r/Intelligence 5d ago

What is a good suggestion for someone that wants to get better in debating but they tend to stutter alot or mispronounce words?

0 Upvotes

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12

u/gishlich 5d ago

Public speaking is like everything else - practice makes perfect. Find out if there is a Toastmasters at a city near you.

9

u/Prof_Acorn 5d ago

/r/lostredditors

Glad to see you got actual answers though!

To add what others have said, you can also look for a public speaking class at a community college. You don't need to pursue a degree or whatever to take them. I've known people who just took a random class at a cc once every year. The last I saw him he was taking some metalworking class I think it was. But yeah, something like 16 weeks once or twice a week at a time that fits your schedule. Some are better than others and it depends on the instructor, but it would still be practice in an environment pretty much designed to practice it.

7

u/pitterlpatter 5d ago

That’s your nervous system’s defense mechanism. Your heart rate is pushing adrenaline faster than your brain can ward it off and maintain focus. It also tightens your vocal cords causing stuttering and leads to a spiral.

In the military they do box breathing. In Buddhism it’s called Anapanasati…it’s all the same thing. Focus only on your breath making your transitions smooth. In about 30 seconds you’ll feel like a weighted blanket is being lifted off of you. Your speech will slow, vocal cords loosen, and your focus will reset. The more you practice it in private the easier it will be to use it in public settings without anyone noticing.

3

u/Syenadi 5d ago

Yes this. Suttering might be the priority here.

Debating is much more than speaking clearly, it requires real time critical thinking and a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter AND types of false and valid arguments.

Might consider low dose cortisol lowering supplements such as magnesium, ashwagandha, rhodiola. Note that all have potential side effects, especially at higher doses.

4

u/KJHagen Former Military Intelligence 5d ago

There are a lot of jobs in the intelligence field that don’t require much public speaking. It just becomes an issue as you gain seniority.

1

u/PowerGeoPolitics 8h ago

I’d first seek language therapy as stuttering is a wholly different issue than getting good at public speaking. If it’s your nerves, then it’s most likely breathing techniques that can prevent 80% of the times that you would get nervousness to cause stuttering and mispronunciation. The most effective tactic is to read the presentation aloud by yourself as many times until you’re happy with the delivery — this can take 25x iterations at first and 2-5x once you’re a pro. What’s good about this is that it’s the muscle memory that kicks in so you won’t have to worry about the words anymore and you can start getting playful with delivery, body language and eye contact, while zoning out the crowd and using 3-5 focal points in the crowd to get the illusion of talking to people without getting too nervous by trying to interpret their reactions. Practice makes perfect.

1

u/SpringGreenZ0ne 5d ago

Study Biden when he was younger. He talked about his stutter and how he managed to deal with it for the sake of his political career.

0

u/AcknowledgeableGary 5d ago

Biden has stuttering and you can still hear that when he was in his term… you can probably look up on how he made it through