Stammering (clinically referred to as dysphemia) is a form of speech defect concerned with an involuntary action of repeating or prolonging of syllables or words. For example, when a person pronounces the word “stop” but instead says it like, “sssssstop” or “ssstt-sstt-sttop,” that is stammering.
Naturally, the condition is frustrating for the patient as it not only hampers his/her ability to communicate well, it also opens him/her to perceptions that he or she is slow and stupid. There is no direct link between stammering and mental capacity. Studies show that speech defects like stammering are usually brought on by bad speech habits developed in childhood.
Can stammering be cured?
The answer is an overwhelming yes. Since the condition is primarily caused by habit, given enough time bad habits can be unlearned and replaced with the proper ones leading to correct speech.
How can you get help?
- If you (or someone you know) stammer, consult with a speech pathologist.
This is so that proper assessment of the condition can be made and verified whether stammering is the problem. The speech pathologist will have you read aloud a series of sample sentences or paragraphs, which is usually recorded for further analysis.
- Next a speech therapist will prescribe a series of exercises to correct the defect.
It’s been discovered that stammering is not merely a speaking defect but one that involves listening as well. So listening exercises may very likely be prescribed alongside breathing and relaxation exercises in addition to the ones for speech called oral motor exercises.
How can you help yourself?
- When working with a speech therapist, you may need to make several and frequent visits at the beginning of the treatment, which tapers off towards the later part as improvements set in. But the exercises should continue and be done diligently even outside these visits.
- Experts recommend that the minimum duration in treating stammering is 3 months of consistent therapy. To ensure permanency of results, six months to a year is prescribed.
- The optimum age in carrying out speech therapy is around the ages of 15 and 25. This is because young children may forget what has been learned and revert while older adults may have difficulty unlearning established habits.
Finally, there is nothing wrong with asking for positive reinforcement from friends, family and co-workers when you undergo the measures to cure stammering. It’s only right to do so and those who respect you will only be too willing to help you.
With patience, diligence and some time, the problem of stammering can be solved leading to a fuller and more productive life for you and everyone around you.
Tampilkan postingan dengan label public speaking. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label public speaking. Tampilkan semua postingan
Selasa, 22 November 2011
Minggu, 20 Maret 2011
How To Have Fun With Speeches
While most people consider speaking in public worse than a death sentence, it does not have to be so. In fact, public speaking can be a fun and fruitful endeavor in the hands of a speaker with the right mindset.
And the first agenda when it comes to public speaking is to approach it in terms of having fun.
How can you ever have fun speaking to a large audience hanging on to your every word and gesture, you say? The answers are simple.
Here are a few tips to get you started.
1. Choose a subject near and dear to your heart. There is no better supplier of knowledge than experience. Your audience knows when you just read off a book and when you’re speaking from having been there yourself.
Frankly speaking, unless you speak with emotional involvement with the subject, you cannot endear yourself to your audience. The audience looks for it, wants to know that whatever they are learning from you is worth their time and effort to listen to.
You want to be earnest, enthusiastic, excited, and persuasive. No other technique does this faster than being personally involved.
2. Capture the feelings you had about the topic. Again, your feelings are the key to a convincing speech and is the ability to project the feelings you had of the subject across the whole audience. Some may not agree with you and some may have felt you could have said it another way. But, none of them will forget you.
Speaking to the public monotonously and indifferently creates a sense of objectivity not appreciated by the audience. The stage is not the time to become dispassionate. Imagine the reason why we patronize movies and theater so much. It is partly because we want to see depth of emotion expressed fully.
As human beings, we need to see humanity in others.
3. Speak and act sincerely. You must approach the speech like a man going to have a good time, not like a man heading for a hanging. No matter what happens, you must have the will to survive with a sense of humor. In this tip, one must find a way to appreciate the situation he is in, and then find a way to turn the tables to his advantage.
The ability to float right-side up when you are down is a great test of personal character more than anything. To act with sincerity in all that you do will permeate his being and will become most noticeable with the audience.
And the first agenda when it comes to public speaking is to approach it in terms of having fun.
How can you ever have fun speaking to a large audience hanging on to your every word and gesture, you say? The answers are simple.
Here are a few tips to get you started.
1. Choose a subject near and dear to your heart. There is no better supplier of knowledge than experience. Your audience knows when you just read off a book and when you’re speaking from having been there yourself.
Frankly speaking, unless you speak with emotional involvement with the subject, you cannot endear yourself to your audience. The audience looks for it, wants to know that whatever they are learning from you is worth their time and effort to listen to.
You want to be earnest, enthusiastic, excited, and persuasive. No other technique does this faster than being personally involved.
2. Capture the feelings you had about the topic. Again, your feelings are the key to a convincing speech and is the ability to project the feelings you had of the subject across the whole audience. Some may not agree with you and some may have felt you could have said it another way. But, none of them will forget you.
Speaking to the public monotonously and indifferently creates a sense of objectivity not appreciated by the audience. The stage is not the time to become dispassionate. Imagine the reason why we patronize movies and theater so much. It is partly because we want to see depth of emotion expressed fully.
