A NEW MEMOIR BY SHIL SHANGHAVI
BROKEN WORDS
FINDING FLUENCY AS A GLOBAL SPEAKER WHO STUTTERS
___________________
I've stood on stages around the world.
I've also spent my entire life mastering how to speak.
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"Shil's story is proof that mastery isn’t the absence of fear. It’s what you build on the other side of it. Shil shows us that courage is a discipline. And it’s one any of us can learn."
Wanjira Mathai
Chair, Wangari Maathai Foundation.
TED Speaker. Kenya
Paperback
AU$39.95
incl GST__________________________
ABOUT THE BOOK
THE STORY BEHIND
THE STAGE
Broken Words moves across 19 cities, including: Bangkok, Cancún, Nairobi, London, Perth, Paris and Singapore. Each chapter immerses you in a speaking engagement - the ones that went well and the ones that did not.
Shil takes readers inside the reality of speaking with a stutter, sharing the invisible mental processes happening behind every sentence. These include the split-second decisions, the words rearranged mid-thought, and the methods he developed over a lifetime of navigating conversations in real time - and on stages where people pay to hear him speak.
This is an honest account of the blocks, prolongations, repetitions, the moments everything fell apart, and the unseen cost of stepping onto a stage when your voice doesn't always cooperate.
Along the way, it's a book about communication, public speaking, storytelling and grit, and the conversations that have shaped Shil's career and life.
This book might do the same for you.
THE JOURNEY
19 cities. Global stages.
__________________________
ABOUT THE BOOK
THE STORY BEHIND
THE STAGE
Broken Words moves across 19 cities, including: Bangkok, Cancún, Nairobi, London, Perth, Paris and Singapore. Each chapter immerses you in a speaking engagement - the ones that went well and the ones that did not.
Shil takes readers inside the reality of speaking with a stutter, sharing the invisible mental processes happening behind every sentence. These include the split-second decisions, the words rearranged mid-thought, and the methods he developed over a lifetime of navigating conversations in real time - and on stages where people pay to hear him speak.
This is an honest account of the blocks, prolongations, repetitions, the moments everything fell apart, and the unseen cost of stepping onto a stage when your voice doesn't always cooperate.
Along the way, it's a book about communication, public speaking, storytelling and grit, and the conversations that have shaped Shil's career and life.
This book might do the same for you.
THE JOURNEY
19 cities. Countless stages.
__________________________
INSIDE BROKEN WORDS
WHAT LIVES BETWEEN THE WORDS
A close look at the rigorous, emotional, and deeply human work that happens before a sentence reaches the room.
THE SPEAKING
SEQUENCES
The preparation, breathing patterns and in-the-moment choices that underpin a polished keynote. Shil details the process he uses to speak to music. awdawd awdawd dawd awd awda dawd awdaawd awdad awd awd adwdawd dawdawd awddad.dawdawd awddawd awd
THE STUTTER
IN REAL TIME
Blocks, prolongations, repetitions, mental Tetris and the awkward silence inside a sentence. The book documents the system Shil built over a lifetime of speaking while managing a severe stutter. awdaw awdawdawda awdawd dawdd awdaw dawd awd awd awd dawd d
THE REALITY OF
BEING A SPEAKER
Beyond the international stages and selfie videos lie unglamorous, overlooked parts: business development, reputation management and constant risk. Shil shares these moments, showing how they built the foundation for a global speaking practice.
__________________________
INSIDE BROKEN WORDS
WHAT LIVES BETWEEN THE WORDS
A close look at the rigorous, emotional, and deeply human work that happens before a sentence reaches the room.
THE SPEAKING SEQUENCES
The preparation, breathing patterns and in-the-moment choices that underpin a polished keynote. Shil details the process he uses to speak to music.
THE STUTTER IN REAL TIME
Blocks, prolongations, repetitions, mental Tetris and the awkward silence inside a sentence. The book documents the system Shil built over a lifetime of speaking while managing a severe stutter.
THE REALITY OF BEING A SPEAKER
Beyond the international stages and selfie videos lies unglamorous, often overlooked parts: business development, reputation management and constant risk. Shil shares these moments honestly, showing how they built the foundation for a genuine global speaking practice.
__________________________
PERSONAL NOTES FROM SHIL
WHY I WROTE IT
MY FAMILY
Nobody in my family has written a book. I wanted to be the first, and I wanted it to be for them: my dad, Kish, my mum, Shree, and my sister, Sheena. They gave me the foundation for a brilliant life.
BECAUSE I HAD NEVER WRITTEN IT DOWN
I have told pieces of my stuttering story on stage for years. But the breathing sequences, playing mental Tetris, managing awkward silences mid-sentence, and the days my speech system collapses, have never been documented properly. This book puts the whole mechanism on paper.
TRAVEL CHANGED ME
I regularly travel the world, experiencing cultures, racism, near-death moments and more stages than I can count. Every city grounded me, tested me and occasionally nearly broke me. I did not want to keep that growth to myself.
READER TESTIMONIAL
What
people
say
Shil’s story is proof that mastery isn’t the absence of fear. It’s what you build on the other side of it. Shil shows us that courage is a discipline. And it’s one any of us can learn.
__________________________
PERSONAL NOTES FROM SHIL
WHY I WROTE IT
MY PARENTS
Nobody in my family has written a book. I wanted to be the first, and I wanted it to be for them: my dad, Kish, my mum, Shree, and my sister, Sheena. They gave me the foundation for a brilliant life.
BECAUSE I HAD NEVER WRITTEN IT DOWN
I have told pieces of my stuttering story on stage for years. But the breathing sequences, playing mental Tetris, managing awkward silences mid-sentence, and the days my speech system collapses, have never been documented properly. This book puts the whole mechanism on paper.
TRAVEL CHANGED ME
I regularly travel the world, experiencing cultures, racism, near-death moments and more stages than I can count. Every city grounded me, tested me and occasionally nearly broke me. I did not want to keep that growth to myself.
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A story of fluency, resilience and the words we fight to say.