Yes, all of his 20 “crutches” (his word) are avoidance techniques. His theory is that if you avoid all instances of stuttering for long enough (if you “hear only fluency”), your brain will change into a non-stuttering brain. Given that stuttering has a genetic component, this doesn’t make sense to me, but let that pass. Lee Lovett says that stuttering is “not neurological,” which is unsupported by decades of research. For the curious, here is the list. 1. Skip first letter or syllable. 2. Use a synonym, similar word or phrase 3. Skip the word entirely or spell it 4. Insert alternate word(s) or sounds and jam into feared word 5. Tell a story about the feared word 6. Change or rephrase the entire thought 7. Whisper 8. Modulate voice or change voice register; be EXPRESSIVE 9. Extreme pronunciation or accent, gestures, body language 10. Speak immediately, hold your tone and link words together 11. Speak like a king/queen [similar to 9] 12. Smile and laugh while talking 13. When all else fails, STOP TALKING. Take a breath for 2 seconds then speak like a king/queen. Other Lee Lovett suggestions: Write what you want to say, then whisper what you wrote Talk less Ask questions (gets listener to do more of the talking) Speak softly Speak slowly Use extreme pronunciation Smile the entire time you speak Insert a full STOP every few words