Any stutterers out there?

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stwei

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Is anyone here a stutterer who has had to overcome public speaking engagements and embarassing interviews? :eek:

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This is actually a pretty good thread idea. Lemme keep it alive. I want to see what others have to say.
 
well, i don't have a stuttering problem (in fact, I don't think I ever did)..but I've always had a public speaking issue..All throughout college, it was painful for me to share my thoughts in front of a group of people..I thought that I would never get over it and would suffer dearly as a future physician.. That is, until I became a NYC Dept. of Ed. teacher. If nothing else, I've really learned the art of projecting my voice and enunciating words clearly..I've learned to focus more on feeling comfortable and assurance with the expression of my own thoughts as I spoke..both in front of my students and in front of my colleagues...

Hopefully, all of this practice that I have been having will greatly help me out once I start receiving interviews from medical schools in the fall :)

Even though my response doesn't exactly respond to the issue of stuttering, I thought that I would like to share it w/you anyway.
 
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I'm not a stutter, but I have a severe speach impediment. Just about any sound you can imagine (s, z, sh, ch, r, er, l, j) I have had a problem pronouncing correctly my whole life. I've just learned to slow down and speak as clearly as I can. Most people just think that it's a foreign accent, usually British or Australian. It has actually helped me in my interviews, giving me something to talk about, both in overcoming an obstacle and in the interviewer just wanting to know where my accent is from :) It really hasn't been a problem.
 
I don't generally stutter in everyday life, but in stressful situations, I can't hardly get out a sentence correctly. It's pretty embarassing for me, since I don't have a problem speaking to groups of people, but sometimes the one-on-one situations get my tounge all tied up. I'm not really sure how to fix this though. Suggestions? (Other than just slowing down and relaxing)
 
I have similar issues with public speaking. I don't stutter but can get caught up on certain words when I'm nervous. I recently have started to worry about how this will effect my performance in med school next year and as a physician in the future. I have decided to try ToastMasters to see if practicing will help alleviate my discomfort with public speaking. Has anyone tried this and found it helpful? I realize that a doctor presents things on a daily or weekly basis so I definately need to find some solution.
 
Man, I never stuttered until I got into college. I think it is due in large part to feeling out of place and all. I went from a small town to a big city and out of my moms house to living on my own. That is a little out of my comfort zone. For the most part, I think it has gone down quite a bit, but has not completely gone away which really sucks. I am also a poor public speaker. I really really wish there was an easy way of getting rid of this though.
 
wow, pretty good idea for a thread. while growing up, i had an outrageous stuttering problem, i mean really bad. i took speech therapy classes from 1st grade till 8th, and then in highschool it kinda went away. i still sometimes get it, but rarely, only when i'm super super nervous. thankfully it never happened at one of my interviews, until my last one, at nymc. my interviewer asked me questions and he wouldn't let me finish them, he'd just ask me another question then, it was getting annoying. then i got nervous and starting stuttering. he was probably wondering what the hell was wrong w/me. oh well. but yeah, growin up it was a huge problem, i'm just glad i got over it.
 
I never had a stuttering problem but I can understand why it would happen if it is a stressful situation. My advice to have lots of mock practice interviews so you get in the habit of talking one on one.

Also, have certain key points memorized that you want to address for every possible question imaginable that they can ask you. It takes time but it's worth it because it prevents you from becoming nervous and makes you sound intelligent.
 
On an encouraging note, one of my interviewers had a really strong stutter. It didn't 'go away' at all during the interview. He just kept at it, and after a few minutes I got used to it. I'm pretty sure he was an MD/PhD...so good luck to all of you going into this, he did it, you can do it ;)
 
Anybody who has a severe stuttering problem, not just in stressfulsituations?
 
I personally have not had this problem. My daughter did a little bit when she was younger and has grown out of it. However, her grandparents were very concerned.

So, I told them about a guest lecturer we had in confrence. This guy was triple boarded. He was a medical ambassador to Iraq. He was INCREDIBLY connected and had obviously done amazingly well in his career. He also had a slight stutter when he lectured to us.

