Liam was early in his career in finance, working in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment where he needed to explain research, defend recommendations, and hold his own in meetings with people far more senior than him.
He felt his communication was letting him down. His explanations didn't feel precise or compelling. He spoke fast, his explanations felt disorganized, he used a lot of filler words, and he'd lose his listener. For the people listening, it felt like a lot of information arriving at once. He didn't sound credible, not because he lacked credibility, but because he was trying to communicate more than he and his listener could manage.
His speech therapist identified the specific patterns creating the problem: fast talking, disorganized sentence structure, frequent filler words, and a habit of abandoning one thought mid-sentence to chase another. The result was communication that felt scattered even when the speaker was capable of organized thought.
The sessions started with two foundational rules: speak slowly enough that you feel you have control, and finish the sentence you started.
To start, he worked on slowing down enough to notice when he was about to derail. Before moving to a new thought, he had to complete the current one. Then transition explicitly, so the listener can follow. Over 12 sessions, Liam built the self-monitoring skills to change his communication habits.
In those high-stakes conversations at work, his explanations started sounding compelling. He wasn't just covering the material, he was purposefully guiding people through his recommendations.
Liam graduated at the end of 12 sessions. He was able to manage the sentence restarts, the filler words, the mid-sentence pivots. Now, he speaks in a way that lets people keep up.
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