Michael Sheehan Achievements

Lifetime of Achievements

A Special Lifetime Achievement Media Award goes to public
relations executive Michael Sheehan, who dealt effectively with his
stuttering and became one of the best-known communications experts alt text in
the country.

His story was chronicled by Jennifer Reingold in Fast Company
magazine.

Growing up in New York City, Sheehan struggled with stuttering
from an early age, but that didn't stop him from joining the high
school debate team and being involved in theater.

His passion for words now makes him one of the most sought after
public relations consultants in the nation's capital. He is hired by
everyone from politicians and large corporations to unions - all relying on him to help them get their message across.

Not much stands in the way of Sheehan, who later in life, had a devastating stroke.

Just as he worked to deal with his stuttering, he had the
courage to beat this new challenge and win.

Here are several tips he provided to Fast Company to become a
good communicator:

Know what you want to do before you translate that into a clear
message.
Keep your message to just a few key points.
Make the first impression count.
Be animated when making a point.
Find creative ways to present the information and answer questions.
When doing public speaking, talk in short sound bites.
Ask yourself if you can make the audience say "Ooh, that's interesting."
Always tell the truth.

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Marilyn Monroe

From Edward S. Herrington's letter to Southcoasttoday.com

I am writing in response to "The importance of voice" (May 29), which mentioned that famous actor James Earl Jones struggled with stuttering. Another famous voice that you cited was the trademark breathy voice of Marilyn Monroe; however, you did not make mention of the fact that Marilyn Monroe also struggled with stuttering at various points in her life, sometimes very painfully.

Bob Love

Bob Love has dreamt about being a great public speaker since his early days in Bastrop Louisiana, even though, as a young man, he could barely put two words together, let alone speak a full sentence.

In spite of his severe stuttering disability, Bob Love, the son of a sharecropper, rose to become a Chicago Bulls NBA superstar, whose records were eventually surpassed by Michael Jordan. Throughout his entire athletic career, Bob Love kept his stuttering a secret from the fans who adored him, thinking he could do his “talking” on the basketball court.

Byron Pitts

Byron Pitts has brought much attention to stuttering with his memoir, Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges, released in September, 2009. The book not only details his speech difficulties, but also his illiteracy until age 12 and his unstable family life. Pitts overcame the odds to become the chief national correspondent with ABC News.

Bill Withers

While Bill Withers has long been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter, many people probably didn’t realize he stuttered. He passed away on March 30, 2020.

Born in 1938 in Slab Fork, W.V., Withers was the youngest of six children. When his father died when Withers was small, he was raised by his mother and grandmother, both of whom worked as domestics.

Ken Venturi

As much of the nation watches the U.S. Open Golf Championship, it is impossible not to think about our late friend Ken Venturi. Ken overcame many challenges to win the Open at Congressional in 1964 and go on to become the voice of golf for more than three decades.

However, Ken faced no bigger obstacle than stuttering. Ken Venturi was a champion to those who stutter, going out of his way to share his personal experience when consulted by a colleague, friend, or child who stutters.