How to Avoid Filler Words
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- čas přidán 21. 07. 2024
- How to avoid filler words when speaking, public speaking and stop saying um, you know, uh, like, you know, and other fillers. FREE 7 Instant Tips for Confident & Composed Public Speaking
www.alexanderlyon.com/
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I consider this one of the best speaking tips because it worked for me! It will help you improve your public speaking and presentation skills.
Some researchers call these vocalized pauses or filler words and they can take away from that nice confident sound most speakers want.
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i was on a bus today...there were two school girls who used i was like at least 57 times in a 15 minutes trip..i was bored so counted them
Ha! It's true that some people count them. At least you were entertaining yourself.
🤣
I was like just wow! ;)
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
It's interesting you pointed out it was school *girls.* There's been research that women are more likely to use filler words because pausing often allows for men to jump in and cut them off mid-thought.
Let's be honest. We all searched for this.
🙄🙄😭
Yes, I've newly been promoted as a Learning specialist. I needed this.
Wow you are a magician 🤭🤭
Yes I did it too
I actually searched for communication skills, and I was fortunate to see this vedio!
Timestamps:
0:57 Get comfortable with silence
1:31 Develop a new habit with practice
2:00 Say “Period” or “Pause”
2:38 Take a breath
We don't need time stamps on a three minute video. What's wrong with you?
@@organboihe just showed himself if he still alive
Thanks for the time stamps! Sometimes people want to go back and listen to an idea again. ❤
I work from home as a customer service agent. One night my 13-year-old daughter happened to be in the room when I took a call. After I hung up she says to me, "Pa, you say um a lot." I had no idea, that I was THAT person. I've been working on it since, and pauses are now common.
Nice video, thanks for the tips.
Thanks for sharing your example. It's great that your daughter gave you feedback!
My worst one was "I was like..." and I replaced it with the verb I really wanted to use, namely "thought" and "said". This eventually grew to me using synonyms like "wondered" and "told".
Not only did it make me feel like I had a better grip on how I felt, but it made my stories and anecdotes so much better. I could feel people listening to me with intent.
My boss gave me a call to tell me I did well for my presentation, except that I kept saying 'ok'. That was a little embarassing, but something to definitely work on! Thank you for this video, God bless you too!
Great tips and advice for fillers, I would also say that if you are giving a presentation you should ensure that you have done the right amount of preparation, know your topic inside out, break it down into manageable and memorable segments, video yourself and practice practice practice. By doing this you leave yourself little room for the filler words, its not about memorising everything word by word but being confident about the whole message.........more confidence, more control, less um's and ah's. Your video's are excellent .
Good point. Agreed.
There's little or no time to prepare an impromptu speech
I’ve edited a video that I used a lot of fillers and basically muted the sound everywhere that I was using fillers to see if the silent instead of filler feels natural. And It was feeling natural and way better than the filler. Good tips, thanks :)
That's a great idea!
I speak 3 languages. I always use the equivalent of "you know" and "dude" in all of them. I have noticed that I use filler words especially when I am frustrated, angry or very nervous. Thanks for this video.
Interesting!
Great Video! My advice I always give my students is to SLOW DOWN when speaking. This will 'help keep your brain moving faster than your mouth'- so you can have the next idea in place before you get there.
Plus, that slower pace gives your audience a chance to understand and absorb your message.
Cheers!
I recommend recording your speech and listen to it carefully. Try say the same thing over and over again until you liked the way you said it.
Practice, practice, practice!
It's like singing, sometimes you think it sounds just fine, and sure it may be but in a serious situation never sing it in public till you've listened back to it, and avoid a possible big time embarrassment.
My fillers are 'you know', 'right' and 'Um'and I feel like I use them to reiterate what I want said because sometimes I don't say what I really want to and rely on fillers to reiterate it
I think I add fillers when I talk because if I know I’m not done saying what I want to say, and if I pause to continue gathering my thoughts, I’ll get interrupted. So I feel like I use the fillers so they (whoever it is I’m talking to) will hear that I’m still saying something and not jump in to quickly. I HATE it though, especially when I use the words “literally, like, you know” 😫
Thanks for your example, Jojo Hop. That makes sense to me. I think you'll find that 99.9% of the time, people won't jump in if you pause for a normal amount because you'll give off lots of other nonverbal cues that show you're not yet down talking. Usually, when we're done talking, we give off a collection of nonverbal cues that says it's the end of our talking turn.
@@alexanderlyon and so what do you suggest we do in a situation like this
Personally, I think if someone jumps in too quickly, when you haven't finished what you were saying, it means they weren't really listening anyway!
