Those pesky little pauses that we take in order to give us a bit of a break so we can think of what to say next

 

Everyone has um’s and ah’s in their speech. Some more than others. In normal conversation among friends and colleagues they are hardly noticeable, and sometimes charming features of our unique speaking style. In public or when making a professional address, they could become irritating affectations that distract the listener and interfere with the effectiveness of our communication.

 

There are some public figures today that have “um” or “ah” as a feature of their public remarks. This is most prominent when they are speaking without a script or when answering questions.

 

Um’s and ah’s are habits, features of our speaking style with which we have become comfortable, and on which we have come to rely. And like many habits, they can be modified or even broken.

 

The strategy to tame them is fairly simple; practice speaking without them. But implementing this is challenging. If we understand that what we are doing with um’s and ah’s is giving ourselves a little bit of space, some breathing room, literally and figuratively, so that we can think of or form what we wish to say next, then we can deal with them effectively.

 

The trick is to slow your speaking down.

 

Practice making a statement two or three sentences long over and over again without saying um or ah. Start off speaking slowly. It may required that you speak unnaturally slowly, but remember, this is practice, and practice is artificial. As you gain the ability to say the sentences without um or ah, speed up, gradually getting to a natural pace. Try this with new or different sentences. Try it with a set of remarks that you have made publicly before. Try it with new material.

 

Practicing is not easy. It requires patience, determination, encouragement and support.

 

As always, this process is easier with the help of a trusted friend or coach.

 

Never, ever practice correcting your um’s and ah’s in a live situation. It will only distract you from your actual task which is communicating a message, and likely increase the frequency of these pauses.

 

Ideally, as you incorporate this strategy into your actual public speaking events, it will affect your natural speaking style positively, in that your speaking may slow down a bit, which is often a good thing.

 

Good luck.