Our family backed off a little after that. :)
 
Great thread idea!
I have a stuttering problem/speech impairment (many people think I have an accent, too- usually British). It's not as bad as it was growing up, but it is still an issue (e.g. not being able to order what you want from restaurants because you can't pronounce it OR struggling to say the usual thing you order, which probably makes the cashier wonder what's wrong with you everyday). I would like to hear what others have to say about overcoming this.
 
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People make way too big of a deal about how speech impediments are going to ruin their life. I remember going through speech therapy when I was younger and having one of the "therapists" tell me I will never be able to accomplish anything as long as I had an impediment. Boy, have I proved her wrong. Besides getting into three medical schools, I have won major competitions that included being judged on public speaking. Guess I showed her wrong. :laugh:
 
Fish3715 said:
Great thread idea!
I have a stuttering problem/speech impairment (many people think I have an accent, too- usually British). It's not as bad as it was growing up, but it is still an issue (e.g. not being able to order what you want from restaurants because you can't pronounce it OR struggling to say the usual thing you order, which probably makes the cashier wonder what's wrong with you everyday). I would like to hear what others have to say about overcoming this.

my speech therapist used to tell me to imagine the letters as rubberbands, and the goal was to stretch that rubberband, as long as you want, until the sound comes out. i practiced this for quite some time and it totally helped out my stuttering problem. for me, the consenants is where i got stuck at, not the vowels. so by stretching out the letter and speaking slowly, i never got stuck. after time, the technique gets easier and doesn't sound like you're trying to fix something, it sounds pretty natural. well thats my 2 cents on overcoming stuttering.
 
UCIgrad2002 said:
my speech therapist used to tell me to imagine the letters as rubberbands, and the goal was to stretch that rubberband, as long as you want, until the sound comes out. i practiced this for quite some time and it totally helped out my stuttering problem. for me, the consenants is where i got stuck at, not the vowels. so by stretching out the letter and speaking slowly, i never got stuck. after time, the technique gets easier and doesn't sound like you're trying to fix something, it sounds pretty natural. well thats my 2 cents on overcoming stuttering.

This is something similar to what I do. Basically, when I talk nowadays (as opposed to when I was younger), I try to take my time with certain words or pause a little when I speak. My speech sounds fairly normal (i.e. I don't stammer a lot, if at all), it's just annoying to have to put such a conscious effort into something that people can usually do without thinking.
 
there is a device out there called the 'speak easy' i believe that is designed for people who stutter. Its a more or less invisible ear piece that simply delays the sound as it is received by the outer ear by some factor (.5 to 100ms based on the individual's optimal delay). So one ear gets 'real time' sound, the other gets both some drastically attenuated 'real time' and larger amplitude delayed time sound. Apparently this feedback mechanism has been able to curtail stuttering significantly. I think it is made by a guy from East Carolina University... anybody have any more information?
 
i'm sorry, its called the speech easy:

www.speecheasy.com


Anyone have any experience with or know if it works? I don't stutter personally but I have tried it just to see how comfortable and audible the delay was. I hear it is quite expensive as well.
 
bump (by the way, speecheasy doesn't work too well... it works for a month b/c it is a distraction so you dont think about stuttering... and then it comes back. Reported by many)
 
Well, I'm gonna lay it all out here. I am dyslexic and have a speech problem. I have a very hard time communicating my point by speech. I can write very well and can run with the best of them. It is just when it comes down to speaking and explaining something, I have a disjointed thought process which makes things difficult for me. I've never sought any help for it, kind of brushed it off actually. During an interview, a couple times I had a hard time explaining something to my interviewer. I hope it didnt hurt me much but we did leave on more than good terms. I also have a very short term memory. I find it hard to remember things soon after it is said at times. I think its due to being sleep deprived. I dont know if this is a good place to share this, but oh well.
 
Well, I'm gonna lay it all out here. I am dyslexic and have a speech problem. I have a very hard time communicating my point by speech. I can write very well and can run with the best of them. It is just when it comes down to speaking and explaining something, I have a disjointed thought process which makes things difficult for me. I've never sought any help for it, kind of brushed it off actually. During an interview, a couple times I had a hard time explaining something to my interviewer. I hope it didnt hurt me much but we did leave on more than good terms. I also have a very short term memory. I find it hard to remember things soon after it is said at times. I think its due to being sleep deprived. I dont know if this is a good place to share this, but oh well.


