Your Brain Is Fine
President Biden, Your Speech Challenge Is Our Shared Challenge
From a 75-year-old who still battles his speech demon here are my suggestions
Dear President Biden:
You are not alone. I am a 75-year-old former stutterer. Of course, being a person with a speech problem is a bit like being a Marine: Once one, always one.
My stutter, stammer, and lisp started at a young age. Three years of speech therapy in elementary school helped but didn’t permanently cure it. I still remember in 5th grade having to call a sporting goods store and ask about BB guns. After my silence, they hung up.
At some point in high school, perhaps because of my athletic success, I gained some confidence and became more outgoing, at least when needed. I even ran for senior class President. Lost but at least I did it. In college, I worked the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland where I had to give a nine minute spiel 30 times a day. That built my confidence in front of people. It helped rewire my brain so my thoughts synced more easily with my mouth.
That was over 50 years ago. Two years ago, the stammer returned to torture me. It’s infrequent but still shows up. Now, I stop talking and wait for my brain to sync up.
Then there are people’s names. I started having proper name problems a few years ago as does about everybody as they age. Some people lose it around the time their hearing fades. Hearing loss directly affects your vocabulary.
Now I use general names. My brothers are “my older brother” and “my younger brother.” I start to say their proper names, but if they don’t immediately pop up, I slide to the generic. It is as if my brain is a hard drive overloaded with so much data that the computer can’t find it quickly.
Since you’re a busy man, here are some suggestions. I apologize if you already know this, it does come from my heart.
#1 Slow down your speech cadence. Allow your brilliant mind to form the thoughts and then sync them with your mouth.
#2 Stop trying to cover 10 points when one does fine. Simplify your answers. You are the President. You don’t have to prove anything to anybody.
#3 Avoid using people’s names. Your opposition is your “opponent.” Any advertising guru will tell you that naming a competitive brand is bad.
#4 Try to stick to general points in a format that fits you. Use your words. Work on key points in your head until you hear yourself delivering them. Tell the speechwriters to take the day off.
#5 Breath. Pause and take a breath before speaking. Use pauses such as “Well,” or “That’s a good question,” to give yourself a moment for your brain to reconnect.
Ever listen to your opponent? How many times does he repeat himself? Almost as many times as he lies. And he only lies when his lips are moving. He uses those repeats to get his brain back in gear.
I hope you don’t quit the race. Good luck and best wishes. And as Porky Pig says, “Th-Th-That’s All Folks.”
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