Stuttering and the Art of Mountain Biking: Richard Holmes at TEDxUW

[@CodyAnderson333]

Great story, I am a stutterer and just graduated with my bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering. just had my 2nd job interview today, the key is to just get out there and do it. change your mind set and don't be afraid to stutter or be afraid of public engagements. being afraid to talk at all is what makes the stutter worse when you do talk. it can ease your tension and anxiety too which are both physiological factors of stuttering as well.

[@rajivbarla]

Yes. Bro right 👍😊

[@alisherarif8517]

How to not be afraid? How to remove fear? Plz explain

[@michaellawrence192]

Agreed. Just gotta do it. It's not even about getting over the fear. For me, the fear is always there, every time I have to speak publicly. How I handle it is just accepting that I will stutter and just do it regardless. I have hit and misses but I just push through.

[@CodyAnderson333]

@Michael Lawrence 100% agree my friend. I have more worked as an engineer at this same job I posted about here 3 years ago and I relate to exactly what you say in my every day life. Just get through it and it's NEVER as bad as you think it will be even if it doesn't go perfect which it rarely does. and that's OK.

[@vincazjeh]

​@@alisherarif8517 I think the acceptance is the first thing. We need to accept to ourselves that we stutter. And then we need to get out of the comfort zone. And our comfort zone is everything and everywhere until the point when we have to speak. I had that moment when I enrolled university. Up until that point in life, I could either remain silent most of the time, or somebody else would do the talk on my behalf. Lets say my mom making me a dentist appointment or whatever. In the University there was nobody to knock on the professor's door and ask questions on my behalf. It was either to remain silent and hidden and fail the exam, or get necessary information and pass it (for example). I chose the 2nd. And I did stutter that 1st time. And the 2nd time as well... etc. But each time it got easier a bit. I still stutter and every time I get to meet someone I know I'd stutter on that first vowel... 5 seconds after that cringy moment, I'm able to say my name clearly 10 times in 10 seconds. If someone had asked me 10y ago, I would've never imagined that I'll feel free and ok to speak with people in every day life and job. Now I work in IT on a position where I have to talk with people or even organize and hold some educations for strangers. Sometimes I'm very satisfied with how it goes, sometimes not. I'm still learning and trying to co-op with it. Good luck to you and everyone else battling with the fear of speech.

[@webba0000000069]

I am a lifelong stutter and now an educator. On bad days I am a mess (like tonight). But honestly I have a lot of days like this guy in the mix as well. Confidence is everything and I would crush public speaking if I just didn't stutter my ass off. It is the bane of my existence. This guy is right though...you need to try and try and try again and never give up. Not everyday will be amazing (I have been in a period of self loathing after tonights presentation where I felt like I could not say a single word) but you really need to keep trying. This is coming from a terrible stutterer that has elected public speaking as a career. You (and I) have to get over nights like I am having tonight as tomorrow is another day. Get on your bike and keep riding because life is not over. Not everyone will get it, but think of all the good things about stuttering. I bet most of you can crush it while singing (we don't stutter when we sing)? Or you are a human thesaurus (word substitution on the fly anyone)? I know these are my gifts and I guess in a lot of ways we have to take the good with the bad. I know with myself I almost have to tell people I stutter so I can get rid of the proverbial "elephant in the room" and afterwards everything usually falls into place. I was not teaching kids tonight (who know I stutter), I was stuck simply talking to a group of my own colleagues and I was a hot mess. Stuttering is the most frustrating thing ever and those of you who stutter know where I am coming from. But it certainly is not the end of the road. I had a bad day today, and I will have many more....but stuttering does not have to define us. It is not something you always outgrow (I am 32) but it is something that you can cope with (although it is not easy).Sometimes we fall only so we can learn how to pick ourselves back up and I can only recommend that you all keepl trying. Therapy is therapy, but really in my case I just need to get over myself sometimes as I think way too much about stuttering on a single word I have coming up or whatever. I am trying to be as positive I can about this but after a long day of making an ass of yourself it is not always easy. Typically though, most people understand and have more empathy than you think. We often are the hardest on ourselves. It really is hard to get over that. Hope you all the best.

