Hi everyone, I'm Julie with San Diego Voice and Accent
and in this video you'll learn how to stop over
using filler words like um uh and like.
How often does this happen to you? You're talking to other people and then
something happens. You lose your train of thought
or you're not sure of what to say next and then this comes out of your mouth
"Um...well... yeah, like yeah... um... so
you know... like, yeah..." The dreaded filler words! Don't worry
it happens to all of us, and a few filler words are okay
they help you to sound more relatable to your audience.
But a lot of my accent and professional voice clients have been asking me for
help with this very thing. They want to know "How do I stop saying
um, uh, and like when I'm talking to other
people?" The good news is there is a solution, and
with practice you can get better at it. You
can learn how to stop saying um, uh, like, and other
filler words. And in this video I'm going to give you
four tips that will help you to stop using filler words
and help make your speech much more fluent and effective.
The first thing to do is embrace the pause.
When you're speaking, try to deliver your message in smaller chunks
or thought groups. When you're done with that chunk of information or
thought group, instead of trying to fill up the gap with a filler word
like "um" as you're thinking of the next thing to say,
you should pause for one to three seconds, breathe,
and then continue with your message. One to three seconds sounds fairly short,
but in the moment it will feel like an eternity. But it's
not - that's just your mind playing a trick on
you. Pausing in those moments when you would
normally want to use a filler word has many benefits both for
you and the listener. Pausing can stop you
from using a filler word. It also gives you the time to take a
breath and gather your thoughts while you transition to your next point.
Pausing also allows your listeners the time to comprehend
and process what you just said and then they'll be ready for your next
chunk of information. Pausing can also be used to add emphasis
to a key point in your message, or if you pause for a few more seconds,
it can build suspense and add dramatic effect.
So the number one thing you can do to stop saying filler words is to embrace
the pause - just let it happen, one to three seconds,
breathe, think of what you want to say next, and then
move on to your next point.
In order to become good at using pauses you need to practice, so the second thing
you can do to stop using filler words is to record yourself
as you talk. And at first you should choose something
that's easy to talk about - maybe what you did that day or what you
ate for dinner the night before. And then listen to the recording and
count the number of times you used a filler word.
Becoming aware of your speech habits will help you to know how often you use
a filler word, what type of filler word you usually use,
and in what context you use them. After you
have become aware of your filler word habit, the
third thing you can do is record yourself
again, but this time focus on chunking your message into smaller
thought groups and pause at the end of each chunk of
information, And pause whenever you feel like a
filler word is going to come out. Then listen to the recording and take
notes on how you did.
And lastly and most importantly, you need to practice.
Practice, practice, practice - I can't stress this enough.
The more prepared you are for your speech or presentation,
the less likely you are to speak too quickly,
stumble over your words, or forget what you want to say next.
At the very least, you should practice your entire presentation
three times before you actually need to say it in front of an audience.
I hope this video helps you to polish up your speaking skills and stop
over using filler words. Thanks for watching,
and let me know how I can help.