HZad Fam!
If you are new here, welcome! Today’s blog is all about the importance of concise or succinct speech when conveying messages to your listener.
Fillers are phrases, words, or sounds that take up space in communication but add zero substance to the message. Here are some examples: “you know, like, uh, eh, ee, mm, etc.”
Using fillers can help our speech sound more natural and relaxed.
Example: “Uhh, give me a second to think about that.”
However, using TOO MANY fillers quickly becomes distracting for the listener. Furthermore, it can make you look less confident and less credible.
For example: “ehhh I’m from ahhhh this little town in uhhhh Ontario called uhhh Guelph.”
See how difficult that sentence was to read?
That’s also what it’s like to HEAR sentences with lots of fillers. Your listener has to focus extra hard on what you say when you overuse fillers. It can be exhausting.
Here are a few solutions you can practice to eliminate too many fillers:
Build awareness:
– Record a video where you speak spontaneously (without a script), then watch the recording and COUNT how many times you use fillers.
Slow down:
– Really THINK about what you want to say and be specific. Make sure every word you say is intentional.
Pause more:
– Don’t try to speak continuously, without stopping. Pause between your ideas so you have time to think about what you want to say.
Good luck!