Stuttering | Stammering Course Testimonials

Hi Steve,
I would like to thank you for all of your help over the last three months.
I will never forget the first time I telephoned you, I was so nervous, it had taken me two weeks to pluck up the
courage to actually phone! You soon made me feel at ease and I could instantly tell that you had a passion towards
the subject of stuttering.
Due to various reasons I was unable to attend one of your one-to-one speech courses however I decided to purchase
the gain confidence - stuttering therapy DVD fast track solution package.
As you aware I have been calling you on a regular basis ever since, I like to practice with you on the phone as
your advice is invaluable. I hope that you are not becoming annoyed with the fact that I have been phoning you
three times a week for the last three months!
I am going to reduce the amount that I telephone you from now on as I feel that I am now able to continue on my own
two feet, as it were.
Once again, thanks Steve for all of your help,
Marion
Exeter, UK

I have finally managed to find the time to write you a thank you letter; I had been meaning to write to you
sooner but one thing lead to another etc.
Your five-day stuttering course has proved to be some what life changing for myself. One year down the line I am
a completely different person, not only am I now able to speak fluently, I am also a far more confident, content
and happy person.
Even though you keep reminding me, when I telephone you, that I am the one who has put in the long hours of
graft/practice, you are the one who has made it all possible by providing me with the solutions that I have been
searching for, for the majority of my life. You truly were an inspiration to me, in fact you still are!
The five days of the course seemed to just fly by, probably because I was having so much fun. I would describe
the course as being quite intensive but at the same time we had a lot of laughs.
The stuttering cure techniques that you teach are quite something and you describe them with such passion and
vigour.
Since I attended the course nearly thirteen months ago, I have worked extremely hard to maintain my fluency and
it is now at a stage where the techniques have become natural. It is now time to move on with my life as stuttering
is well and truly a part of my past.
I will continue to telephone you Steve; that is if you do not mind, as I now consider you to be a very good
friend.
Best regards
Natalie Green

I am writing to express my gratitude for the help that you have provided for my fifteen year old son Jordan.
After reading through your website I was eager for Jordan to attend your five-day speech course. Jordan however
had other ideas; he did want to overcome his stutter but for whatever reason did not want to attend the course, a
lack of confidence mainly.
In the end I decided to purchase the DVD as Jordan stated that he would be more than happy to watch the film and
put in the practice. I also believed that after watching the DVD that he might have then agreed to attend the
three-day speech course.
The DVD has proven to be an inspiration to Jordan who has been pleasantly surprised at how successful the
techniques have proven to be.
I am very proud of my son as he has worked very hard to achieve his fluency and has shown a very good
attitude.
I would like to thank you Steve for the continued support and advice that you given Jordan, it is much
appreciated.
Speak soon,
Lynne

