Public speaking......

[MilnerR]

Next week as part of a job offer i have to give a talk. I've given plenty of talks in the past with varying levels of success but never has a future job rested on it.
My problem is that i have a stammer; its not a particularly bad stammer and many people have known me for years without suspecting a thing. However, over the past few months its been getting more pronouced due to pressure at work and one or two personal problems. I am thinking of explaining the fact that i have a stammer before i start the talk, is this a good idea or not? It will probably relax me and take some of the pressure off.
What would your reaction be as an interviewer, and how would do you feel towards people with speech impediments? I often feel very selfconcious about it but i've never asked a complete stranger (and PHers don't get much stranger) what their opinions are.



p.s. I applying for a scientific research post not reading the news

[Hilts]

Would a few whiskies help before you went in ?

A guy at my school had a really bad stammer, sometimes up to 10 seconds a word, met him in a club recently and he was by no means baggage but he'd had a few, stammer completely gone. Met up with him a few weeks later and stammer was just like at school and he says he's been like that all his life.

[Plotloss]

Explain it, it will put your audience at rest if it shows itself.

I only say this because of the fact that audiences when confronted with discomfort on the part of the speaker empathise with the discomfort and feel ill at ease themselves.

[nervous]

exactly what plotloss said. you may well find that it doesnt happen then cos youll be much more at ease.


best of luck mate

[Racylady]

Yep, I agree with Plotloss and Nervous. This did actually happen to me when I was interviewing someone. He told me that he was really nervous and this made his stammer more pronounced. I think it made him feel more relaxed and his stammer wasn't that bad after that. Good luck, mate.

[UKbob]

If you can tactfully make an appropriate joke out of it, breaking the ice and warming up the crowd, that would be even better. But dont use the word nervous, you dont want your viewers to associate you with a cross dresser in that little blue chiffon number

[nervous]

hey, thats a half truth

[Racylady]

nervous said:

hey, thats a half truth

Is there something you want to tell us all, Nervous?

[nervous]

no. but theres something bob is dying to tell you..

[Racylady]

Is that 'Bob' in the Blackadder sense of the word?

[nervous]

yes, its short for kate.

[alexkp]

If it were me I would start with a line like "I should just warn you that I do have a slight stammer that can become more pronounced under stress...so if I start taking ten seconds a word can someone go for the vallium?"

[MilnerR]

I've given plenty of talks before at conferences but i've always been more concerned with the quality of the information i'm putting across than what the audience thinks. This is the first time i've really thought about the impression i give.

I think a light hearted quip about not calling for an ambulance if i turn purple while talking might be a good idea. Thanks for the advice. Anymore opinions would be gratefully recieved, it'd be nice to know how other people veiw the affliction...


Nervous, was the little chiffon number not blue then?

[nervous]

no, it was powder blue. for all the good it did me. bob doesn't even appreciate the efforts i go to for him. its not easy being this pretty, it takes work...


id say "if i repeat some points more than once, those are the things that are most important and that i most want you to remember. same goes for syllables. additionally, Ive equipped you all with 4 times more paper than normal so that you can take notes of everything i say'.


i hope that doesn't offend mate,its genuinely not meant to. get em laughin with you, and then you wont worry that they're laughing at you.

hope it goes well bud

[nervous]

oh god ive offended you havent i? i am so sorry

[srebbe64]

A friend of mine's got a really bad stammer, but in reality people feel for him and it helps his cause. If the people you'll be talking to have got a heart you could well win some sympathy votes.

Also, he tells me that he never stammers when he's singing, which is interesting. So you could always sing your presentation.

[leosayer]

I used to have a mild stammer in my childhood and occasionally had real problems with words beginning with 'J'. I noticed that lack of sleep made the stammer go away - I can't explain why that is but it works for me. It still comes back now and then but not enough to worry me.

My sister has it real bad - makes me wonder if we inherited it. Even though I know she has it, I still feel the need to finish her words for her and I'm already with my reply before she's even finished the sentence.

So yes, definetely tell your audience and ask them to be patient and let you finish what you're saying.

There are hypnotists who claim to be able to remove a stammer (including Paul McKenna).

[mel]

Go for the joke about it option, tell them that you have a stammer, you know it becomes a little more pronounced with nerves but that your just like Gareth Gates and if you get the job it will miraciously disapear and never rear its head again.

[MilnerR]

The mild joke option seems appropriate. I had hypnotherapy for it about 10 years ago and it did make a difference although the effect did tend to wear off.
I don't stammer when singing but thats more to do with having someones hands around my throat trying to shut me up

I'm sure the talk will go fine. I'll let you know how it goes. After worrying about it for a week powerpoint will probably start acting up or my laptop in destroy itself.....

Leo, its unusual to hear of a woman who stammers the vast majority are men. You should introduce us, we can have a nice long chat