The King’s Speech….and yours
January 3, 2011 by Admin · Leave a Comment
See that fine fellow above? Notice the epaulettes, the stripes and braid, the sword and medals. The dignity and confidence. Clearly, he is on top of his game. What could possibly ruffle him? I’ll tell you; speaking in public. King George VI was a stutterer. His concern about the stutter was debilitating and humiliating.
These are the two problems one has to deal with in any speech disorder. There is the actual speech problem itself, and then there is the array of feelings (misgivings, embarrassment, shame) that accompany it. Together, these two components can prevent many a person from
- adding their voice to the debate
- expressing their opinion
- seeking professional advancement
- speaking up for their rights
- singing in the great choir of life
Many, many people have concerns about the way they speak. People you know, like your buddy, your boss or the guy that fixes your appliances. If you hear something that draws attention to the way they talk you can be pretty sure that they will probably have some sensitive feelings about it. We want people to respond to what we say, not get distracted by how we say it.
There are trained professionals to help people in this situation – speech pathologists – who are in the best position to offer the best remedies available and that recognize and respect the feelings behind the speech.
There are people who believe that they are ‘stuck’ with their speech problem and don’t know that genuine help is available. Perhaps you are one such person. What a good New Year’s Resolution it would be to find yourself a speech pathologist and start working toward better speech.
The King did and so can you.