January 2008
Hello Mr Hill
My name is Waseem and I have been a stammerer for as long as I can remember. When I was younger my stammer
comprised of a few blocks here and there when I tried to speak really fast however it never got in the way of me
doing what I wanted to do. In fact when i was in primary school I remember giving speeches and acting on stage in
front of hundred's of people without any problem whatsoever.
However, when I got into grade 6 I was a victim of bullying and funnily enough not due to my speech impediment!
That experience shattered my confidence and my stammer began to increase. I did not have a problem
communicating face to face, it was just reading in front of class that I initially found really difficult - a
problem I never had before.
Thankfully, the bullying stopped but the damage had been done and as I grew older I started to become aware that
the stammer was becoming worse. I dreaded English Literature as it meant reading aloud in class. I began to do
exactly what you did and started to predict which paragraph I will have to tackle. As you pointed out, when my turn
came, I stammered a lot.
It was extremely embarrassing and so stressful that I had a word with my teacher. She agreed never to pick me to
read again. In hindsight this was probably not a good idea but as a young teenager I just couldn't take it. At this
point, strangely, I still did presentations in front of class without any problem or fear.
Then came the most stressful moment I have ever had to face in my life so far. I loved acting and as I had never
experienced a problem on stage before, I auditioned for the school play 'Oliver Twist.' I had no problems at all
and was handed a double lead role in the production.
In Sri Lanka, where I am from, school plays are a huge deal and this was to be an event attended by hundreds. My
first month of rehearsal went off without any problems with my speech. I was even commended for my performances.
Then one day, suddenly, I stammered at rehearsal while trying to say my lines. To this day I do not know what
happened to be totally honest; maybe I had tiring day.
It was an attack without warning. It continued to get progressively worse over the next week and my confidence
began to melt away. Two weeks later during the dress rehearsal I had my worst attack - on the night before opening
night! I literally could not get a word out. Everyone just stared at me! I don't think I have experienced fear like
that to this day. How on earth was I going to perform three nights in a row to an audience of 500? The director had
to suspend the rehearsal.
He then took me to a corner, tried to calm me down and offered his support. I was then sent home and proceeded
to tell my parents what happened. They were obviously worried for how I had deteriorated in such a short space of
time but they gave me a pep talk to raise my spirits. I could not get much sleep that night so I prayed desperately
to god to ease my troubles and to help me for the next three nights.
My prayers were answered as miraculously, bar one or two minor blocks I found the courage to get on stage and
put in three good performances - according to my director the best I had ever played my roles. I can only imagine
the relief he and the rest of the cast would have felt after the events four days before! Maybe the experience
during dress rehearsal hadn't sunk in totally and that enabled me to perform on opening night and my confidence
grew from there. Who knows? I'm just glad I got through it!
The scars remained though and I could not find the strength in me to audition for another school production
again. I did undergo speech therapy which helped immensely but I found that my stammer kept coming back when
something stressful in my life occurred. At this stage I could not read in front of class, do speeches or even do
presentations. I was appointed Head Prefect of my school but since I could not make speeches I delegated that
responsibility to someone else. I started to avoid stressful speaking situations as well which I found extremely
difficult to overcome later on.
I now find myself in third year of medical school in the UK. My speech continues to trouble me but university
has made me independent. I cannot rely on anyone else to make my phone calls, do my presentations or take histories
off patients. I have had to do it myself and thankfully it has got much easier.
The first presentation I had to make was a disaster. I worried about it for a good month before I had to make
it! For the next few presentations I decided not worry about it until the day before and I made an effort to speak
slower and breathe more often - advice from speech therapy.
My speech dramatically improved and I was able to present without too much problem. However, I have been
stressed lately and my speech has paid the price. I have a presentation coming up at the end of the month and I
started to worry about it from last week! It was ridiculous to be honest.
I have known about you for quite a while now and I have emailed you before. I thought that enough was enough and
decided to download your video. I'm glad to say that I see a difference already. This time I am not going to give
up until I am fluent. I am inspired by you and your success and I hope that I can achieve the same.
I apologise for this long story but I hope you find it interesting. This is the first time that I have explained
my story in detail to anyone apart from my parents. It feels as though a weight has been taken off my chest.
Thank you so much for providing this service. It can potentially be life changing. I'll keep you updated on my
progress and I hope you won't mind if I email you with any questions I have in the future. Hopefully, I can make it
down to Birmingham in the near future to meet you personally.
Thanks again.
Waseem

July 2005
Hi Steve,
I purchased the dvd and course notes from you around three
months ago and would like to really thank you as I am amazed by the results. I was quite sceptical at first,
however I felt I needed to do something. My stutter was having a damaging effect on my life and often left me
frustrated. This frustration was not only because of the struggle to say certain words or to speak in certain
situations but because I wanted to say so much more. There were many occasions where I wanted to add my
opinion to a conversation but ended up keeping quiet.
The most pleasing aspect for me is the fact that I am also able
to speak fluently in my mother tongue as well as English.
Many people have commented on the fact that I no longer stutter,
this also gives me a huge boost.
I would definitely recommend people to either attend one of the
speech courses you run or to purchase the dvd.
I will speak to you soon,
Raminder Jakhu

March 2003
Dear Steve,
This is a short message of thanks to you Steve for helping me to
overcome a stuttering problem that I thought would affect my speech for the rest of my life.
I first heard about you by thumbing through the yellow pages and
I phoned for an information pack. I was very sceptical but thought what the heck, if I don’t attend I will
never know. I attended a five-day speech course and was happy to learn it was on a one-to-one
basis.
On the first day I was very nervous however you quickly made me
feel very relaxed and at ease.
It is a shame I didn’t learn these techniques fifteen years ago
my life would have been far more normal.
It’s nice to be able to walk into a restaurant and order what I
want rather than what I can say.
Good luck to you and your family in the future.
Keep in touch,
Jim (uk)