@@lindalaspada7004 not really, it could just be a lively conversation.
I am so tired of fillers and I have been using them on all 3 of the languages I speak
I have really noticed the "ums" in my public speaking now that I am doing Facebook Live with the COVID ordeal. Nervousness has a lot to do with it, but what you said about being comfortable with silence really hit home. Thank you so much for your tips.
I'm glad the tips help, Chris. I'm sure you'll get better with just a little practice.
I so agree with the reason for fillers. I keep filling silences and that also reduces the importance of what I am trying to convey.
That was great! I end up with silent pauses because I am mentally disabled and have to think of the next word, but hearing this video makes me feel better about the pauses and maybe I can use them when they happen. Thanks
Yes, pauses can add a lot to a presentation. If you keep them to 1-2 seconds (which can feel like a long pause), you're good to go.
"PERIOD"+" Pause&breath "+SILENCE❤👍
I had to record myself for my class and I realized just how much I say "you know." I don't say "like" and rarely use "um" but I use "you know" all the time. Thank you for this video, it is really helping me avoid fillers
Good job! You found yours. I used to say "sort of." That was mine. I had no idea until somebody pointed it out.
Just is a filler word.
Thank you so much for these advice. I liked the fact that we can be comfortable with a pause o silence.
I notice I tend to use «so...» very often.
Thanks for sharing, Flor. I have used "so" a bit in my life, too. :-)
Outstanding tips Alex!! Thank you very much!! God bless you too and your family always!!
I love the:
Getting comfortable with the SILENCE! I took that one to heart!
Just uploaded and watched my first video and... UMMM... this is the first video I looked up. Thanks!
Glad to help. I hope your videos come out well.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIP. I THINK THEY ARE REALLY HELPFUL ESPECIALLY THE 2ND AND 3RD TIPS
i need this. thank you!
Thank you for your help. I will definitely try these! I am guilty of saying "like" and I have found that it is due to anxiety/nervousness. But I am keen to try these tips!
Thank you
Hi, Sarah. Thanks for the positive feedback. I'm happy to help.
I have the same 'like' problem! Ive noticed it now that Ive started putting CZcams content up. How have you been going with this?
@@jacktaylor7696 same struggle for me, people have been telling me about it, but i don't know how to fully control every word i say
@@lindaezemedolu Hey Linda. I've recently been paying attention to it in general conversation and 'mentally' correcting myself. I also try to use more pauses when I speak in general conversation and slow the rate at which I speak slightly... which helps to draw a listener in. I also talk to myself (practice) haha to try and iron out these filler words... Ive found that people use words such as 'like' and 'um' to buy time/use it as a tool to help them think as they decide what to say next... instead of utilising the silence. I really only noticed when I started putting up CZcams videos and thought it was bad and really detracting from the message. When I have spoken publicly in the past with a script I'm ok. Hope this finds you well. I'm not sure how this resonates with your experiences? Cheers :)
@@jacktaylor7696 thank you very much, i will practice more and be more conscious of it in my speech. Will try silence and speaking slowly 💕
This was great!
Excellent video with helpful advice. What absolutely ASTONISHES me is how many professional broadcasters and reporters over-use the word "Uh" or "Um" these days! Years ago these people would have been fired for such pathetic articulation. Just watch virtually any unscripted spontaneous broadcast, or podcast interview, or a press conference about some recent event, and notice how virtually everyone nowadays uses such irritating filler words, mostly "Uh" or "Um." Count them, and it's not unusual to hear HUNDREDS of them in the course of a relatively short 10 or 15-minute press conference.
You're right. Even so-called professional broadcasters use almost constant fillers.
Love the video man, I say so many filler words and when I rewatch my youtube videos, that's when I realize that I need to stop using filers such as: uhhh, like and you know.
Glad it was helpful. I used to have fillers, too. If you make it a point to work on it, you'll get better. No doubt.
Communication Coach Alex Lyon ❤️
im new to speaking english and it put a long soooo infron of every phrase, your tips sound cool im gonna try them
Thank you for sharing
Love it! And will tried it!
I just posted an updated and more in-depth version of this a few weeks ago. You may want to look at it.
This was absolutely awesome - thank you so much!
Thanks, Anthony! Pleased to meet you.
@@alexanderlyon I had solved my uuummmm issue by embracing the silence in my presentations. I would have gotten there a lot quicker had I known your additional tips. Thanks again.
Thanks for the video! I use um to much. I am working on it.
That was very helpful 👍
I hearing that so much here. I didn't know it before. But the moment i noticed it i can't unhear it. Literally ummmm to every words. Talking, reading you name it.
