Can you stop stuttering?

The short answer

No, you can't switch stuttering off. In adults it rarely disappears on its own, and there is no cure. If anyone promises you'll never stutter again, be sceptical.

But you can gain control of your speech. That's something different from being cured, and for most people it's more than they thought was possible. The rest of this article is about what that difference means.

Stop stuttering: why the quick tips don't work

Most advice is built on a wrong idea of why people stutter. Stuttering isn't caused by nerves, and it has nothing to do with intelligence or upbringing. It begins in childhood, researchers have found differences in the brains of people who stutter, and heredity plays a large part. You can read more about why people stutter.

That's why it doesn't help when someone says "take it easy". You haven't got stuck because you're anxious. You've become anxious because you know you're going to get stuck.

Tricks that feel like a solution

Most adults who stutter have tricks of their own. You may know some of these:

• You swap the hard word for one you can say.
• You start the sentence with "um" or "well" to get a run-up.
• You send a message rather than phone.
• You let someone else do the talking.

The tricks work in the moment, and that's why you keep using them. But they don't make you stutter less. They make you say less. And every time you go round a word, it gets a little harder next time.

What does control of your speech mean in practice?

Control doesn't mean that every word comes out perfectly. It means you have something to do when your speech locks, and that you no longer arrange your day around avoiding it. Day to day, it can look like this:

• You say your own name when someone asks, without looking for a way round it.
• You make the call when that's the easiest thing, and you answer the phone when it rings.
• You order what you want, not what you can say.
• You give your opinion in the meeting while the subject is still on the table.
• You get stuck in the middle of a sentence, use your tool and carry on talking.

In The McGuire Programme we call the goal eloquence. That isn't the same as fluency. Eloquence is saying what you want to say, when you want to say it. Some people still stutter now and then. The difference is that stuttering is no longer in charge.

How do you stop stuttering in the middle of a word?

When people ask how to stop stuttering, they often mean: what do I do in the second when the word is stuck? That question has a concrete answer. You need a physical technique that you've practised so many times you can use it under pressure.

On a McGuire course you work with these tools:

• Costal breathing. A new way of breathing that is the foundation for everything else.
• Hit and Hold and Block release. Two techniques that help you into and out of the words that get stuck.
• Deliberate dysfluency. You go into the thing you usually avoid, on purpose, so that it loses some of its power.

The techniques aren't secret, and they aren't magic. They work because you practise them again and again until your body knows them.

The other half is about fear

A technique you can only use in a quiet room won't help you on the phone. For many adults, the fear of stuttering is as big a problem as the stuttering itself. It doesn't go away by thinking about it. It shrinks when you do the thing you're afraid of and discover that you get through it.

That's why a large part of the course takes place outside the room. You practise on the phone. You go out into the street and approach 100 people together with an experienced course member. And you give a public speech in the city. That sounds daunting, and it is. But you don't do it alone, and you do it with techniques you've just learned.

The honest caveat: it takes practice

The course lasts four days, from Thursday 08:00 to Sunday 14:00, and the days can be up to 16 hours long. It's a hard start, but it's only the start. The daily practice afterwards is what keeps the new habits alive.

You've spoken in your old way for many years. That habit comes back if you stop practising. That's why you get lifelong support and guidance and become part of a network of people who keep practising. All the instructors stutter themselves and have taken the course, so they know the bad days too.

If you're looking for something that works without effort, this isn't the right thing for you. We'd rather say so now than afterwards.

Where do you start?

You don't have to begin with a course. Begin by telling one person that you stutter. Or pick one thing you usually avoid, and do it today. If you'd like to see all the options, read about stuttering treatment for adults or our full guide to stuttering in adults.

And if you're ready to work on both the speech and the fear, you can see the upcoming courses in Aarhus, Malmö and Oslo.

Frequently asked questions