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From: Russ Hicks
Date: 22 Oct 2006
Time: 09:57:26 -0500
Remote Name: 71.123.208.188
Hi Virginia, ..... You asked, "... what influence in your life has given you the mind set that stuttering is not that big of a deal, when others who stutter do everything possible to not stutter, or worse, not talk at all?" That's a far more profound question than it appears on the surface. As a matter of fact I'm thinking of writing an entire ISAD paper on that exact topic next year. The key words there are "mind set." And how do you attain - and sustain - a mind set that helps you in life that maybe is different than the one you have now? Wow, that's really a tough question! ..... You might like to read the article titled "Mind Matters" by Ellen-Marie Silverman in this ISAD conference. A lot of what she says has direct impact on one's beliefs and attitudes toward anything in life. You experience what you believe. It has a direct bearing on my paper and this topic. Her paper is really amazing and well worth reading. ..... In addition to the National Stuttering Association and Toastmasters, two of the most wonderful organizations on the planet, I also attended a four day seminar at work in 1989 which had a profound impact on my life. The seminar was called "The Successful Life Course" which we also called "Happy Camp." <smile> Check out http://www.edforeman.com/success.cfm for some details on this. It's next to impossible to describe this in words. It needs to be experienced for a person to have any idea of how it works. And to be honest, not everyone buys into it, however about 95% of the people attending do. And it deals with that "mind set" issue. If you've ever seen a bumper sticker that says, "Life is Terrrrrific!" that's part of that course. And the impact that is has on people is beyond amazing. As I said, I'm gonna TRY to write an entire ISAD paper on that next year. Stay tuned for details! <grin> ..... Thanks for that EXCELLENT question, Virginia. That's one of the best and most insightful I've had so far. ..... You also asked about Toastmasters. Now pardon me while I laugh a little. <smile> Quite a few students have also asked me about Toastmasters, and after I answered the first one, I use the miracle of copy and paste (remember I'm a computer geek!) to tell other students - and anyone else I can get to listen to me - about Toastmasters. Here's what I've said... ..... So you want to know more about Toastmasters, eh? Stand back! I'm gonna pull my finger out of this dike! <grin> ..... Toastmasters International is an amazing organization. The Vision of Toastmasters International states: "Toastmasters International empowers people to achieve their full potential and realize their dreams. Through our member clubs, people throughout the world can improve their communication and leadership skills, and find the courage to change." The Mission of Toastmasters International states: "Toastmasters International is the leading movement devoted to making effective oral communication a worldwide reality. Through its member clubs, Toastmasters International helps men and women learn the arts of speaking, listening and thinking – vital skills that promote self-actualization, enhance leadership, foster human understanding and contribute to the betterment of mankind." ..... Their main website is www.toastmasters.org. It is a communication and leadership organization which is HUGELY successful in helping people overcome their fears of public speaking among many other things. Officially, "The mission of a Toastmaster Club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth." All those things sound like a lot of high sounding words, but they are absolutely true. We walk the walk as well as talk the talk. (No pun intended! <smile>) ..... Our Callier Communicators Toastmasters club in Dallas, founded in 1995, is the first Toastmasters club in the world dedicated exclusively to people who stutter. We have a special mission statement for our club which states, "The Callier Communicators especially understand the difficulty some individuals have in communicating. It is our mission to provide an environment that offers special support and understanding to people with communication difficulties or extreme fear of speaking." The URL for our club is http://www.geocities.com/callier3216/ ..... Toastmasters has about 200,000 members in over 8,000 (I think) clubs throughout the world. If you are scared of public speaking, Toastmasters is the best organization in the entire world to help you conquer those fears. It is a VERY friendly organization full of friendly and supportive people. It has nothing whatsoever to do with stuttering but people who stutter (and blind people, blondes, brunettes, bald people, tall people, short people, skinny people, fat people - you get the picture) are welcomed into the organization with open arms. And above everything else, it's FUN!!! You learn when you have fun. That's the fundamental basis for Toastmasters. ..... No doubt there are LOTS of Toastmaster clubs near you. If you want to know more about Toastmasters, go visit one of these clubs. They would LOVE to have you and any of your friends and classmates as guests sometime. See http://www.toastmasters.org and find a club near you. Click on Find a Club, then specify United States, Massachusetts, Boston, and you can see all the particulars. (You live in Boston, don't you?) I'll bet there are some clubs on your university campus. ..... Okay, I'll put my finger back in the dike now. As you can well see, I LOVE Toastmasters! It's the most wonderful organization in the world outside of the National Stuttering Association. ..... Thanks for asking that question too, Virgina. I feel better now that I've had the opportunity to blow my Toastmasters trumpet for a while! <grin> ..... I wish you the best and most terrrrrific life! ..... Russ, my email is russhicks@mail.com