Craig CoffeeI USED TO STUTTERGet the free book

CRAIG’S ANSWERS

Find your
question.

Names. Phone calls. The conversation in your own head.
These are things I’ve talked about because I’ve lived them.

89answers to explore

FIND A PLACE TO BEGIN

Read these together.

Saying your name4 answers
  1. Why was saying my name so hard for me?
  2. Why did I sometimes use an easier name for an order?
  3. What did going first change for me during introductions?
  4. What did I do when my phone number was hard to say?
Phone calls & work6 answers
  1. How do I prepare myself before a difficult phone call?
  2. What do I try to do before a work meeting starts?
  3. What do I write down before another client conversation?
  4. How did I handle seven work presentations over two days?
  5. Why could a work call feel harder when other people could hear me?
  6. What did I tell someone who was worried about a job interview?
Starting a conversation6 answers
  1. How do I start a conversation when I stutter?
  2. How do I listen when I am worrying about my speech?
  3. What do I say after the other person answers?
  4. Do I have to fill every silence in a conversation?
  5. How did I practice talking in a crowd?
  6. How can an ordinary errand give me a reason to speak?
Practicing your speech6 answers
  1. What speaking practice did I actually do?
  2. What is my Once-a-Day Challenge?
  3. What did reading aloud do for my speaking practice?
  4. How did I practice while I was still stuttering?
  5. What have I said about the days when I want to back down?
  6. Who did I look for when I was starting to practice speaking?
Before you speak5 answers
  1. How did I learn to feel more confident before speaking?
  2. How did music help me before I went out to speak?
  3. How do I use enthusiasm when I speak?
  4. What do I mean by an Intentional Dream?
  5. What did expecting a stutter feel like for me?
After a difficult moment6 answers
  1. What can I say to myself after I stutter?
  2. What counts as a small speaking success?
  3. How did I try again after an embarrassing speaking moment?
  4. How did I learn to be kinder to myself after stuttering?
  5. Why did I keep replaying difficult speaking moments at night?
  6. What did people not see about how lonely stuttering felt to me?
All answers

Move your saved reading to another browser

Getting started and understanding my approach

01How did I start working on my stuttering?
02What does fluency mean to me?
03Do I ever stutter now?
04What do I mean when I say I have to bring it again?
05How long did it take me to get the speech I wanted?
06What kinds of books influenced my speaking journey?
07Why did I keep looking after my own speech therapy?
08What should you look for in my speaking videos?
09Was changing my beliefs enough to change my speech?
10How did I turn things I read into something I could use when speaking?
11What is the approach I am sharing?

Anticipation, preparation and the listener

01How can I prepare without scripting every word?
02How do I listen when I am worrying about my speech?
03How did I learn to feel more confident before speaking?
04How did music help me before I went out to speak?
05How do I use enthusiasm when I speak?
06How did I practice talking in a crowd?
07How did I learn to speak in loud places?
08What do I mean by feeling Two Inches Tall or Ten Feet Tall?
09What do I mean by an Intentional Dream?
10What do I ask when someone says their mind goes blank in a conversation?
11Do I have to talk quickly and be funny to be good at conversation?
12What do I reach for when I am suddenly put on the spot?
13Did I always need as much preparation before speaking?
14Did I still feel nervous when I spoke?
15What did expecting a stutter feel like for me?

Conversations and practice

01How do I start a conversation when I stutter?
02What is my Once-a-Day Challenge?
03What do I say after the other person answers?
04Do I have to fill every silence in a conversation?
05What did reading aloud do for my speaking practice?
06Why did I have to practice in real conversations?
07How did I practice while I was still stuttering?
08Should I record myself when I practice speaking?
09What happened when my practice did not work?
10Why did I keep going back to some of the same places?
11What have I said about the days when I want to back down?
12Who did I look for when I was starting to practice speaking?
13What did I do when I saw an opening to speak to a group?
14How can an ordinary errand give me a reason to speak?
15What speaking practice did I actually do?
16Who would I practice with, and what would we work on?

Self-talk, identity and everyday impact

01What can I say to myself after I stutter?
02What counts as a small speaking success?
03How did I try again after an embarrassing speaking moment?
04How did I learn to be kinder to myself after stuttering?
05What did comparing my speech with other people do to my confidence?
06Why did I stop defining myself as a stutterer?
07Why did I keep replaying difficult speaking moments at night?
08What did people not see about how lonely stuttering felt to me?
09What did I learn from a hostile encounter while practicing?
10What happened to my speech when I studied in Spain?
11Why did I decide to keep working on my fluency?
12Why did I sometimes leave filler words alone?
13What did looking in the mirror have to do with my speaking journey?
14Did I judge my whole day by how much I stuttered?
15What hurt when people mistook my stutter for who I was?
16How did I hide how hard speaking was for me?

Names, orders and fixed wording

01Why was saying my name so hard for me?
02Why did I sometimes use an easier name for an order?
03What did going first change for me during introductions?
04How did stuttering affect what I ordered?
05What did I do when my phone number was hard to say?
06What did I say when I wanted a moment to finish?
07Why would I choose another word when I expect a block?

Work, school and relationships

01What do I try to do before a work meeting starts?
02What do I write down before another client conversation?
03How do I prepare myself before a difficult phone call?
04What did I wish my family understood about my stuttering?
05How did stuttering affect my choices at work?
06How did stuttering affect the way I thought about dating?
07What happened to my speech when I went to college?
08What was reading aloud in class like for me?
09Why did I stop starting conversations by explaining my stutter?
10How did I handle seven work presentations over two days?
11Why could a work call feel harder when other people could hear me?
12What have I said about talking to a partner about difficult speech?
13What do I ask before giving somebody speaking advice?

Foundational explanation

01Do I mean a cure when I say I beat my stutter?
02What did a stuttering block feel like for me?
03How did my speech change from one situation to another?
04Stuttering or stammering: what do I mean?

Choosing help, approaches and resources

01Did breathing exercises get me to where I am?
02What would I look for in someone teaching me to speak?
03What did I tell someone who was worried about a job interview?
04What does a specific speaking goal look like to me?
05What do I ask when someone tells me about another stuttering course?
06What can you get from me for free?
07What am I promising when I share my stuttering story?
Front cover of I Used to Stutter by Craig Coffee: a man looking across a mountain valley.

107 PAGES · 28 CHAPTERS
READ HERE OR DOWNLOAD

THE FREE BOOK

NO BULLSH*T. JUST RAW AND REAL TALK.

This book is me and you right here talking. There's no need for you and me to bullsh*t each other. I respect you too much to do that.