“The eloquence competitions, when you see them on television or in movies, you say to yourself ‘it’s wonderful!’ but it’s something that didn’t seem accessible to me at all – but really not. I stutter, so it wasn’t even an option.“Samira’s words sometimes have a hard time coming out, her speech is a bit choppy, but to be”a superheroine in the eyes of her children“, she decided to”turn weaknesses into lightsabers“.
The young woman therefore entered the contest L’Eloquence du bégaiement. For six weeks, she trained to pronounce on the stage of Bobino, in Paris, in front of 900 people, a speech of great force: “My speech is a combat sport. And despite my training, every time I step into the ring, I get knocked out. (…)“
That someone had the idea of bringing together eloquence, and stuttering, and that this is not a hindrance, I found that … I had to participate!
Samira, winner of the contest L’Eloquence du bégaiementin “Special Envoy”
Samira’s training was accompanied by speaking training, the program of the APB (the Association parole stuttering, organizer of the competition), which offers personalized coaching. Helped in particular by speech therapists, the 30 candidates work on their text and rehearse their performance. A work “Very full“, Judge Samira,”because it is as much the substance of the speech that is worked on as the form and the staging“.
“The point is that they feel free to stutter”
If the project is to help participants to speak in public despite their speech difficulties, there is no question of treating the disability: “We are not in rehabilitation, explains Emeline Roques, one of the speech therapists. The point is that they can feel free … to stutter. ”
And November 23 is the big day: the final of the competition. At the time of the results, Samira receives a standing ovation. She thanks the public and the jury: “I’m pretty impressed that I got the title, I can’t believe it. I gained one thing today: I finally gained confidence in my word and in my words.“
Extract from “L’éloquence des bègues”, a report to see in “Special Envoy” on December 2, 2021.
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