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From: Eugene Johnson
Date: 23 Oct 2011
Time: 21:44:42 -0500
Remote Name: 134.29.22.120
Thanks for your comments Alyssa. My advice for you as a future SLP is to always encourage any person who stutters to have a goal and to never give up. They should never avoid a speaking situation just because of the fear of stuttering. As long as they focus on communicating their thoughts as best they can, no matter the outcome, even what may appear initially to be a negative experience will still turn out to be a learning experience. Each negative experience will be one step closer to the next positive one. As a military officer, my biggest challenge was getting through officer training. Once through that, I knew that there was no obstacle that I could not overcome. Preparation was always the key. As long as I prepared myself for the situation, and gave it my best shot, I moved on to the next challenge. Having to lead and command others, I always had to practice my speech therapy techniques as well as relaxation techniques. Being a religious person, prayer and preparation gave my the confidence to be relaxed enough to be successful in most situations. Whenever I did stumble, I used it as a learning experience from which to grow. Whatever profession or career field a person chooses to pursue, knowing one's craft regardless of the fluency will always be paramount. Over time, as the confidence increases, so will the speech fluency and peace of mind. Those of us who stutter usually care more about our stuttering than do others. As long as we become good at our craft, maintain confidence in ourselves, our speech fluency will become less of a factor. Tell whomever you provide speech therapy for to always practice their techniques, study their craft, learn how to relax before presentations, and overtime with patience the speech fluency will take care of itself. Good luck in your career. Eugene