:eek: ...why, you just described the exact problem I have! Well, almost. I wouldn't call what I have a "disability," although it may be a speech problem left undiagnosed. Like you, I always brushed it off, and since I never had to participate in class discussions prior to college, I never realized my speaking abilities were so weak. My writing skills are OK--but it helps that I can edit while I type to rearrange my thoughts more coherently....and I also have a really short term memory!! I retain much less info than most people I know. It's really scary to think how much I may struggle in med school just to get by.

Oh, and I'm finding that when I have to speak on the spot, I end up groping for the right words, and the sentences come out so slowly....I hate it. I'm fine making generic conversation, but whenever I actually have to contribute something of consequence--even if it's to talk about myself and my interests--my tongue gets tied up. I have immediate flashes of an IDEA of what I want to express, but actually finding the words has always been so difficult...like doing mental long division in my head. I think I just need significantly more time than the average person to formulate my sentences. For most people, oral expression is instataneous. You guys don't know how lucky you are!!

Anyway, thanks for sharing. It's good to know I'm not alone. :thumbup:
 
When I am infront girls, or having to talk infront a large group I stutter and forget what I am about to say....
damnit
 
I have more of a stammer than a stutter, does that count?
 
kingcer0x said:
i'm sorry, its called the speech easy:

www.speecheasy.com


Anyone have any experience with or know if it works? I don't stutter personally but I have tried it just to see how comfortable and audible the delay was. I hear it is quite expensive as well.

I do not stutter but I have a cousin who does. About 9 months ago he had a consultation and tried the speech easy. He read a history book in front of the speech therapist without the speech easy, and could barely get the words out. I wasn't there, but he told me it was pretty bad. He then put the speech easy in his hear and had absolutely no problem reading the same passage! It really does work. I think the way it works is it creates an echo of some sort so that the person who is speaking can hear him or herself speak, which either eliminates or dramatically reduces stuttering. I am not exactly sure the details, you'd have to read about it on the website. It is expensive however. Anyways, I think reducing stress can reduce how often someone stutters. My cousin stutters a lot when he is nervous or under a lot of stress.
 
oompa loompa said:
Oh, and I'm finding that when I have to speak on the spot, I end up groping for the right words, and the sentences come out so slowly....I hate it. I'm fine making generic conversation, but whenever I actually have to contribute something of consequence--even if it's to talk about myself and my interests--my tongue gets tied up. I have immediate flashes of an IDEA of what I want to express, but actually finding the words has always been so difficult...like doing mental long division in my head.

Yes, I have had the same problem groping for words. When explaining something, I sometimes use poor words because they don't "come to me" readily. So I end up using a word that might totally confuse the other person when I try to explain something. Then I end up correcting my error with another slightly better but still crappy word. Eventually I get it right, but it is at the expense of my perceived intellectual abilities. Its tough to say, but it is common that if one speaks well they are considered intelligent while those who can't are considered not-so. I've done testing to evaluate my intelligence, and I have done very well on those tests. But I digress, people don't walk around with their IQ written on their foreheads.
 
I knew someone in my undergrad that had a severe stuttering problem. It seemed to take him forever to get out the words in a conversation. He seems to have managed do very well in school despite his speech impediment. He's been an officer in a few clubs and he's had interviews to all of the medical schools in the state so far (I don't know how well he did in them though). :)
 
Jon Davis said:
Eventually I get it right, but it is at the expense of my perceived intellectual abilities. Its tough to say, but it is common that if one speaks well they are considered intelligent while those who can't are considered not-so. I've done testing to evaluate my intelligence, and I have done very well on those tests. But I digress, people don't walk around with their IQ written on their foreheads.

Yup, I hear ya! I think there are many attributes of intelligence, and speaking well is one of them...the most readily apparent one. It's unfortunate that though we may possess other intelligent "attributes," others may perceive us as being slow or stupid due to poor speaking abilities.

Anyway, I've tossed and turned over this issue for a couple years now, and have eventually "come to terms" with it. I'm not terribly worried about medical school. I'm just occasionally upset that my daily interactions with people are so limited because I never seem to have very much to say.
 
This is a very interesting thread.

