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From: Charlie Healey
Date: 06 Oct 2009
Time: 20:41:31 -0500
Remote Name: 76.84.105.147
As an avid golfer, I have used golf as an analogy to stuttering with many of my clients...at least the ones that play or have played golf! I think there are a lot of similarities between the onset, timing, coordination, and execution of a good golf swing and what it takes to say something fluently. However, what we also have to understand about golf and stuttering is that our cognitive, motor, and emotional systems are geared to a certain level of performance and we have to be comfortable with what can and cannot happen. With golf, you can go to the driving range and hit a ton of balls but that might not translate well when you get on the course. Just like stuttering, trying to use techniques when it's easy or comfortable and there is little cognitive and emotional baggage, speech can be pretty fluent. But, it all changes when you are in a tough speaking situation. So, just like golf, the best place to practice your swing is WHILE you are playing golf during a round just like practicing speech skills to help yourself be more fluent or as Vivian says, letting go of the emotional reactions or struggle WHILE you are talking in a speaking situation that is difficult. Focus on the effort to do something you haven't done before is what is helpful, not the outcome. Making an effort to improve given the skills that you have is what's important , even if you stutter in a particular situation. Take comfort in knowing that what you try to change might not always work but at least you tried and you will learn from that experience.