{
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "id": "CC-059",
  "title": "What do I reach for when I am suddenly put on the spot?",
  "topic": "Anticipation, preparation and the listener",
  "author": {
    "name": "Craig Coffee",
    "id": "https://usedtostutter.com/craig-coffee#person"
  },
  "canonical_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/stuttering-when-put-on-the-spot",
  "access": "public",
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  "context_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/about-this-material",
  "source_sha256": "462fabb74a8c42a43907b20d64b6ec2edb6aafeee08c9b7c2c5cbce0b050609c",
  "source_markdown": "# What do I reach for when I am suddenly put on the spot?\n\nBy [Craig Coffee](/craig-coffee)\n\nI know the feeling of suddenly needing to speak to someone I regard as important. I can feel tiny in front of them. The situation becomes about their authority and what might go wrong with my speech.\n\nIn a work conversation with Don, I described reaching for the feeling of a time when I had spoken well. I wanted the memory of confidence available when I hadn't had a long time to prepare.\n\n## The work situation I asked him to imagine\n\nI used the example of a client walking in unexpectedly, or finding the big boss there, or being asked to address a group of important people. I wasn't describing a single completed event. I was explaining the kind of surprise a workday can bring.\n\nWhat I wanted him to recall was the feeling from previous successes. What was it like when he knew he could talk? How did that confidence feel?\n\n[That preparation through memory](/small-speaking-successes) came from things I had already experienced. I wanted to bring something useful into a situation that was suddenly in front of me.\n\n## The encounter I didn't expect after a comedy show\n\nI also told a real story from leaving a comedy show. There had been a line to get out, and we were near a side door. I wasn't expecting to see anybody in particular.\n\nThen a quarterback came out through a door and walked toward us. I said hello, shook his hand and said, “thanks for being you.” I thought he was a good guy. He laughed and thanked me.\n\nI felt a little silly about what I said. But I knew I wanted to say something. I didn't have a clever speech ready.\n\n## Why I didn't turn it into a longer encounter\n\nHe was on his way out. I wanted to be respectful, and I didn't want to stop him for a picture. I greeted him and let the moment be what it was.\n\nThat is the part I wanted to explain: I didn't know exactly what to say, but I knew I was going to say something. It could be short. It could be ordinary.\n\n## There was practice behind being able to respond\n\nI had spent years learning to speak without planning every word first. Sometimes I had blocked or wasn't quick enough. I kept practicing so I could respond to what was in front of me.\n\nThe unexpected greeting and the imagined work demand are different examples. One records something I said. The other explains the kind of confidence I would reach for when a task arrived suddenly.\n\nI saw him as we came out, wanted to say something, and did. It was an encounter I remembered because I took the chance to greet him.\n\n## Related answers\n\n- [How did I learn to feel more confident before speaking?](/confidence-before-speaking)\n- [What happened when my practice did not work?](/when-stuttering-practice-goes-badly)\n\n[Find your question](/questions)\n",
  "relative_link_base": "https://usedtostutter.com/stuttering-when-put-on-the-spot",
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "reading-content",
      "heading": null,
      "heading_level": null,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/stuttering-when-put-on-the-spot#reading-content",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "I know the feeling of suddenly needing to speak to someone I regard as important. I can feel tiny in front of them. The situation becomes about their authority and what might go wrong with my speech.\n\nIn a work conversation with Don, I described reaching for the feeling of a time when I had spoken well. I wanted the memory of confidence available when I hadn't had a long time to prepare.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "481c6260078dd8142ffc470cacb55bf5b0d10b0be7033be83686df0f374630c7"
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    {
      "id": "the-work-situation-i-asked-him-to-imagine",
      "heading": "The work situation I asked him to imagine",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/stuttering-when-put-on-the-spot#the-work-situation-i-asked-him-to-imagine",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## The work situation I asked him to imagine\n\nI used the example of a client walking in unexpectedly, or finding the big boss there, or being asked to address a group of important people. I wasn't describing a single completed event. I was explaining the kind of surprise a workday can bring.\n\nWhat I wanted him to recall was the feeling from previous successes. What was it like when he knew he could talk? How did that confidence feel?\n\n[That preparation through memory](/small-speaking-successes) came from things I had already experienced. I wanted to bring something useful into a situation that was suddenly in front of me.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "bb9d3d56d4effa826d247e4c22bcbd8e204831944f1bf1d03d21d770e413d9a8"
    },
    {
      "id": "the-encounter-i-didn-t-expect-after-a-comedy-show",
      "heading": "The encounter I didn't expect after a comedy show",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/stuttering-when-put-on-the-spot#the-encounter-i-didn-t-expect-after-a-comedy-show",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## The encounter I didn't expect after a comedy show\n\nI also told a real story from leaving a comedy show. There had been a line to get out, and we were near a side door. I wasn't expecting to see anybody in particular.\n\nThen a quarterback came out through a door and walked toward us. I said hello, shook his hand and said, “thanks for being you.” I thought he was a good guy. He laughed and thanked me.\n\nI felt a little silly about what I said. But I knew I wanted to say something. I didn't have a clever speech ready.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "9e8761b90bc0f93c7c4af70d91f66165e7371ff48ad80df60385cd567c4fb7f0"
    },
    {
      "id": "why-i-didn-t-turn-it-into-a-longer-encounter",
      "heading": "Why I didn't turn it into a longer encounter",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/stuttering-when-put-on-the-spot#why-i-didn-t-turn-it-into-a-longer-encounter",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## Why I didn't turn it into a longer encounter\n\nHe was on his way out. I wanted to be respectful, and I didn't want to stop him for a picture. I greeted him and let the moment be what it was.\n\nThat is the part I wanted to explain: I didn't know exactly what to say, but I knew I was going to say something. It could be short. It could be ordinary.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "9e6af05c48d90e3e2cc39e54614cf756a0f7db65169111df57bb822e47b3ed14"
    },
    {
      "id": "there-was-practice-behind-being-able-to-respond",
      "heading": "There was practice behind being able to respond",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/stuttering-when-put-on-the-spot#there-was-practice-behind-being-able-to-respond",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## There was practice behind being able to respond\n\nI had spent years learning to speak without planning every word first. Sometimes I had blocked or wasn't quick enough. I kept practicing so I could respond to what was in front of me.\n\nThe unexpected greeting and the imagined work demand are different examples. One records something I said. The other explains the kind of confidence I would reach for when a task arrived suddenly.\n\nI saw him as we came out, wanted to say something, and did. It was an encounter I remembered because I took the chance to greet him.\n\n",
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    },
    {
      "id": "related-answers",
      "heading": "Related answers",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/stuttering-when-put-on-the-spot#related-answers",
      "role": "navigation",
      "source_markdown": "## Related answers\n\n- [How did I learn to feel more confident before speaking?](/confidence-before-speaking)\n- [What happened when my practice did not work?](/when-stuttering-practice-goes-badly)\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "f4b230cef2fdaf7086732085628dd0816fb8943541dd98a6e1538609bd4cc945"
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}