Working with Insecurities

My coworker has been struggling slightly in training, and despite my attempts to assist in any way I can, things simply seem to be getting a little worse.

He is a very nice young man, and I know that he wants to succeed in this new position, however I can't help but wonder how this guy was hired in the first place. He has already admitted to having a speech impediment when he was younger, and I can tell that he is still required to focus on what he is saying, slow his speech down, and slowly blurt out whatever it is he is trying to say. This could spell trouble for a sales position.

Granted, I am not the one who is accountable for hiring anyone. I probably don't see what others may have seen in this young man during the hiring process, and I certainly admit that my opinion is just that: one man's opinion.

However, in a training session that is essentially a classroom atmosphere, we are required to answer questions asked of us in order to demonstrate that we have a thorough understanding of the material. Whenever this young man is questioned, he immediately becomes very confused and jumps from topic to topic in a matter that I have never seen before.

Can he just be nervous? Probably. Unfortunately, this trend continues whenever he and I are simply having a conversation. For example, when I asked him a simple question about how his meal was at dinner tonight, his reply covered everything from his meal to basketball. It was truely amazing to see this type of advanced ADD happening right before me, and certainly a little sad.

I do wish the very best for this new coworker of mine, and I will continue to help him in any way he needs with the job... but I see this as being a difficult position for him.