Hi Steve,
I would like to thank you for the dvd I purchased a few months
ago. I hoped for an improvement however the results have been far better than I could have ever
expected.
You talk a lot of sense and the techniques are described in a
way, which is easy to understand. I like the chapter format of the dvd, which enables me to forward to areas
I might forget.
I also read the stammering course notes regularly which keeps
the techniques in my mind all of the time and they are now becoming second nature.
I went on a course at work last week and on the first morning
everyone was asked to introduce themselves and state which branch they worked at. I was very nervous but kept
trying to remember the techniques and to relax. I was astonished when the words came out smoothly and
fluently.
I am not trying to say it is easy to achieve fluency but the
techniques you teach do work and with practice become natural.
I didn’t really make many phone calls before but now my bill is
going through the roof, its your fault Steve. It’s one bill I am happy to pay!
Cheers Steve,
James Jones

7th November 2004
Hi Steve,
I would like to thank you for the help you gave during the
five-day course I attended last year. I was quite nervous and certainly apprehensive before the course and
especially on the first morning, however it turned out not only to be very beneficial but also
enjoyable.
Being able to keep in contact after the course is also much
appreciated.
I am happy for people to contact me with any questions and would
be happy to recommend people to attend the course.
Speak soon,
Mukesh from Wolverhampton

27th March 2005
Hi Steve,
This is a quick e-mail to thank you for the help you gave me
during the speech course I attended last year and also for the advice and support since.
Within two weeks of the course I had the confidence to ask
someone out on a date. I had always found forming relationships with people not just the opposite sex,
difficult. I now have more confidence than I ever have and it feels like I have been set free. The real Pete
is starting to shine through.
I have now found employment in a garden centre which is going
well and my life, at long last, is starting to take shape.
As you described during the course and on the dvd which I
watched when I got back home, practice is the key. I have worked hard, as you did, and with time the
techniques became second nature.
If your potential future clients have doubts I am happy to
answer their questions via e-mail and will certainly be recommending them to you.
Thanks again Steve,
Pete

Hi Steve
Several months ago I received your course notes to try to help
me make the father of the Bride speech at my daughters wedding.
Well it all happened on Saturday and thanks to your excellent
advice I stood up in front of 200 people and spoke from the heart to my lovely daughter and her new husband
word perfect.
I amazed everyone (especially myself) and received a standing
ovation. Words can't describe how proud I felt at that moment.
I would like to say thank you very much for your
help.
Yours so very gratefully
Steve Ball
Somerset UK

Dear Stephen
This is to thank you for the advice and help which I received
during the five-day course on 'How to Stop Stammering'.
Having lived with a stammer for many years, I had achieved some
control over one - to - one conversation, but found my stammer surfacing in group situations and
especially on the telephone.
You showed me that my speech was out of control, and that!
needed to slow down and breathe more often. This advice, together with the speech rules and everything else I
learned during the course, has been invaluable in helping me to have control over the way I
speak.
This new way of speaking needs to be practised and if! have
regressed in any way, it is because I have not applied the appropriate rules!
I found the course enjoyable and interesting, and, as you
have been a stammerer yourself, you could empathise with certain situations. You are certainly dedicated
to helping people with this unfortunate affliction, and I hope more of those people will take advantage of
the course you offer.
I wish you success for the future.
Yours sincerely
Pam Watkins UK

Dear Steve,
I am writing to thank you for helping me to achieve fluency,
the difference to my life
since attending your speech course has been vast to say the least.
The fears of stammering and the demons that once plagued my mind
which kept telling me that I would stammer in various situations have now thankfully disappeared, which is
like having a weight lifted from my shoulders( a great feeling). The lifeline part of your course dealing
with the physcology of speech made this possible.
The speech rules have enabled me to have a lot more confidence
in all speaking situations and I am a lot more outgoing in my social and work life, I even gave a successful
presentation recently at work, this is something I would have never dreamt of in the past and would have
probably even phoned in sick!
I would be more than happy to recommend anybody of any age to
attend the course,
I was sceptical and nervous before the course but could never have dreamed the
difference it would make to my life.
Once again thanks Steve and good luck in the
future,
Christina Batsa UK

