Mark Straker

Mark Straker
Construction Management (2002)
Project Manager, Robertson Construction

From an early age I have suffered with a stammer, unsure what triggered it but it was just part of me as a child. I tried various types of NHS speech therapy which worked in varying degrees, however nothing notable to suggest it was resolved.

School was a challenge at times. As I am a sociable person I did not let it stop me and with a strong family behind me I left school at 16 and studied a BTEC in construction at the local college. College was better and I even managed to achieve GNVQ Student of the Year award!

After a successful university spell at Heriot-Watt, graduating in 2002 with an honours degree in construction management, I joined the Robertson Group in 2015. I have delivered several projects for Robertson, including the construction of the Event Complex Aberdeen (TECA). However, I felt that my speech was beginning to get steadily worse over the last year and a half. This was starting to affect me as a person and knock my confidence, which it never did before.

I saw a programme on ITV called School for Stammerers which was first aired in January 2018. It focused on six new students with varying degrees of severity of a stammer who joined The McGuire Programme which is a lifetime membership to a programme full of support, ongoing courses and help for your stammer. The entire course is founded and instructed by people who stammer. Returning graduates come back and work on their speech as well as helping other new students on their quest. I instantly knew this was something that I needed to be a part of.

Having made some initial enquiries about the programme and speaking to my family for their support, I knew this was something I needed to do. There was a course just the month after in February in Newcastle (which is near to where I grew up and where my parents still reside in Northumberland). The initial fee for the programme was significantly high but looked promising.

The programme included a four-day residential course where you have little or no contact with the outside world. I could not speak to my wife and sons for three days until the family-and-friends speeches on the Sunday.

The course was absolutely fantastic and it has changed my life. It has bolstered my arsenal of weapons to use in any speaking situation. Since then I have spoken at a full assembly at Albyn School, presented at my cycling road race event and participated in a hospital radio interview. I also did an STV interview on a feature at News at Six. More importantly for me I now regularly present at the monthly Stop for Safety in front of two to three hundred people or more.

This for me is simply amazing – to even imagine that I would go out and seek out speaking opportunities now in front of 300+ people would pre-McGuire be unheard of. This has been supported by my employer Robertson Construction.