Finding My Voice: How the McGuire Programme Changed My Life

“You can’t even do something that a three-year-old takes for granted! Do you really think you could do this?”

That’s what I heard over and over again while growing up with a stutter. It’s also something I recently read in Dave McGuire’s book, which brought back all those memories of my stutter from my not-so-distant past in a poignant way. – you can buy the book online by clicking this link: BEYOND STUTTERING by Dave McGuire

I can’t recollect when it all started, but my mother says she noticed those first blocks in my speech after I lost my elder brother to cancer. I was barely four. She says I would stare at the skies for long periods and didn’t speak much, but whenever I did, it wasn’t smooth or easy. I’ve always been interested in understanding what exactly causes one person to stutter while many others speak fluently—whether it’s a triggering event or something genetic.

My academic years weren’t great. I struggled a lot with attendance, as most stutterers probably do. I used to practice saying “Present, Ma’am!” in the hostel toilet every day, only to mess it up when it really mattered! My chemistry teacher was particularly strict—if I missed the roll call, which I often did, she wouldn’t give me a second chance and marked me absent. This led to a psychological buildup of fear and panic about my stuttering, trapping me in a vicious cycle. In the meantime, I found solace in the company of animals, which one can easily understand—they didn’t care how I spoke, and their love was always unconditional, no matter what!

I took my first course in the McGuire Programme in Bangalore, India, in June 2024. Most stutterers show up at such courses with slouched shoulders, having lost all hope in their lives—I was no different. Having travelled 1,000 kilometres south to attend this course, I desperately wanted this “one last try” to work, even though I tried to maintain a stolid demeanour throughout the four-day course. I am deeply thankful to Mr. Kaushik Valluri (MGP India Regional Director) and Mr. Dev Mehta for believing in my potential, and to Mr. Shubham Rustogi for persistently pushing me to join the McGuire Programme despite my scepticism.

The McGuire Programme has truly been a revelation. It helped me realize that it’s NOT okay to be okay with your stutter, which is what I had previously believed. I had resigned myself to thinking that gaining control over my speech was an unlikely prospect, but the program changed that mindset entirely. It has been a 360-degree paradigm shift for me, and with the tools it provided, I now believe I can articulate myself quite well. It doesn’t come easily—you have to follow the directions of your coaches religiously, put in the necessary effort, and, most importantly, persevere. But once you do, the light at the end of the tunnel shines even brighter!

The McGuire Programme has given me the confidence to believe that I can become an articulate and eloquent speaker in the near future if I stay true to myself and put in the hard work, which I am committed to doing. The support group the McGuire Programme offers is truly incredible and serves as a valuable learning hub. You can practice your speech with members of the program from all over the world and gain remarkable insights into how to improve your speech after your first course—learning from both their successes and their mistakes. To be honest, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call this experience liberating. Today, I feel I have something under control regarding my speech, unlike before when I had essentially given in to helplessness. Thank you, McGuire Programme!

Written by Mayank Bhandare
Dated: August 10, 2024