There are at least 50 million adults of employable age in the world who stutter – a number way bigger than the world’s biggest metropolitan area, Tokyo.
“That includes a lot of people out there who are either struggling to get a job or are in a job way beneath their capabilities,” says Iain Wilkie, the founder and chair of 50 Million Voices and a person who stutters.
“Organisations who are waking up to this are able to tap into a highly desirable talent pool of people who stutter or stammer.” (Stuttering and stammering are the same thing with some countries using ‘stutter’ and others using ‘stammer’.)
Iain is also a trustee of the UK’s Business Disability Forum (BDF), and an executive coach specialising in quiet leadership.
As a former partner for 21 years at EY, Iain was also the senior sponsor for the firm’s disability network and the founder of the EY Stammering Network.
Interviews can be especially challenging for people who stutter. Iain explains that stuttering ranges from being relatively unnoticeable to being very noticeable. It is also variable as the stutterer may block on words one minute and then be fluent on them the next.
“Something the stutterer needs to think about before the interview is whether they mention it beforehand,” Iain points out.
A candidate may be reluctant to disclose the fact they have a stutter because of fears that, due to anti-stuttering cultural bias, they may be rejected at the interview. Others might choose to disclose because they want to show it is part of who they are – and they will be stuttering at work if they are successful gaining the role.
“Some people learn that a stutter can be a strength because it makes them resilient and also more patient with other voices which are ‘different’ – such as those who are speaking with a strong accent, in a second language or perhaps women who are often talked over at work,” says Iain.
Employers should be prepared
It’s important for interviewers to be knowledgeable about stuttering – it is a neurodivergence and research shows that there is no difference in intelligence between stutterers and non-stutterers. Iain believes that by stuttering openly we can even invite a conversation about human difference and empathy within the workplace.
“In many service industries, human relationships are critical to the organisation. I would include stuttering as part of your disability strategy. It is a difference, it is a diversity which occurs in all cultures.”
Including stuttering in your disability strategy
1 Make it clear that stuttering voices are welcome in your workplace and educate your employees about stuttering.
2 Encourage stuttering role models – the more senior the better. In several organisations, there are now communities of people who stutter and buddy systems to support each other.
3 Allies are important – people may not stutter as adults but might have done as children, or have family members who stutter or their own children who do.
Converting offers into acceptances
A candidate who stutters and has passed the interview process will want to know how they are likely to be welcomed into the workplace. They may wonder if it is OK to speak up with a stutter? Will they be sidelined because they are perceived as a poor communicator? Will they be given leadership responsibilities and training?
“It goes right to the heart of belonging,” says Iain.
“When I was at EY I was told by several people who stammer that they had joined the firm because there is a stammering network.
“If you are a person who speaks with a stutter, that is part of who you are. People with a stutter can be really good communicators because we have had to work hard to speak up and adapt to listener reactions, and we learn how to connect authentically with others because we don’t always have that fluency privilege other people have.
“Tapping into the 50 million-strong talent pool of people who stutter, makes for a win-win for both employers and for people who stutter.”
https://www.50millionvoices.org/
