Me, My Speech, My Voice

Some people don't find it easy to follow what Luke has to say. When it comes to Luke, Luke is the expert: here is a bit of a background story and his tips for a good conversation:

Every 4 months I get a botox injection in my voice box, and guess what, I like needles, call me weird, I like to be weird! And mad! Haha! 
 
After I get botox I feel like I’m in a bubble. My voice is quieter and people can’t hear me so well. As time goes on my voice gets freer and I can talk louder. Another thing that helps me is Coca Cola because the bubbles soothe my voice. 
 
Afterwards I cough a lot, especially when having food and drink. I’m meant to sip it so it goes down easier but sometimes it’s hard because people rush me, and I eat and drink faster. 
 
I use the speak easy app on my phone and it talks to you. I use it to write words and when I can’t spell the words. I use it for back up when people do not understand me. I use it pretty much every day, because people don’t understand me and it makes me feel more comfortable to use it.  
 
Concerts and parties can be hard because I can’t shout.  
 
Before I have my botox I feel like I’m in a straight jacket because I have a bit of a stammer.  
 
Some letters are harder for me to say, especially vowel like ‘a’.  Also ‘h’ is difficult. So, so difficult! When I say these letters, I tighten up and I don’t know why. 
 
When people listen to me they understand me better, and when they give me patience and time to speak. If you haven’t understood me then you need to ask. 
 
It pisses me off when people don’t listen to me properly. Sometimes people rush me, I don’t like that. I get angry inside, I feel like the Hulk! Sometimes I don’t show it when I’m angry. When I get angry it’s because people don’t listen to me and my throat gets tight and it physically hurts. 
 
When I talk fast I feel like I’m stuttering and when I’m stuttering I make random noises. When this happens, people need to just listen. 
 
When I have botox and my voice is lower people think I sound sexy but I think I sound like Batman. When the botox wears off my voice is normal.  
 
These things are really important to me. Thank you for reading, and may the force be with you.  
 
#myvoice #myspeech #tttp #inclusive #botox #cocacola #Hulk #angry #Batman #straightjacket #personal #whatisimportanttome #myapp #speech #voices #physical #physically #talk #talking

Written by Luke Manwaring, Published by Dom Palfreman