{
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "id": "CC-019",
  "title": "Why was saying my name so hard for me?",
  "topic": "Names, orders and fixed wording",
  "author": {
    "name": "Craig Coffee",
    "id": "https://usedtostutter.com/craig-coffee#person"
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  "canonical_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/stutter-saying-your-name",
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  "source_markdown": "# Why was saying my name so hard for me?\n\nBy [Craig Coffee](/craig-coffee)\n\nMy name was the hardest one for me. It was the last part of my speech I worked through because I had so much emotional attachment to saying it.\n\nI'd been laughed at right to my face because I couldn't say my own name. “Did you forget your name?” I'd heard that kind of thing so many times. It was soul-crushing.\n\nI even thought seriously about changing my name at the courthouse. I didn't do it. That is how badly I wanted something easier to say.\n\n## Who brought up the name mattered\n\nI described going to a fishing banquet with about two hundred people. The first time I felt nervous was when I realized I would have to give my name at the front door. There was one woman at the table, which felt better to me than a crowd.\n\nI feel more comfortable when I bring up my own name than when somebody asks me. That was something I noticed about the situation around the word.\n\nIn [the yoga class](/waiting-for-your-turn-to-introduce-yourself), I volunteered to introduce myself first. When I was ordering coffee, I sometimes [used Steve for the order](/using-an-easier-name-when-you-stutter). Those are two of the choices I've described.\n\n## The introduction I remember feeling calm about\n\nAt a ballroom event, I saw Shad Khan, walked right up and introduced myself. I looked him right in the eyes, and I felt calm.\n\nI had been very intimidated by people I saw as having a tremendous amount of authority, power and wealth. That is why this introduction meant so much to me. I was saying my name to somebody like that and feeling calm.\n\n## Saying it during an ordinary order\n\nIn [one of my recordings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLGOtOcUegs), I ask for a pour-over coffee and say, “My name is Craig.” Then I thank the person. That ordinary exchange is in [the speaking examples](/stuttering-demonstrations) too.\n\nMy name had a long history behind it. When I tell these stories, that is the word I am talking about and the work I wanted to bring into saying it.\n\n## Related answers\n\n- [How did I try again after an embarrassing speaking moment?](/confidence-after-bad-stuttering-day)\n\n[Find your question](/questions)\n",
  "relative_link_base": "https://usedtostutter.com/stutter-saying-your-name",
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      "source_markdown": "My name was the hardest one for me. It was the last part of my speech I worked through because I had so much emotional attachment to saying it.\n\nI'd been laughed at right to my face because I couldn't say my own name. “Did you forget your name?” I'd heard that kind of thing so many times. It was soul-crushing.\n\nI even thought seriously about changing my name at the courthouse. I didn't do it. That is how badly I wanted something easier to say.\n\n",
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      "id": "who-brought-up-the-name-mattered",
      "heading": "Who brought up the name mattered",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/stutter-saying-your-name#who-brought-up-the-name-mattered",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## Who brought up the name mattered\n\nI described going to a fishing banquet with about two hundred people. The first time I felt nervous was when I realized I would have to give my name at the front door. There was one woman at the table, which felt better to me than a crowd.\n\nI feel more comfortable when I bring up my own name than when somebody asks me. That was something I noticed about the situation around the word.\n\nIn [the yoga class](/waiting-for-your-turn-to-introduce-yourself), I volunteered to introduce myself first. When I was ordering coffee, I sometimes [used Steve for the order](/using-an-easier-name-when-you-stutter). Those are two of the choices I've described.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "f9bb185773b7c674abf1cf93b9813ea93396efceb1b32fd39cf5441057ea9535"
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    {
      "id": "the-introduction-i-remember-feeling-calm-about",
      "heading": "The introduction I remember feeling calm about",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/stutter-saying-your-name#the-introduction-i-remember-feeling-calm-about",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## The introduction I remember feeling calm about\n\nAt a ballroom event, I saw Shad Khan, walked right up and introduced myself. I looked him right in the eyes, and I felt calm.\n\nI had been very intimidated by people I saw as having a tremendous amount of authority, power and wealth. That is why this introduction meant so much to me. I was saying my name to somebody like that and feeling calm.\n\n",
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      "heading": "Saying it during an ordinary order",
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      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/stutter-saying-your-name#saying-it-during-an-ordinary-order",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## Saying it during an ordinary order\n\nIn [one of my recordings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLGOtOcUegs), I ask for a pour-over coffee and say, “My name is Craig.” Then I thank the person. That ordinary exchange is in [the speaking examples](/stuttering-demonstrations) too.\n\nMy name had a long history behind it. When I tell these stories, that is the word I am talking about and the work I wanted to bring into saying it.\n\n",
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      "heading": "Related answers",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/stutter-saying-your-name#related-answers",
      "role": "navigation",
      "source_markdown": "## Related answers\n\n- [How did I try again after an embarrassing speaking moment?](/confidence-after-bad-stuttering-day)\n",
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      "id": "say-your-name",
      "title": "SAY YOUR NAME",
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