Lean in closer to her when she’s talking. This will reassure her that you’re interested in what she has to say. Tilt your head towards her. Look down every now and then, so that you can look back up at her face. Try not to look around the room, or over her head, as this will make it seem you’re more interested in finding someone better to talk to.

Keep your words simple, relying on your body language to do most of the communication. Say something like, “Hi, I’m Joe. What’s your name?” When she tells you her name, smile and repeat it. Even if her name starts with a letter that’s difficult for you to say, such as a P or a D, you can turn it to your advantage. After all, this is a good way to confidently introduce your stutter.

You’ll want to keep your lips, tongue and jaw moving gently, maintaining a sense of relaxation in your brain. Take all the time you need to get the word out. The most important thing is not to panic. She’s not likely to mind your stutter if you don’t.

Pausing happens naturally during speech anyway. For example, “This. . . is maybe the most. . . boring. . . class party ever. ” You can use eye contact along with your pauses, and finish the statement with a smile.

You can ask more open-ended questions after an initial introduction, such as “What do you do for fun on the weekend?” The more open-ended your question, the broader her response might be.

There are a lot of famous people who had persistent stammers into adulthood, including Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, and Winston Churchill. There is not a cure for stuttering, but over the years many entertaining treatments have been devised, including having people talk to the beat of a metronome or to draw an 8 with their finger as they talked. One famous “cure” had people eating carrots while they talked!

The hazards of paying a girl a compliment are that she might become flustered and not know what to say in response. Be prepared with follow-up question in case this happens. For example, you might offer the statement, “You seem like you’re in a good mood today. ” If she doesn’t respond, follow it up with an open-ended question, such as, “What did you think of that last song?”

Try identifying with others, rather than comparing yourself with them. After all, you can only see what they appear like on the outside - inside, they may be struggling with insecurities that you can’t see. Feelings of self-consciousness interfere with your ability to engage confidently with a girl.

Talk to a close friend or relative for about 5 minutes, and stutter on purpose at least 5 times in a clearly noticeable way. Stutter in the very first part of the conversation to put your stuttering in the open right away. Go to a fast-food restaurant or store, and intentionally stutter when asking a question or giving your food order. The goal with these exercises is to practice feeling confident through a stutter. This won’t eliminate your stammer, but it will help save you from feeling terrible about stuttering when you’re talking to a girl you want to impress.

For example, in the word “soda,” intentionally linger on the s-sound, and gently pull through to the o, as “s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-oda. ” Repeat this practice with your parents, or a trusted friend, intentionally slowing down the consonants at the beginnings of words. For example, ”Wwwould yyyyou like to go out for ddddinner tonight?" Try challenging yourself by intentionally stuttering on words or consonants that tend to be difficult for you to say without stuttering.

One way to put aside your self-consciousness about speaking is to intentionally stutter right away in a conversation. Then you won’t have to worry about when it might crop up. Once you’ve stuttered, notice her response. Did her way of interacting with you change once you stuttered? Or did she seem not to mind?

The National Stuttering Association (NSA) offers groups specifically for teenage stutters, as well as groups for children, and groups for adult stutterers. Sometimes attending a support group is the first time a stutterer meets others who share their problems. Groups are often open to parents, friends, and families of people who stutter, as well as professionals who want to learn more about stuttering.