Dear Steve,
Since attending your five day course I have become a lot more
confident in speaking to people. I had a stammer for many years, however applying the speech rules I
learnt on your course have helped me to achieve fluency.
I am now able to say words that I have always struggled with
like words beginning with an r, b, or d.
My all round confidence has grown substantially since I have
overcome the stammer. For the first time I look forward to the future, both socially and at work. I'm
even enjoying unbroken sleep, whereas before I would be constantly fretting over the following days tasks
etc.
I thoroughly recommend your course to anyone that stammers to
any degree. A person that stammer's will teach themselves to stammer, you teach how not to. It is simply a
matter of practicing the speech rules until they become a natural part of your speech.
I therefore conclude that despite how bad a person's stammer
there will always be a cure for it and the ingredients to it is found on your course.
Yours sincerely
M Whitfield UK

Dear Steve,
I am writing to thank you for helping me to
eradicate my stammer.
Like you, I had tried anything and everything to get rid of
the problem, from hypnotism to group therapy, without any affect. The main thing your course did for me was
to give me the confidence of knowing that it is possible to speak fluently in any given situation, by
applying the teachings from the course.
Like any newly learnt skill, to maintain proficiency, one
must practice, and if there was any danger of backsliding, it is only as a result of my own
laziness.
The feeling of relief and freedom from this problem was
immense. I therefore would have no hesitation whatsoever in endorsing your method, and would be only too
willing to speak to anyone to vouch for its effectiveness.
Yours sincerely,
Andy Parke

Subject:-Thank You/Reference Letter
Dear Stephen,
I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank you
for the help you gave my son Gareth. The progress made was beyond our wildest dreams. I'll be honest,
I had my doubts when you said at the beginning of that first day that he would be almost fluent after two
days. You were right. Now, almost three months on, he takes an active part in classroom debates and answers
the phone in the shop where he works at weekends.
I am also writing this letter so you can use it as a reference
for anyone considering using your services. For those people, I will recap my son's history as a stammerer.
Gareth is 15 years old and has been stammering since he was about three and a half years old. We tried
conventional "Speech Therapists" and also Hypnotherapy, but with little or no success.
We saw your Web Page amongst others on the Internet. However,
the two things that. initially prompted us to contact you were that your courses are "One to One" and that
you are an ex stammerer. The latter point being a major advantage you have over most speech therapists. Your
ability to relate and empathize with Gareth's experiences were so valuable. As a fluent speaker I personally
found your stories, experiences and frustrations as a stammerer and eye opener.
Should you choose to use this letter as a reference, I can
assure anyone who may read it, that I am genuinely the father of a stammerer, I am not an associate or
acquaintance of Stephen; and I chose to write this letter of my own volition I would also like to say to any
stammerers that are thinking of using your services, "You may have tried conventional speech therapy, you may
also have been told that there is no cure. I can only tell you that Stephen's methods work and it CAN
be cured".
Thanks again Stephen, and an especially big thank you from
Gareth.
Kind regards
John Hearn

Dear Stephen
Since I attended one of your five-day speech courses in
September, I have felt much more comfortable in all speaking situations and noticed a significant
improvement.
After completing the course and learning the various techniques
used in it, I feel I have acquired a much greater understanding of the speaking process and believe I can put
the techniques you call the "speech rules" into practice with every conversation I have. Overcoming
stammering cannot be achieved overnight and patience and practice is essential to achieve this goal. However,
I have personally found that I am quickly able to correct any mistakes I make since I attended the course.
Having knowledge of the "speech rules" taught on the course has given me the belief that I am able to make
steady progress which can become embedded, a fact that will enable me to alter the behaviours associated with
stammering.
As you are an ex-stammerer, this proves that the problem
can be overcome. Also, since stammering seemed to have had a greater impact on your life than it has had on
mine, I believe that this should give myself as well as others much more confidence in the future as well as
the expectation that speaking difficulties will not be a bar to individual achievement. What came across to
me was that the "speech rules" are applicable to everyone whatever level or difficulty they have to start
with.
The "speech rules" are intended to reflect the way fluent
speakers communicate, a fact which changes normal perceptions of stammering and concentrates the mind on how
speaking is carried out fluently. This means that there is a cure for stammering and that even those who may
stammer severely and be initially sceptical of the course, can overcome the difficulty in
time.
Kind regards,
Adrian Joyce UK

