Last October, "John" (not his real name) thought about coming to the CSA conference but decided no – a whole day with people who stutter wasn’t for him. This year, he walked to the front of the hall during the open mic session and talked freely about why this year was different.
At this year's NSA Conference in Dallas, Texas, I met Cilla Ramia, a conference First Timer who is both a nurse and a person who stutters. I spent quite a bit of time with her at the conference asking her questions, which she was happy to answer! Shortly after getting into Nursing School at Nipissing University in May, I began doubting myself and my capabilities of eventually becoming a nurse.
It's good to be a good listener, so that you know what the other person is thinking and feeling. On the other hand, sometimes we can encounter a form of self-talk that is not worth listening to at all. That sums up the key points in the article that follows.
Drrrrumroll please: I’d like you to meet the Confidence Cousins
We’ve all heard of confidence (and most of us seek more of it!) but rarely do we acknowledge the equally important “confidence cousins”: self-esteem, optimism, self-compassion and self-efficacy. While we know stuttering is not directly affected by confidence, when we feel more confident we might feel less tension in our body, and that might make it just that much easier on our speech. Get to know the confidence cousins – you might like what you find!
Talking about personal branding makes many people cringe. This isn't helped by the fact that a lot of the hype behind personal branding can sound shallow and a little bit phony.
All that aside, having a personal brand is important. It shows the world who we are and what makes us unique.
People who stutter tend to be more aware of their speech than anyone else. We tend to have an awareness of when speech is difficult for us and when we can speak with ease. Some of us may also have strong feelings attached to our stutters, whether they be positive or negative.