My Speech Coaching Experience

As the speech coach, I have no power. I cannot change anyone or anything. It is 100% up to the student. Coaching is a noun, not a verb. I offer coaching, and if the other party accepts that gift, great. If they don’t, there’s nothing I can do. I once did training with the Police Department on de-escalation tactics. One big takeaway was that de-escalation is always offered; it can never be forcibly applied. You can’t force someone to calm down—they must accept it themselves. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have the superpower of de-escalation? Imagine walking into a situation, stretching out your hand like Yoda, and saying, “De-escalated you are… mhm,” and everyone instantly calms down. But that’s not how it works. Often, people won’t listen—they’d rather trade blows… or taser prongs, in this case. The lesson: coaches can only offer their knowledge. It’s up to the other person to receive it and act on it.

Effort Exerted Equals Value Gained

Winston Churchill said, “Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking our potential.” This is especially true in the stuttering world. Some things in life have a low return on investment—like washing my car before a road trip. By the time we arrive, it’s filthy again. Still, I do it. Investing in yourself, however, is always worth it. Fluency is one of the greatest investments anyone can make, and the returns I’ve seen in students’ lives are incredible. The accomplishments that follow from fluency are too numerous to list.

Coaching Has Taught Me How to Coach

The concept of being a “good teacher or coach” has always fascinated me because everyone learns differently. Learning to coach with WSSA has been one of the greatest—and often unsung—benefits of this journey. I highly recommend going through our coaching program. It teaches more than just coaching—it teaches how to communicate clearly so a wider variety of people can understand you. It also forces you to drink your own cool-aid. Nothing accelerates learning faster than teaching it to someone else. My mom homeschooled me and my five siblings from K through 12. That’s six complete education cycles. She could diagram a sentence or write a geometry proof better than anyone I know. She spent 30 years teaching the same concepts over and over. The lesson: there’s no better way to truly learn something than by teaching it.

Practice Presenting

Coaching also teaches you how to present. Speaking to an audience is harder than it seems. You learn to focus on your message, not the audience, and posture matters—terribly distracting if done wrong. Learning to coach has improved how I present myself and communicate my thoughts.

Conclusion

This is just a condensed version of what coaching has taught me. It has been an honor to work alongside some of the greats at the World Stop Stuttering Association. I am grateful to Lee Lovett for convincing me to join and encouraging me throughout my fluency journey.