[@theworldisimmense]

Matt Webber thaamarai chelvan dude totally right glad we share same opinion that is basically a fact in our minds because it makes sense ......once we stuttered for a couple of times as childs we tend to keep stuttering and that BRING US low self steam, anxiety , social anxiety , very insecure .......all those facts make us to INCREASE stuttering, I’m not saying it produces stuttering , it’s just makes us stutter more often worst , nobody is perfect and life keeps going on , everyone is different and we all got something on us, our brain send us blocking signals to our speaking so we stutter and the fluent person doesn’t know how it feels ....be confident and reduce anxiety

[@CodyAnderson333]

Great story, I am a stutterer and just graduated with my bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering. just had my 2nd job interview today, the key is to just get out there and do it. change your mind set and don't be afraid to stutter or be afraid of public engagements.

[@dwen5065]

@@CodyAnderson333 I understand. Been there. What helped me was HCRI in Virginia. I used it years ago and it helped. From what I have seen you’ll never be a naturally fluent speaker, but with effort you can manage it. More effort using the techniques they teach results in more fluency. At least it does for me.

[@CodyAnderson333]

@@dwen5065 Thanks for the advice! An update to my post is I got the job as an Electrical Engineer that I was in interviews for and have worked there now for a month shy of 2 years! Been a great experience and I'm lucky to work with some great, understanding people and it definitely got better the more comfortable I got!

[@irwinharder5918]

Very inspiring. I have stuttered as well since I was a kid. My 'thing" was singing since as a stutterer singing is not affected. I went to college to take music and then realized that i was just using that a a crutch to avoid the hard stuff. I did finish my music degree but ended up taking another degree at the same time. In my early 30s there were two things that helped me, I read the book Stutter No More and I went to the Victoria stuttering clinic in Victoria BC Canada. They taught me a tonne. It helped so much and I had been stuttering worse than the example shown here. 20 years later and I can still read aloud fluently and, when I am concentrating on it, can speak almost fluently. I'm no longer afraid of the telephone and ordering in restaurants etc.

[@hussein-m6x]

Very Inspiring! Notice his breathing!

[@1permil.comremovestutteron427]

+Hussein Al-Asadi His breathing reveals speech technique. But, it is his constant challenging, talking with strangers, public speaking etc., what does the magic. After some time he will probably be speaking fluently without noticeable breathing.

[@reizhustenistdoof]

I got the chills! This guy is freaking amazing! Keep on shredding (the trails and the talks )

[@leonmelisse3874]

Very good I have a stutter and I find it really hard and I get very upset and sometimes even scared to talk to people. But now I’m 21 and talk to everyone and anyone who comes my way I found it easy to not think about it and just talk and get on with things and have no care in the world for anyone who laughs or makes jokes out of me. This encouraged me to build my own way of dealing with my stutter/ stammer I now feel confident and I now answer phones for a living and work in the reception for a sports company. The moral of the story is don’t be scared and sometimes embracing your flaws is the best thing you can do to deal with it

[@AdAdventure]

Congratulations on your progress! I had a speech therapist as a child but stuttering/stammer wasn’t understood as much as it is now. It still affects my life, Like you I have found other words to use instead but would love to be able to speak normal. I too love mountain biking, I fully understand your freedom with biking, so much so I created SkillsLoop here in the UK. I know pass on the skills I learnt. My stutter has good days and bad days, you’ll know how frustrating it gets on the bad days. I’d be interested to see what the month practice you did was? keep up the great work!

[@marnigrotell]

Hi Jamistew - The Speech & Stuttering Institute is a non-profit organization located in Toronto, Ontario (Canada). The intensive Fluency Plus program is 3 weeks long and runs from Monday through Friday, 8:30am - 1:00pm with 2-3 hours worth of home practice assigned each day. More information can be found on the Speech & Stuttering Institute's website.

[@taulant2710]

You've done great! Very good attitude and very inspiring! Thank you

[@thaache]

"stammer/stutter" is completely curable one. Most types of stammers/stutters are considered as kind of bad habits which can be got rid of. What you need is to feel high about yourself and make yourself a highly confident person. I request you to talk to as many people little bit loudly with a high degree of confidence, by just considering the listener(s) as silly. For a moment "considering the listener(s) as silly" is OK... Never ever hesitate or shy or feel inferior when you speak with a stammering voice. Before talking to anyone, proclaim that you are a stammerer/stutterer and the listener is expected to "just" listen it. Tell them that they shouldnt help you when you stutter or get struck with your speech. "high degree of confidence" is the only way to drive away stammer. i drove it. Regards ThaaChe

