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Are you finding all these video calls mentally exhausting?
As a person who stutters, let me tell you what it’s like for me.
#zoom #remote #stuttering #WFH #PWS
As a person who stutters, let me tell you what it’s like for me.
#zoom #remote #stuttering #WFH #PWS
A Zoom call might be someone’s first contact with me.
They don’t know I stutter.
This isn’t their fault. The first time I speak, I watch on video as their face scrunches deciphering what just happened. Bad connection? Bad audio? Did we lose you?
They don’t know I stutter.
This isn’t their fault. The first time I speak, I watch on video as their face scrunches deciphering what just happened. Bad connection? Bad audio? Did we lose you?
This is no one's fault.
Onus is on me to out myself, in front of them and my coworkers.
Instant awkward. For me, for the person meeting me, probably for my team. I don't actually know. I've never asked them.
Onus is on me to out myself, in front of them and my coworkers.
Instant awkward. For me, for the person meeting me, probably for my team. I don't actually know. I've never asked them.
In person, visual cues are helpful to determine whose turn it is to speak.
Stutterers often rely on them – leaning in, making a hand gesture, a quick um or hey...something that alerts our partner we have something to say. Zoom doesn’t allow for this.
So I have two choices.
Stutterers often rely on them – leaning in, making a hand gesture, a quick um or hey...something that alerts our partner we have something to say. Zoom doesn’t allow for this.
So I have two choices.
1. I interrupt/talk over you. Now I'm an asshole.
2. I miss my turn. The moment passes before you knew I was trying to speak. This gets worse as the meeting gets larger. I often allow this, silencing my voice and opinion. Losing out on info I need.
2. I miss my turn. The moment passes before you knew I was trying to speak. This gets worse as the meeting gets larger. I often allow this, silencing my voice and opinion. Losing out on info I need.
Because I speak less, b/c HOW I communicate is now the focus, I come across as
less intelligent
less confident
less able to accomplish the task I’m telling you I can do
It’s harder for you to understand how fucking good I am at my job. [I am REALLY good at my job.]
less intelligent
less confident
less able to accomplish the task I’m telling you I can do
It’s harder for you to understand how fucking good I am at my job. [I am REALLY good at my job.]
As a stutterer, I rely on you giving me space to finish a sentence, not just start one.
When you know I’m stuttering, you’re likely to wait. [Sometimes. Heh.]
When you don’t, you talk right over me. I haven’t put a period on a sentence in weeks.
When you know I’m stuttering, you’re likely to wait. [Sometimes. Heh.]
When you don’t, you talk right over me. I haven’t put a period on a sentence in weeks.
Stuttering also means involuntary gestures and movements. Tics, if you will.
More video meetings, more struggling to communicate means more headaches, more body pain, more being physically and emotionally drained at the end of the day. A lot of post-meeting tears.
More video meetings, more struggling to communicate means more headaches, more body pain, more being physically and emotionally drained at the end of the day. A lot of post-meeting tears.
I don't know why I'm sharing this.
I guess cause I'm sitting here with my coffee about to start another day of Zoom meetings where I will be heard less and fight for space.
Video calls are hard for so many for LOTS of reasons. Be good about giving others the right of way.
I guess cause I'm sitting here with my coffee about to start another day of Zoom meetings where I will be heard less and fight for space.
Video calls are hard for so many for LOTS of reasons. Be good about giving others the right of way.
Since I'm throwing it out there - my stuttering has also gotten MORE severe since isolation. I've heard other stutterers recount the same. It's all just very exhausting and mentally tiring and thanks for coming to my TED talk.
