How I Cope With Stuttering
As told by Sven Sievers
I HAVE stuttered ever since I was a child. Looking back, I appreciate my parents’ approach to the problem. When I stuttered, they always tried to concentrate on listening to what I wanted to say instead of correcting my way of speaking. According to speech therapists, parents who draw constant attention to their child’s stutter may aggravate the disorder.a
My mother became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses when I was three years old. In my teens I decided to follow her example and was helped to make a thorough study of the Bible. On July 24, 1982, I was baptized as a dedicated servant of God at a convention in Neumünster, Germany. Later, I moved to South Africa, where I continued to participate in the public preaching work, in which all true Christians are commanded to share. (Matthew 28:19, 20) How, you may wonder, do I manage as a stutterer?
Rewards for Being Positive
I must admit that sometimes it is hard for me to keep a positive attitude, but I have found that being positive really does make a big difference. The fact is that somehow I can always communicate. If not by speaking, I communicate by writing messages down or just by showing others Bible literature. A positive approach helps me overcome the difficulty of starting a conversation. I try to keep my introduction very simple. In the beginning of a conversation, I let the householder talk as much as possible. People like to talk, and this gives me the opportunity to get to know their way of thinking. Then, I continue the conversation with things that interest them, highlighting the Bible’s message. Concentrating on what they are saying helps me forget about my speech problem, and I stutter less.
A positive approach also helps me speak up at Christian meetings. I have found that the more I participate in Bible discussions, the more the audience and the conductor get used to me and listen to what I say instead of how I am saying it.
To experience the joy of success, I have to keep on trying. This prevents me from succumbing to self-pity and becoming an introvert. Fighting self-pity is an ongoing battle. It has been said that if a person gets thrown from a horse, it is important for him to get back onto the horse so that he does not lose self-confidence. So if I have to stop speaking during a comment because I am completely stuck, I try to get back onto the horse, as it were, by speaking up at the very next opportunity.
How Others Can Help
When I have to make phone calls or ask strangers for information, I do appreciate tactful help. But some individuals go overboard in their desire to be helpful, and they treat me like a child who is incapable of making decisions.
I also appreciate the help of my loving wife, Tracy. Before she acts as my “mouth,” we discuss the situation in detail and she knows what I would like accomplished. (Compare Exodus 4:10, 14, 15.) In that way, she shows me respect as her husband, and she leaves me feeling that I am still in control of my own life.
Another great help has been the Theocratic Ministry School. At this weekly meeting, students share in public Bible reading and in giving short talks on Bible topics. I was surprised to find that I can often read and speak quite well in front of an audience. If I had not enrolled in the school, I would probably never have become aware of this ability.
When I have had assignments on the Theocratic Ministry School, it has been particularly encouraging when the instructor has concentrated on what I said and not on how I said it. I have greatly benefited from the Theocratic Ministry School Guidebook,b even though certain aspects of this book present a much bigger challenge to those who stutter than to those with normal speech. For example, at times, because of the amount of stuttering, I am not able to finish my talk in the allotted time. It is very encouraging to me, though, when the instructor highlights points that I am capable of working on.
Greater Privileges of Service
In the past, I had the privilege of doing public reading from a Christian publication that we study at our meetings. I also had the privilege of conducting the study when no other qualified minister was present, and today I do so on a regular basis. Although initially nervous, I have experienced God’s help in carrying out such assignments.
For many years, however, opportunities for me to read or teach from the congregation platform were limited. This was understandable, since there were times when I took too long to make myself understood. So I used my energies to the full in handling other assignments. At first, I served as an assistant in caring for the congregation’s supply of Watchtower and Awake! magazines. Then, after being appointed a ministerial servant, I took care of the supplies of Bibles, books, and other literature. Later, I was assigned to check on the territory cards that are used in our public witnessing work. Concentrating on these assignments, trying to do good work, brought me much joy.
For the past eight years, I have also served as a full-time evangelizer with Tracy. Jehovah has certainly blessed me in this aspect too. In fact, sometimes I wonder if Jehovah uses my weakness of stuttering. Of the five persons that I have had the privilege of helping to become dedicated Christians, two are stutterers.
I still remember with joy the day I was appointed to serve as a congregation elder. Although my teaching ability from the platform is limited, I try to concentrate on helping others on a personal basis. Stuttering does not limit my ability to do Scriptural research to help members of the congregation who are facing serious problems.
Over the past five years, I have been invited to handle more and more speaking assignments. Besides giving talks on the Theocratic Ministry School, I have been able to handle brief announcements at other meetings. Slowly my fluency improved. But then I had a bad relapse. Anxiously, I thought, ‘I will not be given any more assignments,’ but to my surprise, my name was on the next schedule! The presiding overseer of our congregation said that if I get so stuck that I can’t continue, I can just look at him and he will come up to the platform and take over. I made use of this loving offer once or twice, but I have not had to do so in recent months. As my speech improved, I was assigned longer parts, including public talks. I only fully realized the progress I had made when recently I was asked to take part in two demonstrations at a circuit assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Frankly, I do not fully understand why my speech has improved. Also, it might deteriorate again tomorrow. In fact, while I seem to have made definite progress in speaking from the platform, I have had bad relapses when speaking to people on a personal basis. So this is not a success story in the sense that I have conquered stuttering. When I suffer a relapse, I try to remind myself that I need to accept my limitations and ‘be modest in walking with God.’—Micah 6:8.
Whatever the future might bring, I will keep on trying, knowing that in God’s approaching new world, stuttering will be completely overcome. “The tongue of stammerers,” the Bible says, “will be quick in speaking clear things.” I am confident that this will be true in a literal as well as a spiritual sense and that even “the speechless one will cry out in gladness.”—Isaiah 32:4; 35:6.
[Footnotes]
a See the article “Understanding the Fear of Stuttering,” in our November 22, 1997, issue.
b Published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
[Picture on page 15]
With my wife, Tracy