Snooze your Filler Monster

This is uhh, basically, an article about filler sounds…um…words and phrases.

You know, the kind of things that just like….pop up……in your presentations.

You know what I mean? The sort of thing, those….umm…sounds and err….words that disrupt and disturb your…ahh…flow….as a presenter.

They can grow into phrases….I mean…like literally…. they can uhh…..eat away……umm…at your confidence as a speaker and also……

ummm…….make it uhh… harder for someone to really…….uhh..like… listen to you.

The occasional bit of filler you can live with. And so can your audience but…….

When they essentially….pop up in every sentence….they become a distraction, your confidence slips away, and it feels like the filler monster…basically…has you…..

Image credit: John Scarrott

Here’s how to keep your filler monster at bay:

• Prepare what you’re going to say: writing down words gives you something to rehearse from.
• Rehearse your words: say what you want to say out loud. Record yourself.
• Listen back: note where your fillers are creeping in. Swap them for a pause. Make a mark on your script.
• Rehearse a second time: pausing where you made a mark and record again.
• Listen back: and notice what has happened to your fillers. They should be less frequent.
• Added Bonus: your pace will be that little bit slower, and you’ll feel more in control.

Keep practising: and over time this will become a part of your style without the need to record.

You’ll snooze your filler monster. And do the exact opposite to your audience.

“More killer. Less filler. Less pace. More space.”