How to Interview with a Stutter: Part 2 Modeling

Affirmations and visualization work, but for many people who have suffered their childhood and adult like with stuttering and stammering, picturing themselves without a stutter or with smooth speech is really difficult. It can induce shame, anxiety, and the change is so unbelievable that they really cannot imagine themselves speaking clearly. This is where modeling and choosing a model become really powerful.

When you choose a model, you can deflect your personal beliefs and biases and instead become this other person or persona who speaks clearly. Does this mean you are a faker? Does this mean you are an imposter? Absolutely not. What this does is allow you to practice imagining yourself speaking like someone else, who you admire. When you choose the person to model yourself after, consider someone who has something in common with you or someone you have always admired. Gradually, as you model your own speech after theirs, you assume a new and different speaking identity that is more confident and less paralyzed by your former set of beliefs about yourself as a speaker.

Have you watched My Fair Lady? If you have not, it is a must-see for those working to improve their speech. It might sound silly but the exercises that Eliza does are very close to modeling exercises in theself-study from Pro90d. We recommend modeling after someone and using tapes, but mostly you have to model and practice speaking all the time. Even if it is hard and you feel silly making these new sounds and gestures that are unfamiliar to you. Just start using exercises in the self-study and model your speech after a speaker you admire and watch how a (speaking) fairy tale unfolds.

So you have your model, you have your exercises, and now you have to get out there and practice. Fake it till you make it. Try low stakes situations all the time. Starbucks, open mic nights, you name it. In order to succeed at interviews, you have to be practicing all the time prior to the event. Really push yourself to speak in situations that most people would find stressful. Use your modeling voices and exercises. Consider yourself as outside of yourself when you are speaking. You are a good speaker, you are qualified for a job, you are the right candidate, you have completely embodied the person who you have modeled.

These are just some of the ways we frame modeling at Pro90d. In theself-study and in coaching we have proprietary mixes of speaking training and exercises. We even recommend people to model after. We are excited to share more of our interview tips in the coming weeks. If you would like to contact Michael directly to prepare for an interview fill out the contact form.