Dear Stephen,
We are writing to thank you for the miraculous change your
"One to One" course has made to our 15 year old daughter Katie.
We had taken her to conventional speech therapists for 10 years
without success, and understandably we had mixed feelings when we attended your course with Katie . We
couldn't believe that she could be practically fluent after just one week, but that's exactly what did
happen, and has continued with daily use of the "Speech Rules".
We were so glad to have an ex-stammerer to talk to, who
personally understood the problems and frustrations Katie was experiencing. After years of misery through
bullying and teasing because of her stammer, the difference to her life, and ours, is indescribable. She is
now happy and confident to converse with anyone instead of shying away and spending so much time
alone.
We would have no hesitation in recommending you to anyone in the
same position.
Yours Sincerely
Christine and Richard White

Dear Stephen,
I am writing to thank you for your help during the five day
speech course I attended last year and to confirm to other people who suffer with this awful affliction that
stammering can be overcome and that the course does work.
Initially after receiving your information pack I was amazed at
how my life mirrored yours but still felt sceptical as to whether I would ever be able to achieve
fluency.
After attempting everything I was aware was on offer to overcome
the stammer, without success, I found it hard to believe that this would work. Despite my reservations, I
decided to attend and am very glad I did.
when I arrived for the first day, I had mixed emotions, on one
side I was nervous as I did not know what to expect and on the other, I was excited at the prospect of
possibly becoming fluent. On the first day I learnt the speech rules, all of which made a lot of sense. I
felt even at this early stage that these rules would have a positive effect on my speech.
Each day my speech continued to improve, however I had a nagging
doubt that I might slip back into my old ways when back in my home environment.
This fear was short-lived as my speech continued and has
continued to be fluent, my only regret is that I didn’t attend the course when I was a lot younger (at about
twelve years old would have been nice!).
I would say to anyone who has any doubts, that the course is
very beneficial and that I would be willing to talk to them on the phone.
Yours sincerely,
Michael Symes

06 August 2001
Subject:- Thank You/Reference Letter
Dear Stephen,
I would like to take this opportunity in thanking yourself in
helping me overcome my stammer. What has impressed me most are the simple tasks that previously had proved
too difficult for example, always opting for "a medium sprite" when in McDonalds as I found saying "coke" too
difficult to say. Until you helped me, I can now confidently say "a medium coke with no ice" its these small
improvements that I find most impressive.
I'll briefly recap my history, I have always had a stammer and
like most people it fluctuated some days and even weeks were particularly impressive as I was quite fluent
but then there would be the bad days in which any confidence built up soon vanished. I began to build up my
confidence myself seeing as although I have a stammer it shouldn't stop me, and so my normal everyday speech
was ok. I was fluent but only because I thought about everything I said and replaced awkward words. Due to
the area of work I'm in (software engineering), certain words had to be used "Java, Trading, Traidx and
JavaScript" all proved difficult to say and yet couldn't be substituted and I would just say "oh you know…"
hoping someone would get me out of the awkward moment. I tried conventional therapists, hypnotherapy and even
a speech trainer but nothing really helped me out.
I heard about yourself from an advert in out local paper and
upon receiving further information from you decided to try the course. From one such technique you described
to me, I can now say these problematic words. It is still difficult as I'm subconsciously still believing I
will stumble, but with a lot of practice and dedication it is getting there, my everyday speech is near
perfect as it is. Perhaps my biggest hurdle is still the telephone I find it difficult to make phone calls in
which these "difficult words" are needed. But I fell into the trap of thinking the first few days when I
arrive home I'm fine. Practice, practice and more practice is still needed to get to fluent
speech.
Once again many thanks for all your help and all the best in the
future
Regards
Ross Mullen
|