Life was not easy growing up. I was a Person Who Stammered (PWS) and fluency always eluded me. I was baffled by the lack of scientific research on a cure for stammering and nobody really seemed to know the root cause of this debilitating speech impediment. I had high aspirations for myself, but my dysfluency held me back.
I struggled a lot and many times went into depression. I could not do a number of simple things - utter my name, place orders over the telephone, read out loud, ask questions in class, etc.
I whole heartedly tried a number of speech therapies hoping to get fluent, but I realized over and again that the speech therapists were not able to understand the mental agony of a PWS. They were purely dealing with physiological aspect of stammering and not at all with psychological aspect.
In the Fall of 2013, when I was doing my Masters in Hyderabad, I happened to attend an Open Day organized by the McGuire India Speech Programme. I did not know what to expect from it, but one key aspect that really appealed to me was that fact that each and every person on the Programme be it the coach, instructor, regional director, or even the founder were/are PWS themselves.
They clearly exhibited great control of their speech I was eager to learn those same exact techniques that made them eloquent speakers.
Not finding success in past therapies, I decided to take another chance in my life and attended my first McGuire course in May 2014 in Bengaluru, India. After three and a half days of intense coaching, I was a changed person. I knew I finally hit home. I got the right direction and mindset to overcome the fear of speaking.
After three and a half days of intense coaching, I was a changed person.
As the McGuire programme states, there is no cure for stammering. It is just like any sport where we have to put all our effort to be the champion of that sport. It will take time but it is my determination that with proper effort and support I will get over my fear of stammering. Thanks to the McGuire Programme, I am well on my path to achieve my goal of becoming an eloquent speaker.
Since the course, I got stuck many times but with the help of tools and techniques that I learnt on the course, I was able to overcome feared situations. Above all, I am amazed by the power of the McGuire support network which is always ready to help grads as they traverse on their own journeys to eloquence and take out of their low moments.
The McGuire Programme has given me a new life. It has given me hope to live a better quality of life with enhanced self-esteem and immense confidence. I look forward to helping others in India who stammer so that they can live a life with confidence and self-esteem.
I am thrilled to say that I successfully completed my Masters in Information Technology by successfully defending my oral thesis and graduated from the University of Hyderabad. It was a very proud moment for me. The icing on the cake was when I was offered a job in a public institution. Life is good when you take it by the horns!
Life is good when you take it by the horns! I have high aspirations for myself and with my new McGuire toolkit under my belt, only sky is the limit.