{
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "id": "CC-061",
  "title": "Did I always need as much preparation before speaking?",
  "topic": "Anticipation, preparation and the listener",
  "author": {
    "name": "Craig Coffee",
    "id": "https://usedtostutter.com/craig-coffee#person"
  },
  "canonical_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/does-speaking-preparation-get-easier",
  "access": "public",
  "content_kind": "author_published_article",
  "context_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/about-this-material",
  "source_sha256": "1b3b0bf0fb605a32704b9056884dc61872ebdad0be5c7c8ac7a19594239a3889",
  "source_markdown": "# Did I always need as much preparation before speaking?\n\nBy [Craig Coffee](/craig-coffee)\n\nNo. The amount of preparation changed as I got better. What I described doing before calls earlier in my journey was much more deliberate than what I needed later.\n\n## What did the earlier preparation involve?\n\nIn one call, I described spending thirty minutes beforehand working on how I felt. I might lie on the floor, on a couch or in a chair and picture how I wanted to feel when the call was done. That was part of what I mean by [an Intentional Dream](/mental-rehearsal-before-speaking).\n\nI pictured finishing the call and feeling excited. Then going to get a cup of coffee or doing something enjoyable afterward. The feeling was what I was working on.\n\n## What became shorter?\n\nI did that preparation repeatedly before calls. Then, once I got better, I would only do it for a few minutes. When I got really good, I was mainly doing it for a huge call. That is the progression I described.\n\nI still cared about the routine and how I felt going in. The routine had changed as I gained experience.\n\nI've also said that most of [what I keep doing](/keeping-my-speaking-practice-going) has become subconscious after so many years. I still use it. I don't have to describe a long preparation before every ordinary conversation to explain that.\n\n## Related answers\n\n- [How do I prepare myself before a difficult phone call?](/stuttering-phone-calls)\n- [How did I handle seven work presentations over two days?](/stuttering-at-work-presentations)\n\n[Find your question](/questions)\n",
  "relative_link_base": "https://usedtostutter.com/does-speaking-preparation-get-easier",
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "reading-content",
      "heading": null,
      "heading_level": null,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/does-speaking-preparation-get-easier#reading-content",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "No. The amount of preparation changed as I got better. What I described doing before calls earlier in my journey was much more deliberate than what I needed later.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "7d8b5db7217d028ad7183cbbd33b2b50739f423cddf790fd1afa5d44a5942130"
    },
    {
      "id": "what-did-the-earlier-preparation-involve",
      "heading": "What did the earlier preparation involve?",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/does-speaking-preparation-get-easier#what-did-the-earlier-preparation-involve",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## What did the earlier preparation involve?\n\nIn one call, I described spending thirty minutes beforehand working on how I felt. I might lie on the floor, on a couch or in a chair and picture how I wanted to feel when the call was done. That was part of what I mean by [an Intentional Dream](/mental-rehearsal-before-speaking).\n\nI pictured finishing the call and feeling excited. Then going to get a cup of coffee or doing something enjoyable afterward. The feeling was what I was working on.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "173d27ccca298297cb5e8c7fe084d9883d09a60ab6a905bc55c6bfd41ee15305"
    },
    {
      "id": "what-became-shorter",
      "heading": "What became shorter?",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/does-speaking-preparation-get-easier#what-became-shorter",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## What became shorter?\n\nI did that preparation repeatedly before calls. Then, once I got better, I would only do it for a few minutes. When I got really good, I was mainly doing it for a huge call. That is the progression I described.\n\nI still cared about the routine and how I felt going in. The routine had changed as I gained experience.\n\nI've also said that most of [what I keep doing](/keeping-my-speaking-practice-going) has become subconscious after so many years. I still use it. I don't have to describe a long preparation before every ordinary conversation to explain that.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "b2e0aca940e95719562453238c397d24b6aca65d1eb283d6eb4319be25646920"
    },
    {
      "id": "related-answers",
      "heading": "Related answers",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/does-speaking-preparation-get-easier#related-answers",
      "role": "navigation",
      "source_markdown": "## Related answers\n\n- [How do I prepare myself before a difficult phone call?](/stuttering-phone-calls)\n- [How did I handle seven work presentations over two days?](/stuttering-at-work-presentations)\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "b876077e9d91ab1363cd6ca442025c2594957b5771a12e361cdea37d46075b24"
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