Dropped the drool on that one

A call cam e today from an unknown number today and while normally it is someone trying to sell something, I have to answer because I am getting calls from medical people now too. I answered s I normally do and there was a pause before in broken English I was asked if I speak Finnish.

It was my speech therapist.

When I was in the hospital, I spoke with a speech therapist there and she said that even though her English is good, she is unable to do more than a preliminary evaluation because it isn't good enough to help me. She said that there is a difference in training a native and she doesn't have the skills for it as to her, my speaking sounds fine, even though she knows it is not after doing the testing.

So, I am not very hopeful that my assigned speech therapist has called in a translator for the sessions, as what I assume is going to happen is she will hear me speak and say "you don't need therapy" as she won't hear me struggling and it will seem fluent enough for her.

It definitely isn't.

I might be annoyed for no reason though and it is possible that either the therapy will be enough to help me correct or they will recognize that I need a different therapist. I will find out in a couple weeks at the first appointment whether my annoyance is justified.

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"Good enough" in terms of skill is obviously a relative opinion, as conditions need to be taken into consideration. I can kick a ball good enough for me, but that doesn't mean it is good enough to be a striker for Real Madrid. I have been a language trainer for a long time and there are large differences in what is good enough for various positions. People speaking mostly locally might not need the same skills as those speaking internationally, or being able to smalltalk well, doesn't mean it is good enough for giving technical instruction.

The voice is a very important tool of influence on communication and can make a huge difference in results of conversations. But, this influence goes in both directions, where while a person can for example exude more confidence and be perceived as more believable, the inverse is also true. Used poorly, a voice can affect outcomes in all kinds of ways, like lost sales or for me, getting in the way of achieving learning goals.

While it isn't the only factor, in a world that has become more remotely delivered, the voice increases in importance in the same way the body decreases in importance when speaking on the phone. In the last year, 100% of my trainings were delivered remotely and, I also create scalable recorded content for customers, with my voiceover. For one large oil company, I am the voice of their training material for the product I train and when I give live trainings to them, people recognize my voice - which is weird.

If I am unable to speak fluently, stutter too much or slur my words, I can't do voiceovers. However, it also takes away some of the credibility I have as a trainer, as even though it doesn't change what I am saying, it affects the way the words are received. If for example my voice makes me sound uncertain in what I am saying, participants are less likely to believe what is said. If I am monotone or can't use inflection, emphasis or pauses well, the audience can become bored, frustrated, annoyed or struggle to pay attention.

Up until the stroke, I haven't had to work too much on this directly, as I have built it up naturally over the last 20-odd years and have learned what works and what doesn't via experience to the point it is unconscious. While this can be done again, I only have 25 years until retirement, so I don't have the time to rebuild and need to get it into suitable shape well before then.

This is why the rehabilitation process is so vital and if it isn't done well, it may take me far longer than I have to get back to a passing grade or, get trapped into new habits that are below the pass mark, making it even harder to rehab later. So, if this therapist isn't suitable, I am am going to have to find another that is and I am guessing that not only will they be difficult to find, they aren't going to be cheap and since I will have to do it out of the system, it will come from my own pocket.

However, I have to consider this as an investment as it is a tool that I use to generate my income and when a professional tool is broken, it needs to be fixed or replaced. I can't replace my brain or my voice, but my employer and my clients can replace me if I am unable to do what is required in the job. while I do not have an immediate fear of this, I do know that the leeway given doesn't last forever, meaning there is a ticking clock on my recovery.

I do think that things will workout in the long-run, but it is a worry in the short-term as my responsibilities and obligations do not go away because I struggle to meet them. Who knows, perhaps in the next six months or so crypto will go wild and I will be able to cover debts and have enough in reserve to never have to worry about whether I have work or not again, but for now - working is what gives me the provision to invest in that future and I am not close enough that I can do without it.

Every day, a new wrinkle.

Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]

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