5 steps to eliminating those “ums” and “ahs”

Excessive filler noises, like “um,” “uh,” “you know,” and “like”, can chip away at your credibility and distract from your message during public speaking and business presentations. Reducing these noises can help you sound more confident and be a more polished presenter.

Here are five steps to eliminate them:

Step 1: Awareness. The next time you’re speaking on an online meeting, record yourself on your phone and listen back to identify your filler words, their frequency, and when you tend to use them most. Simply recognizing them can drastically improve your delivery.

Step 3: Embrace the pause. Train yourself to pause instead of filling space with noise. Give your audience time to reflect on what you’re saying. It gives your words more power. Pause before and after making an important point. Pause after asking a thought-provoking question. Pause between sentences. Understand that silence is golden.

Step 4: Slow down your speech. Rushing your speech increases the chances of using fillers as your brain tries to keep up with your mouth. Speaking at a deliberate, relaxed pace gives you more control over your words.

Step 5: Practice, a lot. As you become more familiar with your content, you won’t have to try so hard to remember what comes next, and most filler sounds will disappear.

With mindful preparation and practice, you can break the filler word habit and become a speaker who turns heads, wins hearts and gets results.