Is my speech an issue?

crazy2000 · 03-04-2007 01:51PM

you should try and focus on your positives instead of your negatives. by doing this your are getting across all the good things about you and leaving the negatives behind.. focusing on the positives allows the negatives to seem so small for anyone to take notice.

Zillah · 03-04-2007 02:03PM

Have you tried a speech therapist? A friend of mine had a stammer all his life and then it virtually vanished over the course of about a year. You could tell he still had it, but he handled it so much better that you'd barely even notice it.

Kell · 04-04-2007 01:29PM

BigPhil wrote:

I just hate when I see 'Excellent Communication Skills Are Essential' in most job ads. Makes me feel like I'm taking a risk applying for some reason :rolleyes:

Dont. What most are saying is "we dont want foreigners who have difficulty in communicating in English with our customers". While not directly involved, I see it every day.

Anyway, back to the original topic- have you questioned your interview style as opposed to your stammer? Nerves can make you answer a question immediately and without thinking, which is a bad thing to do.

At the next interview, pause before you answer a question. It a) gives you time to compose your thoughts which will probably be delivered with less of a stammer because you are confident in what you are saying and b) imparts to the interviewer an impression that you are taking due care about what you are saying.

Skills and experience are one thing. Interviews are won and lost on how you behave in an interview. Consciously watch what your body language is doing. If your hands are locked, unlock them and put them flat on the table/knee. If your arms are crossed, uncross them and do a Monty Burnes with your fingers (without the drumming action). If you are sat forward and uncomfortable looking, sit back and put your legs out straight under the table.

Gesticulate and embellish. All these things come across as you being confident and from an employers point of view, if you are confident and comfortable at an interview, you must rock in real life. Also, for the next interview, prep your áss off about who they are and what you can offer them, and afterward ask yourself if you could have done anything different. Prep really counts and impresses the pants off them.

K-

Slow Motion · 04-04-2007 01:40PM

Kell wrote:

Also, for the next interview, prep your áss off about who they are and what you can offer them, and afterward ask yourself if you could have done anything different. Prep really counts and impresses the pants off them.

K-

This is quite important (Actually I agree with all of what you said K) but preparation is the key, get one of your best mates to sit down with you (over a pint if you like) and get him to interview you, asking all the hard questions and then to give you feedback on what he observed, how you sat, how long you talked for on a given question, did you explain yourself well etc. It might feel a bit silly to begin with but believe me it helps, I have always done this before an interview.:)

Mini · 07-04-2007 11:31PM

just because you have a stammer who says you don't have excelletn communication skills.

what does that statement mean exactly ?

does it mean someone who can communicate what they want concisely and to the point and not waffle !

Or does it mean someone who can communicate without a stammer.

IMO it is the first one - stammer or no stammer it does not make a difference. you have said that you are going for a job in IT and to be honest I didn't read the whole thread to discover what type of job, but no matter what I can't see the problem with having a stammer.

If it makes you feel better to mention at the start of the interview that you have a stammer then do so, but ya know what - try not saying it for one or two interviews and see how you go.

I dont' have a stammer but i find if i tell ppl in an interview situation or whatever that I am nervous - then my nerves treble. But if i try and suppress it i am ok still nervous just not as nervous.

I think what you need to remember is that everyone is different. You need to find your own comfort zone in interviews.

Once you have that you will be fine.

best of luck

BigPhil · 10-04-2007 04:18PM

Thanks again for your post folks

Kell wrote:

Skills and experience are one thing. Interviews are won and lost on how you behave in an interview.

This is one of the main problems for a person that stammers. Because you stammer in an interview it does not necessarily mean that you will stammer on the job. When I worked in construction, a few people that I worked/dealt with didn't even know I had a stammer, mainly because I only spoke to them for short periods at a time, so I was fine. But in an interview situation where you are expected to speak at length and under pressure, that's where my stammer becomes very evident, and maybe the interviewer thinks that this is what I speak like all of the time?

To answer another point that was made about prep, I always try to prepare absolutely throughly by researching about the company, going over the specs of the role with a fine tooth comb, practicing answering common questions that usually come up, etc. I also make sure I look the part and always wear a nice suit and polished shoes. In the interview I always smile, keep eye contact and think positively, even when I am struggling to get an answer out. In my own mind I am sure that I have all of the bases covered, I might be wrong of course.

Anyway, I am still unemployed as I write this so it is obvious to me that I am doing something wrong, but I just cannot think what? I still have the feeling that my speech must be having a negative impact on interviewers even though the posts on this thread suggest otherwise. I suppose all I can really do is keep plugging away, do my best and hopefully I will get a break

Thanks again,

Phil

LegacyUser · 13-04-2007 09:34AM

'I have a stammer too and I know what you means. I dread interviews aswell, they can be very frustrating and quite frankly, very embarrassing. It is hard because the strangers that are standing between you and employment are most likely going to judge you on something that you cannot really control. Like somebody else said on this board, if HR have to decide between a person with a stammer and a fluent person, they will go with the person that speaks fluently nearly everytime. So the odds are servilely against us unfortunately

All we can do is get back on the horse and hope for some much needed luck.'

Is my speech an issue?

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