Stuttering and James Griffin


Re: Debating in high school

From: James Griffin
Date: 10/10/00
Time: 11:11:57 PM
Remote Name: 203.2.218.1

Comments

Our school debating was occasional rather than regular and its main focus was the two annual interschool sports contests we had with neighbouring high schools - which, interestingly, included debating! In my final year for instance, I was in both the tennis and debating teams when we went into the annual battle with Wodonga High.

But as for my own performance, by then, I was doing a fairly convincing impersonation of a person who did not stutter - and my problems probably seemed more ones of hesitation than anything else - but also, there was less emphasis, I think, in that particular environment, on performance than on content.

So it was the arguments that counted I guess - but also, when I think about it, I recall that another feature of my delivery then was that I really just had to get started and then I could carry on quite well - so, much of my strategy for dealing with it was based around getting going - getting a jump on what I wanted to say - getting on a roll - and then I could keep talking.

Cheers, james


Last changed: September 12, 2005