It is quite wrong to assume that speech disorder treatment is something that only children should go for! There are so many adults having problems with their speech. It can be due to a variety of reasons. For example, as you know, stammering is most often caused by nervousness or anxiety. Some adults may stammer when they are called on to speak at important events. This is a perfect case of a coworker stammering during a presentation or a group discussion.
In the professional sphere, failing to speak impressively can cause professional damage. It does not take a second for a client to shift their attention away from the presentation if the speaker stammers or talks in an unclear voice. The concerned person may be very adept at their job but they fail to make an impression because their speech is so dull. It is important for such professionals to ask for help from a speech therapist.
More often than not, such individuals are not proactive about seeking help from an expert. You have to nudge them towards getting help for their speech problem. This nudge can be a very delicate and critical task! If you are not very tactful, you may end up hurting the person’s feelings. This sort of a blunder has a two-fold effect. First, the person will get defensive and refuse to seek help, assuring you that nothing is wrong with their speech. Second, the consciousness of the problem will make it worse. They will feel worried about their speech even more because they will know, through your nudge, that others are aware of their speech issues.
There are so many ways in which you can handle the situation and nudge the coworker tactfully. For starters, you can talk about your own struggle with proper speech, real or imagined. This will create a sort of empathy towards your coworker’s problem, paving the way for you to ask them to check up with a speech disorder treatment specialist. Alternatively, you can approach the person with some concrete help, like the phone number of a speech therapist. You can always say that someone you know has worked with that therapist and have recommended the person highly.
The idea is to make the coworker realize that there is nothing wrong with speech impairment. It is however a little foolish to keep struggling and harming your professional career when there is help available readily.