Blog: Come to STAMMAFest & get inspired at work

21st July 2022

Vee explains what we've got lined up at our conference next month to help with stammering at work.

*Update 14th August: Sorry, we are no longer taking bookings for STAMMAFest Global.

STAMMAFest Global, our conference on 24th-28th August in Liverpool, will be a great place to be if you feel stuck in a rut or lacking confidence or motivation, maybe due to your stammer. Through the many workshops and talks, we'll bring people together to inspire and get inspired!

Work might be one area of your life where are you feeling particularly dissatisfied or anxious. Think about it. We spend so much time at work. I'll do the maths for you: if you work a 9-to-5 job, you work around 7 hours per day (8 hours minus 1 hour for lunch), which works out as 35 hours a week — roughly 140 hours a month and 1,680 hours per year. That's 70 days, almost a fifth of each year (annual leave not included, that's still a big number)!

If managers and colleagues are not aware of the day-to-day situations that can be difficult when you stammer, going to work can be a source of dread.

As we spend all that time working, it's important that we feel good at our workplace; that we feel valued, included, heard and represented by our managers and others in the work environment. 

If managers and colleagues are not aware of the day-to-day situations that can be difficult when you stammer, going to work can be a source of dread. You might feel anxiety about the speaking situations you'll be put in, or the inappropriate or insensitive reactions from others which can leave you feeling uncomfortable. 

'We work' plenary

At STAMMAFest Global we're dedicating a plenary session called 'We Work' to exploring ways we can make working easier when you stammer. We'll be hearing from our professional networks which have been set up to create a more inclusive workplace and offer peer support for those who stammer in their place of work or industry. 

Great things happen when you bring people together and get them talking.

Come along and hear from the NHS Stammering Network, STAMMA Defence and the West Sussex Police Stammering Network about measures they've taken to make their workplace more inclusive, how they've raised awareness and what plans they have for the future. Hopefully you'll pick up some of their ideas to take back to your own employers or organisation, and be inspired to push for change as they do in their workplace. 

The session will feel like a chat amongst friends, where you'll be free to ask your questions and share your thoughts, with no pressure to speak if you'd just like to listen. Great things happen when you bring people together and get them talking. The more great people you meet, the more great people you meet. It's that simple.

Whether you've just started your first job, you're climbing your professional ladder, or even if you're in senior management, I think this session will be inspiring for all of us.

You can also join our STAMMA At Work Facebook group. It's a safe space where you can talk openly about stammering in your workplace or about job hunting. Ask questions or share your experiences and any helpful resources you might have.

Vee Meyners is the Network & Campaigns Lead here at STAMMA. See our Who We Are page to read more about our staff team, Trustees and Patrons.