Umm...Filler Words

I recently watched a speaker who used 11 ‘umms’ and ‘ahhs’ in the first 26 seconds of their presentation.  That’s nearly a filler word every 2 seconds!  I became fixated on them.  I started counting.

To make matters worse, this wasn’t a scared 6-year-old trying to explain to an adult inquisition how the kool-aid stain appeared on the carpet, it was an experienced land developer presenting a proposal for an 8-figure construction project.  Tens of millions of dollars were on the line. 

At the end of the meeting, a decision on the proposal was deferred.  While I’m sure it wasn’t entirely because of the incessant ‘umms’ and ‘ahhs,’ those filler words undermined the audience’s confidence in the speaker.

Filler words can be a persistent thorn in the side of any presenter.  They distract your audience from what you’re trying to say and break your focus, leading to more hesitancy, more filler words, and the downward spiral continues. 

But it doesn’t have to be that way.  There is a solution.

Step 1: Awareness

Whether it’s “umm,” “ah,” “like,” or “so,” the vast majority of speakers are unaware of their reliance on filler words, and it’s hard to solve a problem you don’t know you have. 

To assess your reliance on filler words, fire up your webcam or phone and record 60-seconds of you presenting.  Don’t just talk—that’s cheating.  Instead, present work-related content to an imagined audience of your co-workers or clients.  Pull up a slide deck or spreadsheet if you have to.  Make it feel like a real presentation.

Once recorded, watch it back with pen and paper.  Make a tick mark for every filler word you encounter. 

If you have less than 3 ticks on your paper, you’re doing pretty good.  Three or more and it’s worth devoting some time and attention to reducing your reliance on filler words.

Step 2: Know the Flow

Perhaps you just finished one content area and you’re determining where to go next—“umm...” 

Or someone in the audience just asked an unexpected question and you’re searching for the answer—“ahh...” 

Regardless of the situation, filler words find their way into our talk track when we’re searching for what to say next; when we aren’t super comfortable with the flow of our content.

To solve that problem, you don’t (and probably shouldn’t) memorize a script.  Instead, know which topic you’ll start with, what examples you will discuss, and the general outline of your presentation.  If you’re set on memorizing something, memorize the transitions that carry you from one topic to another.

Knowing the flow of your content eliminates the hesitancy and searching that so frequently gives way to filler words.  But we won’t always know what comes next, and in those situations, Step 3 applies.

Step 3: Embrace the Silence

The poet Thomas Carlyle famously penned, “Under all speech that is good for anything, there lies a silence that is better.”  In public speaking, silence is an engagement tool, an emphasis tool, and a confidence tool.  There’s nothing better to substitute for a filler word than a moment of silence.

It takes great resolve on behalf of speakers to endure the seeming awkwardness of staying silent.  However, if you can become adept at substituting silence for filler words, you will rapidly rise in the ranks of great oral communicators. 

Step 4: Practice

Phil Mickelson was first introduced to golf when he was 18 months old.  He’s been playing ever since.  He has his 10,000 hours.  Yet, before every tournament you can find Phil on the range hitting balls.  Practicing. 

Presenting and public speaking are skills, just like golf.  And to improve your skills, you need to practice.  That includes practicing presentations without the use of filler words.

And you already know how to practice.  Record yourself presenting for 60-seconds.  Make those tick marks.  Look for silence.  Set goals for improvement.  And when you’ve reached your goals, congratulate yourself, but occasionally revisit this activity to ensure no bad habits reappear.

Don’t be the presenter that has your audience counting your filler words and ignoring all of the valuable content you worked so hard to assemble.  Keep your content front-and-center by eliminating filler words from your vocabulary.