how to avoid stuttering at start of sentences?

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mmcool
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26 Feb 2014, 5:35 pm

I notice sometimes(at least 2 times a day) I stutter at the start of a sentence and can not continue it until I slow my speech to a point of sounding like a robot.
Any self help ways to solve this?



Dreycrux
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26 Feb 2014, 6:09 pm

My father use to get so annoyed at my speech and how I stammered before saying anything and the long pauses between words...Like my brain wasn't connected to my mouth...shutdown...like a backup on a major expressway. Sometimes under pressure I refused to talk after giving up trying.

the only way to fix it is to cure autism I think...


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MrStewart
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26 Feb 2014, 8:29 pm

I just stop and slow way down. As for the robotic, I prefer that over the stuttering,.

I don;t know any better solutions. It doesn't happen so frequently as to be a problem that I feel like I need to devote extra effort to solving/.



Callista
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26 Feb 2014, 8:38 pm

Twice a day... ehh, I wouldn't worry about it. That doesn't sound like it's often enough to interfere with your communication.

If you're doing a prepared speech, though, here's something I learned from my piano teacher (hear me out here; it applies to talking, too): If you play fast, and you keep making the same mistake, then you'll just learn how to make that mistake. If you slow down so that you don't make that mistake, then you learn how to play it right. You can always speed up later.

When you practice talking, start out slow. Sometimes, in practical use, you won't be able to help talking fast, because talking slowly won't be an option in some situations--you won't be able to say things before you forget what you wanted to say, or other people won't know you were intending to talk and start talking themselves. However--if you want to practice, it's better to start out slowly enough to avoid making the mistake, and then to speed up later.

I think most people mess up on talking at least once or twice a day, even neurotypicals. But if this is something you really care about--especially if you're into acting or public speaking--then by all means, practice.


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Aspinator
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26 Feb 2014, 10:14 pm

I realize everyone is different so I'll tell you what worked for me. I learned to avoid words that started with b , m, or p. These are sounds that when you say them you cut off your air supply.
As a result, my vocabulary increased as I would replace these words with other words that had similar meanings.



The_Walrus
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27 Feb 2014, 8:30 am

I was going to suggest speech therapy, but I don't know how effective that would be for something that happens twice a day.

I would suggest having an "ad-lib" of some kind. If you have something to say, but are wary of not getting it in (as Callista points out, this is a risk with pausing), or stuttering, then having an ad-lib could allow you to both get your foot in the door and pause.

For example, you could say "I think... uh...", and use that time to get what you are going to say straight in your mind. That might be less embarrassing than stuttering.



structrix
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27 Feb 2014, 11:02 am

I tend to stutter at the beginning of a sentence too but I find this most happens when I am feeling particularly anxious or my social anxiety kicks in with a stranger. I HATE IT!


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