I've always had a minor stuttering problem growing up but I didn't think it was too bad. Then I started college. For some strange reason, my stuttering became very apparent. I just could not finish one sentence without sounding like an idiot in front of everyone. Anyway, I just wanted to share. I'm glad that I'm not the only one out there! :oops:
 
I've got a little bit of a stammer sometimes, but usually it's more of an inability to get out the word I'm trying to say. It just feels like there's a dam keeping me from saying what I want, especially when I know exactly what I want to say (like if you're waiting to ask a question and know how you're going to ask it). It usually helps me to either find a word that starts on a different letter (I think vowels usually trip me up), or to ease off the gas pedal, so to speak, and take a breath before trying again.
 
I've got a little bit of a stammer sometimes, but usually it's more of an inability to get out the word I'm trying to say. It just feels like there's a dam keeping me from saying what I want, especially when I know exactly what I want to say (like if you're waiting to ask a question and know how you're going to ask it). It usually helps me to either find a word that starts on a different letter (I think vowels usually trip me up), or to ease off the gas pedal, so to speak, and take a breath before trying again.

I totally agree that slowing down to your authentic pace really helps. I'm also all for taking frequent deep breaths between words. These two things generally help a lot when I am speaking and feel myself beginning to stutter or stammer. I used to get way ahead of myself, and the result was a glitch in my ability to communicate verbally. Since slowing down my pace, I experience a great ease in my speaking. I very rarely have any trouble these days. Good suggestions to employ in any situation, particularly in stressful ones. :thumbup:
 
I totally agree that slowing down to your authentic pace really helps. I'm also all for taking frequent deep breaths between words. These two things generally help a lot when I am speaking and feel myself beginning to stutter or stammer. I used to get way ahead of myself, and the result was a glitch in my ability to communicate verbally. Since slowing down my pace, I experience a great ease in my speaking. I very rarely have any trouble these days. Good suggestions to employ in any situation, particularly in stressful ones. :thumbup:

*takes notes* :thumbup:
 
Yes, I have had the same problem groping for words. When explaining something, I sometimes use poor words because they don't "come to me" readily. So I end up using a word that might totally confuse the other person when I try to explain something. Then I end up correcting my error with another slightly better but still crappy word. Eventually I get it right, but it is at the expense of my perceived intellectual abilities. Its tough to say, but it is common that if one speaks well they are considered intelligent while those who can't are considered not-so. I've done testing to evaluate my intelligence, and I have done very well on those tests. But I digress, people don't walk around with their IQ written on their foreheads.

I have done this in the past, too. What I experience during those times is that there is some crucial expression that really wants to come through me, but somehow there is a disconnect that happens between body, brain, and mouth. Either I am unable to form the right words, or I form something close to it, but not the exact ones I am looking for. I generally end up efforting and not communicating myself effectively. And of course it all generally cascades downhill from there as I get progressively more embarrassed.

Well, as I mentioned in my previous post, I learned through lots of teaching and public speaking experience to slow way down to my natural pace and infuse breath into my words. This helped tremendously and my public speaking generally became quite easeful and powerful. But still I would sometimes not be able to "grab" onto the right thing to say to express what I wanted. This was particularly frustrating when it happened in the middle of an important moment. I was talking to a movement therapist one day, a teacher of mine, and she made a brilliant suggestion that perhaps what I was trying to say was "preverbal" and that maybe I was jumping the gun by trying to speak before I moved. :idea: It has never occurred to me to let my missing words come from movement until that moment (kinesthetically). From the point on, whenever I found myself unable to form the right words or phrases, I let myself pause, breathe and get curious about what my body or movement or gesture was trying to say, as if feeling my way through the "dark" with movement. It worked very well and nobody thought it was strange that I would sometimes pause to look for the words through my breath and movement.
 
