How to Stop Stammering
There is no magical or instant cure for stammering. No medical treatment, electronic device, or medicine can fix it overnight. However, people who stammer can learn to speak more fluently by facing this condition with the help of a speech therapist and through self-practice. If you truly want to overcome stammering and start a new life, then read the following tips and techniques.
1. Home Remedies
Calm yourself mentally and physically. Tell yourself that you will get better. When you think that you will stammer, you increase the chances of it happening. Calm both your mind and body.
Calm Your Body:
- Release tension from your back, neck, and arms.
- Relax your shoulders and let them drop to their natural position.
- A few seconds before speaking, flutter your lips. Singers warm up like this before singing.
- Shake out any tension in your arms and legs. Stretch your body.
Calm Your Mind:
- Tell yourself: “I am bigger than my stammering; stammering is not bigger than me!”
- Do not tell yourself that this is a matter of life and death. Stammering may irritate you, but it is not as big a problem for others as it is for you. Calm yourself with this thought.
- Focus your attention on your mind. Then, while breathing regularly, move your attention through different parts of your body. This can also be done like meditation.
2. Practice in Front of a Mirror
Stand in front of a mirror and imagine that the person you see is someone else. Start talking about anything—how your day was, how you are feeling, what you will eat later—and notice that your stammering disappears.
It is true that talking in front of a mirror is different from talking to a real person, but this practice greatly boosts your confidence. When preparing to talk to someone, remember how well you spoke in front of the mirror.
Try to talk to yourself for 30 minutes every day. At first it may feel strange, but this exercise helps you hear your fluent voice. This will give you a lot of confidence.
3. Reading Books Aloud
Read books out loud. This improves your speaking skills. Just read loudly. At first it may feel difficult, but it teaches you how to breathe properly. One major problem for people who stammer is knowing when to breathe while reading or speaking. This practice also helps you come out of stammering blocks.
4. Use the Power of Imagination
Imagine the word you are about to speak. Mastering this is difficult, but it helps. If you can imagine the word, it becomes yours and does not slip into the area of stammering. If you cannot imagine it, it does not truly belong to you. Create a clear mental image of whatever you are about to say.
If you stumble on a particular word, use another word with the same meaning (a synonym). It may be easier and you may not stumble over it.
If you stutter on a word, try spelling it. You may say it slowly, letter by letter, but you will at least have the satisfaction of saying it.
If imagining or spelling words takes time, do not be afraid. We are taught that silence is terrible, but you must teach yourself that silence is an opportunity—and you should use it.
5. Tension
When you stammer, try to release tension during the block. At the end of each block, practice making a deep sound from your throat. For example:
“It’s s-s-s-s… GRRRR… It’s silly.”
Pause, say “Blah,” and then continue.
6. Get Your Mind in the Right Frame
Before you start speaking, be optimistic, not pessimistic. Sometimes the fear of stammering itself causes stammering. Instead of fearing it or constantly thinking that it will happen, try to imagine success. This helps eliminate many difficulties.
7. Breathing Exercises
To make speech easier, practice breathing exercises. Often, people who stammer have difficulty breathing while stammering. Breathing exercises can greatly help in regaining your voice.
Before speaking, take a few deep breaths. Imagine you are about to dive into water and need to take a deep breath beforehand. This makes breathing easier and more regular. If you feel uncomfortable doing this in social situations, take deep breaths through your nose.
When you speak and if you stammer, remember to breathe. People who stammer often forget to breathe as soon as stammering begins. Pause, give yourself time to breathe, and then face the word or sentence again.
Do not try to set speed records. Many people speak fast, but your goal is not to speak like them. Your goal is simply to express yourself and be understood. Learn to speak at a normal pace. There is no hurry and no competition.
8. Try to Add Rhythm to Your Speech
People who stammer do not stammer while singing. There are many reasons for this—words are stretched, the voice becomes smooth, and it flows more easily than normal speech. If you add a little rhythm to your voice (like the speaking style of Martin Luther King Jr.), you may find that your stammering either reduces significantly or disappears altogether.
9. Avoid Constant Eye Contact
If you are giving a speech, do not look directly at anyone. Either look above people’s heads or at a point at the back of the room. This will make you less nervous and prevent a chain reaction of stammering.
If you are talking face to face with someone, see if you can make eye contact occasionally. You do not need to stare at them all the time. Making eye contact helps them feel comfortable and also helps you relax.
10. Do Not Worry About Small Things
Understand that you will make mistakes. But mistakes are not the only things that will happen. What matters is how you recover from those mistakes and how you maintain your patience.
Understand that you may lose some battles, but your goal is to win the war.