[@theworldisimmense]

thaamarai chelvan dude totally right glad we share same opinion that is basically a fact in our minds because it makes sense ......once we stuttered for a couple of times as childs we tend to keep stuttering and that BRING US low self steam, anxiety , social anxiety , very insecure .......all those facts make us to INCREASE stuttering, I’m not saying it produces stuttering , it’s just makes us stutter more often worst , nobody is perfect and life keeps going on , everyone is different and we all got something on us, our brain send us blocking signals to our speaking so we stutter and the fluent person doesn’t know how it feels ....be confident and reduce anxiety

[@Airgirl881]

I love you

[@francisbernard7579]

Atleast i got this piece of encouragement..thank you

[@JacobMoen]

@Shiran Israel Exactly! We can remove the tip of the iceberg but the problem will linger on forever under the surface. We can embrace it and even (if we are lucky) become friends with it but it will remain a part of us for life.

[@scottm.9335]

Very encouraging. There is no magical “cure” for stuttering but there are programs like the one he used in Toronto or HCRI in Roanoke, Virginia. It’s intensive, hard work in therapy and then continuing to practice and use the new techniques every day. It is hard but like any physical training, practice eventually pays off and fluency becomes more natural. 20 years after my own therapy at HCRI, twice 6 years apart, my fluency is much improved. Am I “cured”? Of course not; I still block occasionally, the telephone is still hard, when I’m tired I stutter more. But my communication is generally in some normal range and I communicate effectively, even as I still stutter some. It’s not magic, it’s work, and his Ted talk is proof!

[@Isaac-cb4xf]

I have a severe stutter too and looking to get into mountain biking. Can't ride a bike, yet..but I'm working on it. I'm inspired.

[@Shag1077]

Amazing stuff. An impressive young man.

[@DhruvGandhi2005]

I also had the same degree of stutter(the one in the intro).I’m 17 now and it has improved a lot though I get stuck in certain syllables and also beginning certain words or sentence!

[@jugobossfl]

what did you do to improve? my 9-year old is getting worst despite 1 year into therapy

[@DhruvGandhi2005]

@@jugobossfl I didn't do anything,it just happened naturally.

[@dhanrajrajbanshi123dhanraj6]

Thank you so much sir

[@harrisfam]

I would like to speak at Ted talk about stuttering and growing up with narcs.

[@bthorp11]

simply awesome, props to facing your challenge head on.

[@Rafael-Bravo]

What has helped me tons is reading the book How To Run Your Own Life by Jut Meininger (as long as I apply it I eliminate it completely) (when you read it you'll realize that you have to turn off your Adapted Child state and little by little train your Parent state so your Adapted child doesn't intervene)... you can download it (they don't print it anymore)

[@jamistew1182]

Awesome video. Very encouraging. How long was that program in Canada and approx. how much time did/do you spend working on your speech?

[@ginny177]

07:13 the feelings...

[@JungleJim737]

hey, i stutter and mountain bike too

[@irwinharder5918]

me too!

[@EnergyOfQi]

i stutter and wanna do mountain biking and bmxing

[@world_100i]

Has anyone took this "Intensive speech reconstructive program" at The Speech & Stuttering Institute in Toronto, when was it introduced?

[@mamanatare1]

Im doing it this summer! Dunno when it was introduced though... Probably says on their website

[@world_100i]

JulianSemovski When are you doing the "Intensive speech reconstructive program"? or have you started it already? I'd love to hear your experience and opinion on this. Have you got Facebook?

[@mamanatare1]

I do have fb :) And Im starting next week!!!!

[@world_100i]

JulianSemovski Great, whats your FB? so I can add you there...

[@mamanatare1]

My name as it appears here haha. Julian Semovski (drummer from Wjolf)

[@ummeabiharavjani2526]

how did you overcome stammering?

[@PrinceJ20233]

I don’t get it these speakers they magically don’t stutter anymore. I find it hard to believe.

[@robdavies7467]

yes but how did you master it??

[@Ali-gi4vj]

Practise

[@DiaJasin]

I've transitioned from stuttering to people thinking i'm over-confident and intimidating and now I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with me AGAIN...life's a mystery lol

[@experiencetravel1523]

How to overcome

[@SammyCee23]

So how do you cure stuttering?

[@MrSaiyan333]

Experts say you can't. But you can reduce the stress and anxiety and become fluent most of the time (remember, even "normal" speakers aren't completely fluent when they speak).

[@MBilalabdulkany]

you have to practice every day for 1 hour. The practice as the video says is speech reconstruction theory. You have to re-learn the words, how you say it.

