I strongly believe it’s how you handle it when it happens. As others in this thread have rightly said, many many people one encounters in the workplace are dull and have very little to say that’s unique or imaginative or inspiring. People crave something, ANYTHING different. And the best any of us have to offer is honesty, integrity and truthfulness. Stammerers and stutterers stand out from the crowd. We are interesting to people, even exotic! As someone said above, it can make you come over as open and trustworthy. If you are in a position of leadership AND you stammer, a common reaction is for people to think, “Wow! He had that ‘affliction’ and yet he STILL rose to the top. He must have nerves of steel!” And they’re absolutely right. Good for you!!!! You will be surprised by how much respect having a stammer but speaking anyway will garner you. As for how to cope, here what I think is a great tool. Be open. I remember going for my first interviews at prestigious universities in the UK and thinking, “Now is when my stammer will actively ruin my life. No matter what my grades are, I will stammer in the interview and they will see me as a loser”. But here’s what happened. I was mid flow in my first interview and I blocked. I stopped and said, “Please don’t think I don’t know what I’m talking about. I have a stammer and sometimes it trips me up”. That was in 1992. Those professors suddenly woke up when I said that. They immediately were animated and ten times do interested in me as a person. They admired my honesty and frankness and I got offers of places everywhere I went. So I would always recommend saying out loud, “Guys, that’s my stammer you just heard. Rest assured, I’m fine. I’ll get there.”