Saying a filler word or two during your presentations is perfectly normal. However, if almost every sentence has a “like” or an “uh” in it, then your presentation is going to be a disaster. Your audience will be distracted and might view you as an incompetent and unprepared speaker. As a presenter, your main goal should be to continually improve your skills for effective communication and become more successful with each effort. However, if your presentations or lectures are jam-packed with filler words, then you will fall short of that goal. What Are Filler Words? Filler words can be simply defined as the words or sounds that a person repetitively says throughout his conversations or in this case, presentation. Good examples of fillers include but are not limited to the following: “like”, ”uh”, ”anyway”, “um”, “you know”… you get the point. Filler words seem to roll off the tongue so effortlessly that we are often unaware that we are using them. If fillers have become a significant part of your regular speech pattern, then you may have a hard time controlling them. Why Are Filler Words Bad? There are two major reasons filler words should be limited or avoided in public speaking.The first reason is that filler words are downright irritating. Just imagine you are the listener and the speaker ends almost all of his sentences with “you know”. Wouldn't you be irritated? Likewise, your listeners will be frustrated if your speech is chock full of ums, uhs, and like. In addition, your audience may not focus on your message simply because your presentation is filled with too many off-putting words and sounds. The second reason is that the use of filler words can diminish your credibility. Just think, what kind of impression would your audience have of you if you constantly use fillers? They would think that you are not knowledgeable of your topic or just downright dumb. This also sends the message that you did not prepare thoroughly for your delivery. If you want to avoid these negative outcomes, then you need to make a commitment to learn how to improve the communication skills at your command and do your best to, once and for all, banish these grating words from your lexicon. Effective ways to avoid fillers Removing filler words from your presentations and even daily dialog is quite challenging. However, with the enough dedication and practice, you will be able to overcome this hurdle, improve communication skills, and become a better presenter. Many speakers instinctively use filler words to avoid pausing during their talk. They wrongfully have the impression that pausing will put off their audience when in fact the opposite is true. People respond more positively to skillfully placed pauses than to filler words. Pauses are not irritating; plus, they engender respect. The next time you are tempted to say filler words do not be afraid to pause and collect your thoughts before you begin again. Most People won’t interrupt you Many speakers fear that if they share a fact perceived as inaccurate listeners are going to interrupt and correct them. This fear can trigger the introduction of a filler word. However, in general, always remember that people will respect the person speaking in front of them. Take confidence in this knowing that you have the authority to speak. Your audience will not interrupt you unless of course you ask them to. Be Prepared One of the major reasons speakers use filler words is that they are not fully prepared. In order to recall the script, speakers will often use fillers as a way to collect their thoughts. In this case, the key to overcoming this bad habit is to prepare through proper planning and rehearsal. Master the important points that you need to convey until they are fully imprinted in your mind. When practicing, try recording and playing back your presentation. This tactic will reveal your use of filler words. True enough, removing filler words from your speech is quite difficult. But if you make it a goal to gain mastery over them, you will surely be able to eliminate them from your presentations in no time. Also, consider taking public speaking classes. Public speaking classes are one of the most effective ways to improve communication skills and remove filler words from your speech.
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