How To React When Someone Stutters

The reality TV show Survivor has made headlines for a variety of reasons since it first aired 25 years ago. But stuttering? That’s the latest buzz. A short conversation between host Jeff Probst and a contestant who stutters has received broad applause nationwide. We can all learn from it.

In a recent episode, contestant Mitch Guerra struggled to speak, as stutterers sometimes do. Probst gently asked Guerra how he wants people to respond: jump in and guess what the missing words are or simply wait until Guerra is done. The answer: Wait, please. “The hope is that everyone would just kind of hang in there for me and just give me the opportunity to finish my sentence,” Guerra explained.

Probst’s handling of the situation was perfect. It’s obvious Guerra was happy to be able to describe how he feels when someone interrupts. He was given the chance to advocate for himself.

How To Speak with a Person Who Stutters

The straightforward response by Guerra, a Texas physical education teacher, has begun a public conversation about how to behave when conversing with someone who stutters. The basic answer: Be patient and wait for the speaker to finish.

That’s not the common reaction, however. It’s human nature to help someone in need, so, when we see someone having a hard time getting words out smoothly, we often jump in. We’ll interject, filling in the words we think a stutterer might be trying to say.

Being interrupted can be painful for someone who’s stuttering. To be polite and supportive, do this instead:

• Be patient. Remain quiet and let stutterers speak in their own time. Do not interrupt, guess their words or attempt to finish their sentences,
• Keep your body language neutral. Don’t roll your eyes, look away, tap your foot or express impatience in any way.
• Use positive body language, if any. Stand (or sit) tall, maintain natural eye contact and listen actively.
• Focus on the content of what they’re saying, not the stuttering.
• Practice empathy. Ask yourself how you’d feel if your body wasn’t cooperating when you tried to speak. You’ll gain empathy by putting yourself in the other person’s shoes.
• Ask what’s best. Say something like, “How would you like me to respond when you’re stuttering?”

What Is Stuttering?

Stuttering is when a person’s speech is disrupted. It could be repeating the first letter of a word again and again, getting stuck on one sound mid-word, or even not being able to speak at all for a short while. Sometimes these are called “disfluencies.” Whatever the symptoms, stuttering is aa neurological condition, meaning it involves the brain’s speech-production mechanism. It can be influenced by genetics.

People who stutter often say that their body doesn’t respond to their brain’s commands, or that their brain simply won’t cooperate with what they ask.

Imagine feeling trapped by your words, where the simple act of expressing yourself feels uncertain or scary. Stuttering can cause individuals to withdraw, choosing silence rather than risking embarrassment or misunderstanding. Over time, these moments of hesitation and withdrawal can limit a person’s social experiences, personal relationships, career opportunities, and even their sense of self-worth.

How Stutterers Help Themselves

In general, stuttering shows up between the ages of 18 months and 5 years old. More boys stutter than girls do.

Up to 80 percent of the time, the stuttering ends naturally within two years. It’s best to seek professional help if the stuttering lasts more than a year or begins after age 3½. Parents of young children are encouraged to bring limited attention to stuttering episodes while encouraging fluent speech. From middle school on, parents learn to talk openly about the stuttering and the challenges of feeling vulnerable because of it.

Stuttering is not curable, but people can learn how to manage their stuttering. Then, instead of isolating themselves, they are more likely to feel comfortable participating in what life has to offer.

Professionals use many therapy strategies that help people manage their stuttering. The goal is to pick and choose from proven techniques to create individual plans of actions that people can take to help themselves through a bout of stuttering. Those might involve creating a positive environment, developing self-advocacy skills and using techniques to manage moments of stuttering.

There is no cookie-cutter case, so speech therapists try to understand each individual, build a rapport and find a therapeutic approach that fits each person best.

In the end, people who stutter tend to decrease the severity of their stuttering when they find actions that work for them, and surround themselves with supportive people. Some make so much progress that they get to discuss stuttering on national TV.