Before speech therapy

When I turned 25, I was still very much in denial about my stammer: I was a covert stammerer, and had been quite “successful” at hiding it.

I was looking for work, and accepted a temporary job doing door-to-door market research interviews. I soon discovered a problem: the questions were scripted, and I had to read out the questions with the exact words as written.

I could not use my usual word-switching tricks. So on the first market research interview, I stammered on some words. On the second interview, I stammered on the same words, plus a few more. On the third interview, I stammered on the same words, plus a few more.

By the end of the project, I was having great difficulty in speaking the words, so I usually resorted to showing the questions to the interviewer.

I was very worried that I would be sacked for stammering. But no-one complained, and I actually completed more market research interviews than anyone else on the project!

However, the experience left me in no doubt that my stammer was out of control, speaking was too stressful, and I needed help.

Speech therapy and other courses

Over several years, I attended NHS speech therapy, and a variety of courses for people who stammer. These led me to accept that it is okay to stammer, and to focus on saying what I want to say. I was no longer trying to hide my stammer, or switch words, or avoid stammering. This shift in attitude also resulted in less, not more, stammering.

However, I knew that there was still plenty of room for improvement in the way that I spoke: for example, I would often speak too fast for me to speak loudly and clearly, so I would often have to repeat what I said.

“Changes For Stammerers” course

I heard about a new course called “Changes For Stammerers”, run by Heidi Bristow, who is herself a stammerer. I already knew Heidi from a previous course that was based on a costal breathing technique, where I was impressed by Heidi’s positivity and supportive nature to others on that course.

So I arranged a phone call with Heidi. On that call she explained that she is using a different breathing technique, which is not a cure for stammering, but allows her to speak with control and confidence. I was curious, and very impressed with the way that Heidi spoke: it sounded very natural and relaxed. I agreed to try her new course, in Winchester, England.

The course started with a relaxation technique, then moved on to incorporate breathing, and then to speaking. I fairly soon managed to get the hang of speaking with the technique, and I noticed how much more I felt in control of my speech.

There is much more to the course than just breathing: we talked about how we felt about stammering, and did some exercises of a more psychological nature.

We also went out to the city centre and practised speaking to other people. This helped me to build confidence in using the technique in real-world situations.

By the end of the course, I was very happy to speak with the new technique, and decided to keep speaking in this way. 

I went back to work: I am a self-employed computer support technician, and I often have to explain technical concepts to non-technical computer users. Speaking with the new technique, I am much better able to speak at a pace which my listener can follow and understand the concepts that I am explaining, which is better for both of us.

This new breathing technique is less tiring and sounds more natural than costal breathing, (a technique that I previously used) and it feels more sustainable for speaking in long meetings.

Heidi is providing follow-up support to me, and we often speak on the phone and practise the technique. Heidi is very positive and encouraging, and it is always a pleasure to speak to her.

I am very glad that I went on the course, and it has gone even better than I expected.

I am writing this 2 weeks after completing the course, and I am confident that the course will be of lasting benefit to me.

Jim Fernbank

21st April 2025