As human beings, we need to see humanity in others.
3. Speak and act sincerely. You must approach the speech like a man going to have a good time, not like a man heading for a hanging. No matter what happens, you must have the will to survive with a sense of humor. In this tip, one must find a way to appreciate the situation he is in, and then find a way to turn the tables to his advantage.
The ability to float right-side up when you are down is a great test of personal character more than anything. To act with sincerity in all that you do will permeate his being and will become most noticeable with the audience.
Sabtu, 12 Maret 2011
Improving How You Speak In Public
Feeling less confident when speaking in public? Here are some tips to boost your confidence in public speaking.
Tip no. 1. You should have eye contact with the audience all the time.
Tip no. 2. You should just relax. You know now by heart what you intend to say. Just do it.
Tip no. 3. If you can, use visual aids. This could help the people listening to you understand more of what you want to say. They get your concepts in an instant. Keep your visual aids simple. If, for example, you don’t have the visual, then just remember to use words that would describe succinctly your point.
Tip no. 4. Why not give handouts to the audience? This would serve as their copy of your speech or at least the points you are tackling. They would feel that you gave them something that is free. Be simple and clear on what you say in the handout. Too many words and technical research could turn people off.
Tip no. 5. Do not think of how you can survive the speech, but on how
you can do your speech brilliantly.
Tip no. 6. Improving your speech unity and coherence would help your listeners understand your points and would help you be more confident in nailing down that speech. It pays to list down all the points you want to say, and arrange them in a logical, coherent order. So, for example, you are speaking in favor of stem cell research, enumerate your reasons why it is so, and close your speech with a conclusion.
Tip no. 7. Change the tonality and speed of your voice every now and then during the presentation. If you need to, convey energy. If you are emphasizing a point, slow down emphatically. If you are excited or angry about something, let your listeners feel that you are actually excited or angry about it.
Tip no. 8. Check out the various books available on how to present excellently. There are many books that are available that can help you boost your confidence in speaking in front of many people. There are also websites available on the Internet that give some tips on how to present brilliantly.
Speaking before a group of people can be intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, it is greatly satisfying and great fun. Once you have learned to enjoy your presentations or even a part of these presentations, your confidence in yourself will greatly increase.
Tip no. 1. You should have eye contact with the audience all the time.
Tip no. 2. You should just relax. You know now by heart what you intend to say. Just do it.
Tip no. 3. If you can, use visual aids. This could help the people listening to you understand more of what you want to say. They get your concepts in an instant. Keep your visual aids simple. If, for example, you don’t have the visual, then just remember to use words that would describe succinctly your point.
Tip no. 4. Why not give handouts to the audience? This would serve as their copy of your speech or at least the points you are tackling. They would feel that you gave them something that is free. Be simple and clear on what you say in the handout. Too many words and technical research could turn people off.
Tip no. 5. Do not think of how you can survive the speech, but on how
you can do your speech brilliantly.
Tip no. 6. Improving your speech unity and coherence would help your listeners understand your points and would help you be more confident in nailing down that speech. It pays to list down all the points you want to say, and arrange them in a logical, coherent order. So, for example, you are speaking in favor of stem cell research, enumerate your reasons why it is so, and close your speech with a conclusion.
Tip no. 7. Change the tonality and speed of your voice every now and then during the presentation. If you need to, convey energy. If you are emphasizing a point, slow down emphatically. If you are excited or angry about something, let your listeners feel that you are actually excited or angry about it.
Tip no. 8. Check out the various books available on how to present excellently. There are many books that are available that can help you boost your confidence in speaking in front of many people. There are also websites available on the Internet that give some tips on how to present brilliantly.
Speaking before a group of people can be intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, it is greatly satisfying and great fun. Once you have learned to enjoy your presentations or even a part of these presentations, your confidence in yourself will greatly increase.
Jumat, 12 November 2010
Fear Of Public Speaking
Social Phobia is an irrational anxiety brought forth by exposure to certain social situations, leading to avoidance behaviour.
Specific Phobia is a persistent and irrational fear in response to some specific stimulus, which commonly results in avoidance of/withdrawal from that stimulus. It could be triggered by an insect or animal (zoophobia), by a situation like being trapped in an enclosed space (claustrophobia) or it could be a fear of disease (pathophobia).
Though it feels real, the fear of public speaking or Glossophobia is what psychologists call "social construction". This means that it is not a natural phenomenon, but the result of something society has created. We expect it to cause fear and therefore, it causes fear.
Unfortunately it is this "fear of the fear" which causes the problem to perpetuate, creating a vicious cycle.
It is possible for a sufferer to change their attitude to public speaking and thus reduce their fear. If you can figure out exactly what it is about public speaking that scares you, then you can begin to see what you might be able to do about it. This analysis will help you to change your feelings.
For example, if you regard the thought that people might laugh at you to be an important factor in your fear, you should ask yourself when they have laughed at you before. If they only laughed when you wanted them to, then your fear is unreal. Such reflection can make a positive change in your attitude to public speaking.
