Stuttering | Stammering Course Testimonials

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 giving me a cure for 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