We are looking for participants (coachees) for a WDR documentary in the series People up close .

It hurts: Not knowing what to say. No topic comes to mind. There is nothing you would like better than to talk to others, but there is this insurmountable hurdle. It is not only with strangers that people prefer to remain silent. You avoid your work colleagues, your circle of friends says you're just passive. In the family, the others talk.

Outsiders often ridicule speechlessness as exaggerated shyness, misunderstand it as arrogance, or simply ignore it. But people who experience themselves as speechless often become lonely inside. And your career doesn't necessarily have to suffer as a result. People prefer to hide in documents instead of discussing. You have all the details of your subject at hand, but you prefer to postpone the next phone call.

For the show, together with WDR, I am looking for people who talk about their speechlessness. We want to use intensive portraits to awaken understanding for this underestimated problem. As a coach, it is particularly important to me to show ways out, to offer sensitive, concrete help.

Numerous films of the series People up close have been awarded prestigious television and media prizes over the past ten years. The team approaches those affected with great respect as part of the production of a public broadcaster.

If you know someone who has been affected or feel addressed yourself, please contact me at arno.fischbacher@stimme.at , via Skype at skype:arno.fischbacher or by phone at +43 (699) 11 000 002. I look forward to our conversation.