Your Aid Area

Speaking clearly is tough (as long as those duties are not crucial to the job, an available place for the worker to go to be alone for quiet time to help alleviate the stresses of the job, rest breaks to prevent stimulus overload and fatigue, job restructuring, part-time or modified work schedules, reassignment to a different position, acquisition or modification or workplace equipment or devices, training materials or policies in baille or a simplified language, provision of readers or interpreters (disability rights center). Many employers are willing to work with former employees hoping to return to work after brain injury, particularly if they were in good standing prior to their accident/injury. Often times, an agreement is reached which will allow the individual to return to work on a gradual basis as their strengths and abilities increase. For example, if the individual is having a difficult time remembering what tasks to do, it may be recommended that they carry a notebook to write down what is asked of them.

Clear Speech: Training

• Talking well is often more clever than talking cleverly. Unfortunately well-established, poor communicators legitimise bad communication. Poor communication in high places is copied by less experienced communicators who think that what they hear and see is “best practice”
• Speaking well is in part associated with pronunciation. It’s the appropriate use of vocal cords, mouth, tongue, lungs and brain
• Indistinct speech can result from slurring words, speaking in the muffled voice, running words and phrases together, dropping endings and just failure to enunciate words or groups of phrases

Tense Voice, Good Pitch

• The other end of the spectrum is a distressed voice. Some have developed a habit of talking in a distressed voice as part of their normal conversation. It is hard to describe but when you hear someone do it, you will know it.
• Speaking clearly is something that we’ve had to work on during the pursue the passion tour because most of the people don’t know what to expect when we walk through the door. So the professionalism point has really been a focal point.

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