John Hendrickson

Many people don’t have to think about talking; it just comes out effortlessly and naturally. For John Hendrickson, talking is not as easy. As a person who stutters, it takes him an enormous amount of energy to talk and close the distance between his thoughts and his words. In this reflective talk, Hendrickson opens up about the distance he has felt between himself, his family, and society due to his stutter and how closing this distance requires fighting the urge to shut down and establishing a new kind of self-talk.

In order to avoid blocks (a type of stuttering), John Hendrickson developed numerous workarounds. One of the techniques he used was circumlocution, avoiding saying words that he knew he was going to block on. However, since then, Hendrickson has learned to make peace with his stutter, accepting it to be a part of him. Instead of avoiding words, he will stutter through what he actually wants to say. In this intimate conversation, he speaks about facing the thing you've been avoiding, even if it's embarrassing or difficult, and how to make peace with yourself and the situation. While for him, it is his stutter, this relatable talk resonates across other challenges. In Hendrickson's own words, "the way to overcome is to talk about it."

One of the common misconceptions about people who stutter is that they are anxious and nervous and oftentimes the listener will either try to help by jumping in and finishing sentences or telling the speaker to “slow down,” “take a breath” or “relax". John Hendrickson breaks down these misconceptions and harmful behaviors in this thought-provoking talk and teaches us how to be better (super) listeners. In a society largely unprepared or disinclined to accommodate people who behave outside of certain norms (in this case, those who stutter), Hendrickson urges us to be patient listeners and just hear what someone has to say.