Making these changes at work helped with my stammer

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Kieran

Researcher Kieran Hart tells us how figuring out ways to work with his stammer rather than against it has transformed his perspective.

I don't believe I'm too different from most people who stammer. Like some, growing up I was bullied at school. I couldn't read in front of my class with any degree of confidence, and I spent a lot of time trying to sound like what I thought everyone else considered 'normal'. 

This didn't change throughout university when I was studying for my undergraduate degree, or when working in any of my student jobs. However, since completing my PhD and moving into work as a researcher, something did change. For the first time, I changed how I thought about my stammer and began to think about how I can work with it in a profession that can be mentally draining. For me, this change in perspective has transformed how I work and the relationship I have with my stammer.

Confidence-boosting changes

I went about this in a few ways, most of which were simple but effective. The first thing I did was to add a note to my email signature explaining I have a stammer. This means clients and colleagues know about my stammer before I communicate with them, which helps improve my self-confidence. 

...after more than one bad experience where all I could focus on was how I sounded to those listening, which caused me to stammer more, I thought about how I could change my approach to public speaking.

Another confidence-building change I made was to try and be more open about my stammer in conversations with others at work. I talk about my stammer openly; I make very bad dad jokes about it and I encourage people to ask questions. All of this helped normalise my stammer within my team; for my colleagues and for myself.

These changes weren't just confidence boosting steps for me. They also helped me become more aware of the limitations I face and identify ways to overcome these. 

What helps with presentations

The biggest fear I had with my stammer at work was presenting research findings to an audience. It terrified me, and after more than one bad experience where all I could focus on was how I sounded to those listening, which caused me to stammer more, I thought about how I could change my approach to public speaking. 

I came up with two ways that really help, and I would recommend anyone with a stammer try them. They are: talking with my hands and interpreting the visual stimulus (e.g., charts) rather than words when using slides. 

I find that talking with my hands when presenting at work actively distracts me from thinking about my stammer. For example, when presenting a list of items, I count them out on my fingers. When I'm discussing changes over time, I draw an imaginary timeline with my hands. This helps me engage with what I'm presenting, not how I think my stammer sounds to the audience. 

All of this has been a great learning experience. I understand myself better now both in the context of my job but also outside of work too. 

Similarly, I find it difficult to read text out loud, so I don't read the words on the slides in my presentation. I put up a slide and invite the audience to read it as I talk. This allows me to interpret a chart, diagram, word cloud, timeline, etc, without worrying about saying a specific line of text and stammering. 

Both of these changes have made me more confident when presenting because I'm focusing less on my triggers and more on the task at hand. Since doing these things, I have presented at conferences and to large groups of clients more confidently.

Other changes

Other changes I made to how I work focus around how I plan my calendar. I know I stammer more at the end of the day compared to the start, when I'm tired and don't have as much energy to manage it. Likewise, I know I stammer more on a Friday than on a Tuesday. So, I try to organise meetings with people in the morning and/or at the start of the week. This isn't always possible but if it can be done, it means I don't have to worry as much about my stammer.

Overall, I think having a stammer is a core part of my identity which doesn't have to limit me at work. I recognise that I am different to my colleagues and this means that I need to work differently to them. My employer has helped in a few ways by making reasonable adjustments. For example, I'm allowed more time to introduce myself to clients and new staff to explain that I have a stammer. This may be a minor adjustment on the surface, but it allows me to make people aware of my stammer which helps me feel more relaxed when it happens. 

All of this has been a great learning experience. I understand myself better now both in the context of my job but also outside of work too. I openly talk about my stammer more than I did before with friends and family which has improved my wellbeing. The changes I've made at work to help with my stammer are simple. But for me, the results have been a game changer in more ways than I can mention.

Find out how you can get reasonable adjustments at work to help with stammering on our Stammering At Work page.

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