I am a former stutterer who knows firsthand how difficult and frustrating it can be to have a stuttering problem. Many people don’t understand how difficult it can really be to learn to stop stuttering. They believe that anyone can simply overcome this speech disability with the right strength of character. Because of this, they label us as weak and nervous and tend to look down on us. However, I know this is not the case! However, learning how to stop stuttering is not an easy task. In fact, it is possible, which is why I have written this article to teach you about the passive airflow technique developed by Dr. Martin Schwartz.

Dr. Schwartz discovered this technique by interviewing several people who were able to overcome their stuttering problem. While conducting these interviews, you met someone who told you that you did not stutter while smoking. Schwartz asked him to demonstrate, so the man lit a cigarette, blew out some smoke, and began to speak.

At first, he simply dismissed it as a psychological distraction. Later, however, he soon realized that the answer was actually in the flow of the exhale.

In short, this is how the “Passive Airflow Technique” works.

1. Before you begin to speak, breathe out briefly.

2. Halfway through the exhale, say the first word of the sentence you want to say.

You can then continue to finish your sentence because as you exhale, you are relaxing your larynx and the Valsalva mechanism.