:thumbup:
I totally agree that slowing down to your authentic pace really helps. I'm also all for taking frequent deep breaths between words. These two things generally help a lot when I am speaking and feel myself beginning to stutter or stammer. I used to get way ahead of myself, and the result was a glitch in my ability to communicate verbally. Since slowing down my pace, I experience a great ease in my speaking. I very rarely have any trouble these days. Good suggestions to employ in any situation, particularly in stressful ones. :thumbup:

<<taking notes>> Hey spiced, I didn't really understand your last post though (above my post). Can you elaborate please? This stuttering business is driving me crazy. Thanks :thumbup:
 
:thumbup:

<<taking notes>> Hey spiced, I didn't really understand your last post though (above my post). Can you elaborate please? This stuttering business is driving me crazy. Thanks :thumbup:

Sure, no problem. Basically, when I find myself in a situation where I am at a "loss for words" or unable to form the precise words that I want, the first thing that I do is to create a state of ease and flow in myself. This usually comes from taking a few deep connected breaths (more or less depending on the timeliness of the situation), which also has the effect of slowing me down to a comfortable pace, and getting some gentle and loose non-repetitive motion going on in my body (a stiff/frozen body generally reinforces a feeling of "fight-or-flight") starting with whatever body area seems "frozen" in me. It doesn't have to be huge movement or even noticeable. I'm a very kinesthetically-oriented person, meaning I learn best through moving/doing, so this gets my creativity going, too. Next, I stop trying to grab the word(s) from my mind; the more I grope mentally, the more I lock my body up, panic and get embarrassed by what comes out or doesn't come out. This works quite well just by itself. Really, you will appear pretty reflective and wise. Nobody has ever questioned that I stopped to pause for what I wanted to say. It's always, "Oh, I see."

A little on movement and development stages. Before any of us could talk, or even make meaningful sounds, we moved. You know, actions such as reaching out for something are very universally understood. So in essence, movement is really our first language. That's what I mean when I say, "preverbal"; movement came before words. In this sense, it really pays and makes sense to engage your body to aid your speaking. Some can do this by simply getting themselves into creative motion, while others might need to emote with their movements first, before translating it into meaningful words. I think this might be why some people tend to gesture while they are speaking. Either way, it works.

If I relax the part that is trying to desparately grope for the right answer from my brain (the gropping places a vice grip on my creativity), engage my body in creative, easeful motion and let myself move in the way that elaborates the quality of what I am looking to express, I can then translate that into the words that I need by observing what that my movement is saying. It's like listening to another voice that is not your brain's voice and letting that movement-voice guide your words. Of course this takes some getting used to, because most of us have become accustomed to using our brain only.

But all things considered, getting into a state of ease and flow, engaging mind and body, maintaining your natural pace (deliberately slowing down when you begin to speed up), and breathing often, is the way to go in all cases. Perhaps this alone will be enough.

:)
 
uhhm. i was already REPORTED you idiot! it will take a while ahha.

The only idiot is you, for trying to get your "rocks off" at others expense. I'm sorry your mom or dad didn't give you love when you were a child, but I recommend that you go see a shrink for your pathology as it will only progress as you go farther in your life.
 
giving medical advice is violating the terms of service. whose the idiot NOW.

REPORTED!

Common sense reasoning does not constitute "medical" advice. If I were to have a lapse in judgment and diagnose you using DSM-IV criteria and then recommend a suitable medical treatment, now that would be considered medical advice.
 
sorry. nice try though! you obviuously havent read the TOS. so i guess we will both be banned! *****!

Under your assumptions, a great many people would have already been banned. Recommending that someone seek professional assistance is in no way irregular. I offered no conclusion on treatment, simply that you seek the help that you may or may not benefit from.

If I receive a warning, so be it. But I really don't think it'll come to that.

On the other hand, I see no further reason to continue discourse with you.
 
My tongue gets tied quite easily. I haven't figured out what causes it. I've been fine with or without stress, and then I've experienced the tongue tied syndrome with and without stress. When the word pops out, it'll be a combination of two or maybe three words.
I also have this problem. For some reason when I need it most, my vocabulary goes right out the window. I'll be jabbering along and for whatever reason, I can't think of the word I need. It'll be a word I use all of the time and nothing that's off the wall or anything. It's like...synapse error. It happens more often than occasionally.
I worry about it in interviews.

"Yes, when I was....um...uh...hang on...I'll think of it...starts with a 'y'..."
:(
 
Hey guys, I have the same problem with grasping for the right vocabulary to express my flash of ideas. Its really nice to know that I am not alone. I have had this problem ever since I was a child, and went to speech therapy for several years. The diagnosis I recieved as a child was expressive language disorder. What really helps me express myself is reading a lot and working with crossword puzzles. Any activity where you are required to use the area of your brain that is responsible for expressing your thoughts, will build synaptic connections in that perticular area of the brain and make it easier for you to express yourself.
 