[@rickyplaysyt4322]

@@MrSaiyan333 exactly, due to that I reached the conclusion that deep down everyone is a stutterer.

[@jaredrobinson3565]

I have a stutter. I'm 13 years old and in 8th grade. We have a ton of projects to do, usually involving a presentation. I struggle up there. Now i'm not as bad as he was, but i do have my flaws. M's and L's and other sounds. I'm 13 so i can't do a program but i want to be able to speak fluently so i can express my self in new ways. If anyone has any ideas on what to do, i would love to hear them. Cheers! -JR

[@thaache]

"stammer/stutter" is completely curable one. Most types of stammers/stutters are considered as kind of bad habits which can be got rid of. What you need is to feel high about yourself and make yourself a highly confident person. I request you to talk to as many people little bit loudly with a high degree of confidence, by just considering the listener(s) as silly. For a moment "considering the listener(s) as silly" is OK... Never ever hesitate or shy or feel inferior when you speak with a stammering voice. Before talking to anyone, proclaim that you are a stammerer/stutterer and the listener is expected to "just" listen it. Tell them that they shouldnt help you when you stutter or get struck with your speech. "high degree of confidence" is the only way to drive away stammer. i drove it. Regards ThaaChe

[@brandonstevens4705]

well Jared let start by say that though I think that Mr. Chelvan's view is a very very common view it's not true in fact as stated in the speech that the brain of people who stutter is wired differently to those who don't stutter the best thing to do is to educate yourself about the kinds of stuttering and tools to use when you do stutter But most important is to remember that it is JUST FINE STUTTER. Best regard's Brandon

[@siddharth5979]

So how is your condition now after 6 years of commenting this ?

[@mehdikhadem2576]

I stutter too. i was actually thinking of making a friendly skype group of people who stutter. that way we can monitor our progress and support each other. who's in?

[@yasirhameed1934]

Mehdi Khadem ya i am

[@abhilashakepati7146]

Im in

[@emilyn.9697]

I'm in!

[@harshvardhan2815]

Yoooo, I'm in!

[@vivekvivi9432]

Super

[@peterkompter2417]

hey Weeman, l can't even remember you stuttered anymore, just the concussion and now you speak like that, nice

[@melvinmarshall7836]

The laws governing pertaining to how speech. Words are produce in the vocals chords and the method that must be applied in order to produce the sounds of speech.the method of how words of speech is produced should be taught in kindergarten and at least starting in the first grade of school. Writing by Melvin Frank Marshall.

[@TheFmacca]

This is so impressive. How the hell he did this, I don't know. What therapy did he use?

[@emilyn.9697]

I believe it was the fluency shaping from the speech and stuttering institute in Toronto. It's the speech intensive course

[@masif9346]

he is using speech type headphone

[@niloykarmaker1024]

ITS LIKE ITS ME

[@asmcriminaL]

I hate things like these. I have been to similar programs, 2 of them actually. Yet, I still stutter. Don't buy in to the hype.

[@israelbenjamin1262]

Hi dude, How are you now?

[@kukunulizoska3632]

I am stutter PLS HELP ME !!!!

[@awakenyourprowess9542]

There is a book I read that is available for free that can really help with stuttering. Send me an email at [e-mail] and I will send you the link

[@getrekt8529]

+F Khan Me too?

[@heritiermat]

+F Khan can you send the link in [e-mail] I would really appreciate it . Thanks

[@alchemy1888]

+Top Shotta Hi, sorry I missed your request. Can you send me an email request at [e-mail] please?

[@thaache]

"stammer/stutter" is completely curable one. Most types of stammers/stutters are considered as kind of bad habits which can be got rid of. What you need is to feel high about yourself and make yourself a highly confident person. I request you to talk to as many people little bit loudly with a high degree of confidence, by just considering the listener(s) as silly. For a moment "considering the listener(s) as silly" is OK... Never ever hesitate or shy or feel inferior when you speak with a stammering voice. Before talking to anyone, proclaim that you are a stammerer/stutterer and the listener is expected to "just" listen it. Tell them that they shouldnt help you when you stutter or get struck with your speech. "high degree of confidence" is the only way to drive away stammer. i drove it. Regards ThaaChe

[@mamaoluwatobi]

Speach and sturtering Institute of Ontario

[@halaa3565]

“and it's nit contagous” lol XD but it's heradetary!