Stutterer here. First of all, I think it's really great that you're proactively and thoughtfully asking how you can be a good support to your future employee. As someone who was almost fired for having a stutter, and who has had an exceptionally difficult time finding a job, which I suspect has been in part because of my speech difficulties, seeing your post and knowing there are employers like you out there is really heartwarming. (And I've been on this sub for at least a year and as far as I can tell, this is an unusual post, in a good way. If you're curious.) To answer your questions: Stutterers have different types of relationships to their stutters, and different types of stutters at that. Some people see their stutter as a significant part of their identity and life story, others don't, or have lots of different experiences with it. Also bear in mind that some stutterers have had massive emotional struggles or even trauma because of their stutter, others may have had milder struggles, others may be frustrated by it but not have a lot of emotions about it. In my opinion, all different perspectives are 100000% valid. I'm only bringing this up because psychologically, you're going to encounter a lot of different responses to the same questions. We can give you guidance here, but we may not reflect the perspective of your employee. So the best rule of thumb would be to take the person aside, in a safe, comfortable, PRIVATE environment, and with kindness and empathy (SO IMPORTANT), directly address your questions and concerns with them. I would definitely add a caveat in there that if they don't want to have a conversation with you about it, they don't have to, you're just trying to be helpful and an ally to them. (Also VERY important--don't force someone to have a conversation they may not want to have.) In that conversation, I would even reflect what you mention above--that you yourself have some social anxiety and you just want to understand how you can help them; it's a personal, genuine approach that I think is very relatable to a lot of us. I, personally, really feel comfortable talking about my stutter and don't mind it when people ask questions, but I also know a lot of stutters who feel the opposite way. But I think directness and honesty with kindness is the best approach in most interpersonal situations. If they tell you, verbally or nonverbally, that they're uncomfortable or don't want to talk about it, tell them you understand and back off. Before I address your first question a few quick things: - Generally speaking, in my personal experience and from what I see other stutterers do, maintain eye contact throughout a conversation, whether the person is speaking fluidly or is stuttering. I feel that if someone looks away it creates a lot of awkwardness on both sides. When I speak to speak those whose stutters are worse than mine, I'm mindful of doing this because I really do think it's mutually respectful. - I would not try to help them with the word; a lot of times when I can't get a specific word out that I absolutely need to use and someone says it for me, I feel stupid and worry that the other person thinks I'm stupid. I think a lot of other stutterers feel similarly. - If the specific person likes to make light of the situation to ease tension, follow their lead, but I wouldn't initiate it. I will sometimes do this when talking to strangers when I stutter badly and it generally does lighten up the interaction, but it sometimes feels emotionally taxing to me, like I had to to make \*them\* feel better and not me. I would probably feel upset if someone tried to do it for me, like they were making fun of me. But like I said, if the stutterer initiates this, follow their lead, they might have a different perspective about why this is helpful to them than I do. To answer your general question about how to help when someone starts stuttering? Speak to them like you would anyone else. There's nothing worse than knowing someone thinks of you differently just because you have a speech impediment. You'll adjust to the way your employee speaks pretty quickly. But, sorry to repeat myself, the best way to answer any of your questions is to engage the person in a private, thoughtful, kind, direct conversation where you make it clear to them they don't have to talk about it if they don't want to, but that you're genuinely looking to do what you can to help them. And follow their lead if they want to continue talking/not talking. Look for nonverbal cues too that they don't want to talk about it but feel like they have to because there's an uneven power dynamic at play. If the answer is no, don't act differently or treat them differently afterwards. Just carry on as you would with any other employee. Finally, should you let the people on the team know the new employee has a stutter without their explicit consent? Absolutely not. No way. I can't imagine how I'd feel if there was a group conversation about my disability before I even walked in the room. I'd feel less than, and yes, very, very embarrassed. Please keep in mind that some people understand what a stutter is, but you'd be surprised by how many don't and will treat stutterers poorly out of either ignorance or malice. Plus, keep in mind that stuttering is legally considered a disability, and I don't know 100% where having a conversation with your team without the presence/consent of the stutterer falls under disability law, but I'd tread carefully there. Treat a person who stutters like anyone else, unless you have a discussion about accommodations. Sorry this is such a long post, I hope it's helpful, and I'm happy to answer any questions you have. Again, it's great to hear a non-stuttering employer asking how they can help a future stuttering employee! Edit: typos and formatting