about using crutches to gain fluency. His books are really helpful as well as his podcasts. TL;DR: some really quick tips and tricks that I use to get through a bad stutter situation that I thought would help PWS on this subreddit, and in the world at large. .