Archive for September 2024
The Power Of Listening
Posted on: September 29, 2024
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Each year, a small group of people undertake the task of keeping an online conference together for the entire month of October. Judy Kuster started the first online ISAD conference in 1998 and kept it running through 2012. From 2013 onward, different people devote their time to keep the conference alive and vibrant.
This year’s theme is something we haven’t tackled yet – listening. Listening is 90% of effective communication, yet for many people who stutter, we’ve been poor listeners. We’ve often spent too much head space thinking of what words we could say without stuttering and then we’d lose the gist of the conversation. Has that ever happened to you?
Check out the contributions to this years conference and see what many people think about listening.
You’re Worth It – Episode 270
Posted on: September 13, 2024
Episode 270 features Chyncia Smith, who hails from New Jersey. She works in outdoor retail, and also coaches field hockey and softball.
Chyncia studied accounting in college, and we talk about whether that was an intentional career choice based on perceived communication demands. In her present role, Chyncia shares that she always tries to stay focused on customer goals vs. worrying about self and possible judgment.
We also talk about covert stuttering. Chyncia shares that she carried a lot of weight around in her efforts to “try not to stutter.” A lot of that changed as an adult when she finally found a SLP that told her it was OK to stutter.
Chyncia found the National Stuttering Association (NSA) in 2021 and has benefitted greatly from the sense of community she finally found. I met Chyncia in person at this year’s NSA conference, and I shared that I loved the workshop she facilitated on “How We Listen.”
Chyncia shares an inspiring message that is important for all of us. “I cannot focus on me and give space to you at the same time.”
Make Room For The Stuttering 
What people are saying!