Specific Phobia is a persistent and irrational fear in response to some specific stimulus, which commonly results in avoidance of/withdrawal from that stimulus. It could be triggered by an insect or animal (zoophobia), by a situation like being trapped in an enclosed space (claustrophobia) or it could be a fear of disease (pathophobia).
Though it feels real, the fear of public speaking or Glossophobia is what psychologists call "social construction". This means that it is not a natural phenomenon, but the result of something society has created. We expect it to cause fear and therefore, it causes fear.
Unfortunately it is this "fear of the fear" which causes the problem to perpetuate, creating a vicious cycle.
It is possible for a sufferer to change their attitude to public speaking and thus reduce their fear. If you can figure out exactly what it is about public speaking that scares you, then you can begin to see what you might be able to do about it. This analysis will help you to change your feelings.
For example, if you regard the thought that people might laugh at you to be an important factor in your fear, you should ask yourself when they have laughed at you before. If they only laughed when you wanted them to, then your fear is unreal. Such reflection can make a positive change in your attitude to public speaking.
Senin, 12 Juli 2010
Conquer Your Fear! Learn To Be Confident In Public Speech
In public speaking, fear maybe viewed as negative leading to ineffective communication. This is the tendency if you predict bad situations. Fear can be easily seen through physical manifestations: hands cold and clammy, rumbling speech, slouching and unwanted movements.
In public speaking, fear comes from the “fear of the unknown.” Most people are afraid of not being liked, offending someone, forgetting everything, of stumbling and falling or ruining the effort.
But fear can be seen in a positive aspect as well. According to Kenneth McFarland, “it is not necessary to banish fear in order to gain confidence. A wholesome fear of failure is one of the best guarantees of success.”
Fear can be a motivating force for the public speaker that adds strength, energy and conviction to otherwise lifeless ideas. Your courage is the ability to see fear in a realistic perspective. The way to curb your fear is to prepare thoroughly. But fear cannot be eliminated fully. It is meant to be conquered.
In any public speaking experience, stage fright and anxiety are hindrances to building your self-confidence. Stage fright is an emotional state that affects people the minute they stand before an audience. Having positive thoughts greatly help in managing stage fright. Believing that you are going to succeed, that you are effective as a speaker and that your audience will trust you and gain respect for you are sure winners to combat fear. Furthermore, being aware that nobody is perfect and everybody is prone to mistakes are effective thoughts to calm you down. Best of all, think that the audience is your friend.
If you need to know more on how to build your self-confidence, here are some practical tips:
1. Share your personal experience to begin your talk. Why? Because no one knows better than you do.
2. The most effective way out, if fear attacks you, is to do it. Conquer your fear. Do not hesitate just because you think that someone can do better that you do.
3. Accept that you know. Be confident to share about it.
4. As a public speaker, you ought to assume the delivery man role and that you carry an important message that you need to get across.
5. Apologizing in public speaking is a sin. Do not apologize for your material or even your lack of experience.
6. Be yourself and be confident. Do not imitate government officials in the way they speak. Speak in your own “official capacity”.
7. Prepare for the occasion by dressing appropriately and then forget how you look.
Confidence is a key element in achieving success. But remember, be on guard against overconfidence.
In public speaking, fear comes from the “fear of the unknown.” Most people are afraid of not being liked, offending someone, forgetting everything, of stumbling and falling or ruining the effort.
But fear can be seen in a positive aspect as well. According to Kenneth McFarland, “it is not necessary to banish fear in order to gain confidence. A wholesome fear of failure is one of the best guarantees of success.”
Fear can be a motivating force for the public speaker that adds strength, energy and conviction to otherwise lifeless ideas. Your courage is the ability to see fear in a realistic perspective. The way to curb your fear is to prepare thoroughly. But fear cannot be eliminated fully. It is meant to be conquered.
In any public speaking experience, stage fright and anxiety are hindrances to building your self-confidence. Stage fright is an emotional state that affects people the minute they stand before an audience. Having positive thoughts greatly help in managing stage fright. Believing that you are going to succeed, that you are effective as a speaker and that your audience will trust you and gain respect for you are sure winners to combat fear. Furthermore, being aware that nobody is perfect and everybody is prone to mistakes are effective thoughts to calm you down. Best of all, think that the audience is your friend.
If you need to know more on how to build your self-confidence, here are some practical tips:
1. Share your personal experience to begin your talk. Why? Because no one knows better than you do.
2. The most effective way out, if fear attacks you, is to do it. Conquer your fear. Do not hesitate just because you think that someone can do better that you do.
3. Accept that you know. Be confident to share about it.
4. As a public speaker, you ought to assume the delivery man role and that you carry an important message that you need to get across.
5. Apologizing in public speaking is a sin. Do not apologize for your material or even your lack of experience.
6. Be yourself and be confident. Do not imitate government officials in the way they speak. Speak in your own “official capacity”.
7. Prepare for the occasion by dressing appropriately and then forget how you look.
Confidence is a key element in achieving success. But remember, be on guard against overconfidence.
Langganan:
Postingan (Atom)
Postingan