I had a really bad stutter that came and went without rhyme or reason but I have managed to overcome it by slowing down and taking a breath every now and then.

In the Marines I just cursed which worked well too but you can't do this too much in the hospital.
 
Yeah, I used to stutter horribly when I was younger. I still have a pretty bad stutter, but I just speak slower. It makes me sound like I'm collected and thoughtful, lol.
 
I don't stutter but I have some speech issues. I don't think they're related. I used to have a terrible lisp, have overcome that, although occasionally it my show up when talking. I also hate public speaking, although it doesn't bother me to talk in front of a group of people, provided its not a planned event. I can improptu about anything without feeling embarassed. I just hate to plan a speech because I'm just not that clever/amusing. I don't like to have to entertain people and I don't do it very well.
The largest issues I have are with everyday conversation. I forget words.... usually simple ones. Generally I can come up with a way of going around the word so that the person I'm talking to doesn't know the difference. Sometimes I just can't..... usually this gets worse when I'm nervous, though it happens when I'm not nervous as well. I also have can have a rather convoluted way of saying things, which can be frustrating for me and those that are listening to me. Another thing I do in normal conversation is switch words out for other words that may be somewhat similar but don't mean the same thing. When I do this, its not cuz I'm trying to find a word, it just comes out, without thinking, and then I may (or may not) realize it a sentence or two later.
None of these things really affect me terribly much because I can either come up with a word if I've forgot it, or those who know me know that I mess words up and as long as they understand what I'm saying, it doesn't matter. I do wonder what kind of first impression I make on people with my speech issues - or how its going to work when I'm a physician.
 
My tongue gets tied quite easily. I haven't figured out what causes it. I've been fine with or without stress, and then I've experienced the tongue tied syndrome with and without stress. When the word pops out, it'll be a combination of two or maybe three words.
I also have this problem. For some reason when I need it most, my vocabulary goes right out the window. I'll be jabbering along and for whatever reason, I can't think of the word I need. It'll be a word I use all of the time and nothing that's off the wall or anything. It's like...synapse error. It happens more often than occasionally.
I worry about it in interviews.

"Yes, when I was....um...uh...hang on...I'll think of it...starts with a 'y'..."
:(

This is exactly what I do! The words I forget are usually something silly and simple like "fork" or "fall" and I end up saying "utensil" or "autumn". Sometimes I can't come up with a word in time and feel really dumb.
 
I've always stuttered since I was a kid. Its peak was in high school, when it was actually really, really bad. My friends teased me, but I never really let it get to me. What really scared me to death was speaking to strangers. There were words I couldn't say out to other people - but those same words I could say infinitely out loud to myself in privacy. Funny as it may sound, I cannot, for the life of me, fluently say, "Four hundred" or anything with a number and the word "hundred" after it. So for numbers like 399, I simply say "three ninety-nine", as opposed to "three hundred and ninety-nine".

This condition improved a bit throughout my college years. I never actually remedied my stuttering, but I made improvisions by expanding my vocabulary. While I'm talking to someone and I sense that I'm starting to stutter on a particular word, I quickly switch that word with a synonym that I can pronounce. Thus, I adapted by simply expanding my vocaulary and kept it underwraps.

I actually did pretty fine job of masking it for quite a few years, and managed to have a long term girlfriend who didn't know that I was a stutterer until one of my childhood buddies mentioned it to her.

My stuttering did not rear its ugly head until after I graduated from college and went out to job interviews. All of a sudden things just clicked back and I stuttered heavily during some of those interviews. Unfortunately, I was applying for sales or customer-oriented positions at banks or financial firms and, needless to say, I didn't get those jobs. I suppose I can attribute this recurrence to the stress of the interviews, since it has almost died back down since.

I plan to start applying to med schools in about 2 years, so until then, I need to somehow get a better grasp of this condition. For everyday purposes, I can keep it under control, but I am just really afraid that my previous interview catastrophes will recur when I have to interview at med schools...possibly in front of several adcom members...:eek:
 
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