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From: Andrew Harding
Date: 10/13/01
Time: 8:35:02 AM
Remote Name: 62.6.83.110
Hello Chris,
The questions of how and when to disclose stammering in an interview really need to be thought through carefully on a case by case basis. I don't know that there is A best way for interviewers because so much depends on the culture of a company. If the person has decided to disclose during the interview, there are two main choices - near the beginning or when an actual instance of stuttering comes up. Quite honestly, I think a lot of thought has to go into this before a person gets to the interview. There is a lot more involved with disclosure than just saying that you stammer and that it doesn't affect your performance. That may be true, but in the process of preparation, the person really needs to think through as much as possible the kinds of requirements for confident presentation skills entailed by the job. I think the person also needs to play the devil's advocate with themselves by trying to anticipate the sort of objections to stammering that might be found in a client based commercial/financial services company. The most difficult thing to get around is the director who refuses to have a person who stammers meeting clients, or the manager who doesn;t want to risk potential embarrassment in a team by having a person who stammer in it - regardless of whether the director or manager feel embarrassed about stammering or not. By integrating disclosure into the preparation and performance of the interview. I think it can be a bit misleading to talk about disclosure as an isolated incident. The entire interview is a form of personal disclosure. The way the person who stammers reacts to their own stammering will make a big difference on when and how to mention the stammer directly. My thoughts on the nitty-gritty issue of what to say and when are as follows. If a person stammers noticably and consistently, they may be best to tell the interviews at the start, giving them a tip on how to respond. If the person doesn't stammer so much, then a brief mention would be worthwhile when the stammering first occurs. If there is one rule of thumb for this rather tricky issue, it is that the person must be able to give a brief example of how it doesn't hold them back from doing a centrally important part of the job. Find one or two things from the selection criteria and focus right on them. Each person will need to be a bit creative to put together a good example or two. This is the one 'how to' piece of advice I can suggest, because just saying that you stammer and saying it doesn't affect your job is not enough. Now, I'm not saying that a person needs to pretend their stammering doesn't cause any problems, it's just that the emphasis must be on giving a brief, postive example that can later be expanded if required - much the same process as for interview preparation and presentation as a whole. Finally, a personal note. Because my stammering tends to emerge during an interview, I tend to say a couple of words about it when it actually occurs. Yet this does depend on the situation. If think I will stammer more than usual for whatever reason, I will say something at the beginning, along the lines of using it as a cue to speak more slowly and allow a bit more time if things are becoming too rushed.
Good on you for finding ways to raise/change employer awareness of stammering. The bulk of my work has been on producing the brochures, the text for which will be available on the BSA website in a few weeks. I need to check on what the BSA's arrangements are for posting materials internationally, so will let you know.
Regards,
Andrew Harding