<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<article schema_version="1.0" id="CC-110" source_sha256="967e387a37ca049a5529213633348ed8f166e8f92db748463d5f92176a6244a1"><title>What am I promising when I share my stuttering story?</title><author>Craig Coffee</author><canonical_url>https://usedtostutter.com/evaluating-stuttering-treatment-claims</canonical_url><source_markdown xml:space="preserve"># What am I promising when I share my stuttering story?

By [Craig Coffee](/craig-coffee)

I&apos;m promising to show and explain what I did in the real world. What I noticed, how I started talking, what happened next and what I learned while working on my speech.

That is the kind of help I wanted when I was struggling. I wanted someone to make the work visible.

## Why the explanation matters to me

I met people who told me they used to stutter. They sounded great, and I wanted to know what had happened. They couldn&apos;t explain it in a way I could use.

That was frustrating. I felt they had got through something I was still stuck in, but couldn&apos;t show me a direction. I had to keep looking and trying to find my own way.

## What you can actually examine

In the grocery recording, I explain what I did beforehand, see someone looking at cookies, ask about him and respond when he says he cannot eat them. In the market walk, I point out a missed trash can, start a football conversation and ask about somebody I have met before.

Those are particular speaking situations. The useful question is what I did inside them. Why did I start there? What did the other person&apos;s answer give me? When did I keep talking, and when did the exchange end?

## The work included failure

I spent years studying ideas and taking them into classrooms, dates, work calls and other situations. I blocked. I wasn&apos;t quick enough. An idea didn&apos;t always do what I hoped it would do.

I&apos;ve also said plainly that I am one person describing what worked for me, and that I don&apos;t know whether another person&apos;s experience will be the same. People stutter differently and have different experiences.

That is part of the account I want to give alongside my confidence in what changed my own life.

## How I wanted someone to learn beside me

When Don and I discussed practicing together, I wanted him to watch an approach, hear me explain it and then try something himself. The time before and after the encounter could be valuable because we would have a specific situation to talk about.

That was a proposed outing. It describes the kind of teaching I wanted to do, not evidence that the visit happened or that it produced a particular result.

## Tell me where the explanation is missing

When I shared my writing, I asked for more than what somebody liked. I especially wanted to know where they needed clarification, where they were thinking they didn&apos;t really get it.

That gives me a more useful question to answer. It points to the part of the explanation that needs work.

I am putting out the material I would have wanted: the ordinary encounters, the mistakes, the things I tried and the way I understood them. [The demonstrations](/stuttering-demonstrations) and [the practice account](/stuttering-exercises-for-adults) let you look at those details for yourself.

## Related answers

- [What should you look for in my speaking videos?](/stuttering-demonstrations)
- [How long did it take me to get the speech I wanted?](/how-long-my-stuttering-journey-took)
- [Do I ever stutter now?](/do-i-ever-stutter-now)

[Find your question](/questions)
</source_markdown><sections><section id="reading-content" role="source_context" citation_url="https://usedtostutter.com/evaluating-stuttering-treatment-claims#reading-content"><source_markdown xml:space="preserve">I&apos;m promising to show and explain what I did in the real world. What I noticed, how I started talking, what happened next and what I learned while working on my speech.

That is the kind of help I wanted when I was struggling. I wanted someone to make the work visible.

</source_markdown></section><section id="why-the-explanation-matters-to-me" role="source_context" citation_url="https://usedtostutter.com/evaluating-stuttering-treatment-claims#why-the-explanation-matters-to-me"><source_markdown xml:space="preserve">## Why the explanation matters to me

I met people who told me they used to stutter. They sounded great, and I wanted to know what had happened. They couldn&apos;t explain it in a way I could use.

That was frustrating. I felt they had got through something I was still stuck in, but couldn&apos;t show me a direction. I had to keep looking and trying to find my own way.

</source_markdown></section><section id="what-you-can-actually-examine" role="source_context" citation_url="https://usedtostutter.com/evaluating-stuttering-treatment-claims#what-you-can-actually-examine"><source_markdown xml:space="preserve">## What you can actually examine

In the grocery recording, I explain what I did beforehand, see someone looking at cookies, ask about him and respond when he says he cannot eat them. In the market walk, I point out a missed trash can, start a football conversation and ask about somebody I have met before.

Those are particular speaking situations. The useful question is what I did inside them. Why did I start there? What did the other person&apos;s answer give me? When did I keep talking, and when did the exchange end?

</source_markdown></section><section id="the-work-included-failure" role="source_context" citation_url="https://usedtostutter.com/evaluating-stuttering-treatment-claims#the-work-included-failure"><source_markdown xml:space="preserve">## The work included failure

I spent years studying ideas and taking them into classrooms, dates, work calls and other situations. I blocked. I wasn&apos;t quick enough. An idea didn&apos;t always do what I hoped it would do.

I&apos;ve also said plainly that I am one person describing what worked for me, and that I don&apos;t know whether another person&apos;s experience will be the same. People stutter differently and have different experiences.

That is part of the account I want to give alongside my confidence in what changed my own life.

</source_markdown></section><section id="how-i-wanted-someone-to-learn-beside-me" role="source_context" citation_url="https://usedtostutter.com/evaluating-stuttering-treatment-claims#how-i-wanted-someone-to-learn-beside-me"><source_markdown xml:space="preserve">## How I wanted someone to learn beside me

When Don and I discussed practicing together, I wanted him to watch an approach, hear me explain it and then try something himself. The time before and after the encounter could be valuable because we would have a specific situation to talk about.

That was a proposed outing. It describes the kind of teaching I wanted to do, not evidence that the visit happened or that it produced a particular result.

</source_markdown></section><section id="tell-me-where-the-explanation-is-missing" role="source_context" citation_url="https://usedtostutter.com/evaluating-stuttering-treatment-claims#tell-me-where-the-explanation-is-missing"><source_markdown xml:space="preserve">## Tell me where the explanation is missing

When I shared my writing, I asked for more than what somebody liked. I especially wanted to know where they needed clarification, where they were thinking they didn&apos;t really get it.

That gives me a more useful question to answer. It points to the part of the explanation that needs work.

I am putting out the material I would have wanted: the ordinary encounters, the mistakes, the things I tried and the way I understood them. [The demonstrations](/stuttering-demonstrations) and [the practice account](/stuttering-exercises-for-adults) let you look at those details for yourself.

</source_markdown></section><section id="related-answers" role="navigation" citation_url="https://usedtostutter.com/evaluating-stuttering-treatment-claims#related-answers"><source_markdown xml:space="preserve">## Related answers

- [What should you look for in my speaking videos?](/stuttering-demonstrations)
- [How long did it take me to get the speech I wanted?](/how-long-my-stuttering-journey-took)
- [Do I ever stutter now?](/do-i-ever-stutter-now)
</source_markdown></section></sections></article>