Thanks Alex will practice it and get rid of these fillers.
This is the issue I've been wanting to see however I'm glad I seen the other videos prior to finding this because I've benefited from your other videos. 👍I would playback my videos and count all the "like" and "ums" on my videos and get upset and redo them it was frustrating. Thank you and God bless you Alex, this is a blessing
Thanks. I needed this lol
Um doesn't irritate me as much as like, awesome, totally or you know.
Agreed. I notice that "you know what I'm saying" bothers me a bit more than "um."
@@alexanderlyon Wow! soo funny reading down these comments is also pretty entertaining (and cute at the same time i might add), especially how many people on here get annoyed. Tells me you guys need to "Um" chill a little 😆😅
“Like” annoys me the most because they always using it
great tips!
I learned English as a Foreign Language, and I acquired fluency with practice, now that I am a teacher, I realized that I say "ok" and "yes" many times! 😭 I'll practice what you said in this video, I hope to improve my speaking with your advice. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing! Great example, Cecilia.
Great tips thank you!!
I love the advice to practice louder! GREAT idea!
Yes, those little issues stand out when they are loud. :-)
Great tips!
umm... I needed this! Thank you!
Thank you sir for such a mesmorising words and tips to avoid filler words
thank you coach alex
Thank you, Royal Priesthood.
great video...Congrats!!
Wow! excellent videos always👌
Thank you so much 😀
Nice video..Silence is power!
Uh, thanks, um, I can talk so much better now like it is actually uh, amazing. So thanks again for the ah, tutorial.
Lmao, just as this video ended, the first thing I said was the filler word “Um” and I can’t stop laughing at how ironic it is to say “um” right after a video about stopping them.
But I’m thankful for this video.
Ummmm yeeeea lol
I love this channel
"I love you too. But, I do feel the need to see other people." That's a Jerry Seinfeld quote. But, seriously. Thank you for the encouragement.
Great video
Thanks Alex and God bless you too!
I FREQUENTLY USED 'UM','A','YOU KNOW ' NOW BECAUSE OF YOUR 2ND TIP I NOW KNOW THAT I SHOULD AVOID USING THEM
Very helpful. I hadn't noticed that this was even something I struggled with until I recorded a podcast yesterday. So much cringe. Gotta get better.
Now that you're aware, you'll improve quickly.
I sometimes have the tendency of repeating my last statement. Btw, thanks for the tips.
This really helped me. I'm 15 episodes into my podcast and my god I used fillers too much. "um.like" and sadly "fu**ing." are my filler words. Its hard to pause cuz we run 3 or 4 people at a time and pausing means someones gonna jump in. So we gotta slow it down a bit.
Thank you!
Thanks for the tips. I often use fillers when I'm trying to organise my thoughts. Will try out your suggestions.
I notice even really bright people have this tendency, e.g., lecturers.
I have learned a lot in this 3 minute video
Tnx
Thanks a lot
Thank God there are videos like this. I can't STAND ya knows!!
Mine is "you know", comes out very naturally at the end of most sentences. It lends a very matter of fact feel to things I say. 😂
You know what I'm sayin?
I've been using the word, "Right?" lately...and it is so annoying. Recently got called out for it, and yep, watched the video, and annoyed myself to death. The message was otherwise compelling if it wasn't for all the distracting "favorite word" usage (which was unconsciously done). I'm guessing the same tips provided above should work for this?
BTW, I love your video ending, saying "God bless!" That is very encouraging and I love the vibe from a fellow believer! :) Thanks for including that.
Thank you
Thanks. Helpful. I am using the filler um a lot. Now trying to fill with silence.
You got this!
Instead of "period" or "pause", "over" (like you would say on a walkie talkie) is another one that can also be used across multiple languages. I will continue to experiment with different words and potentially make an update reply in a couple of years.
Great points
I like a period and a pause
"I mean" "just" "like" "literally" "or whatever" are the fillers that annoy me the most and I mean I'm like literally guilty of doing this or whatever.
Sometimes when I'm spacing out in class and there's a back and forth discussion, I'll pick someone and count how many times they say "like". I even bought one of those button counters just for this. My record's 17 likes in about 30 seconds.
Something I've recently noticed is that people start every phrase with "I mean" and I can't stand how people use "literally" in LITERALLY every sentence ans end every sentence with "or whatever".
Maybe I'm getting a little too "Dead Poets' Society" but I can't stand it; it's like nails on a chalkboard for me. Just clean your speech up a little and you'll seem way more intelligent. Would you want your lawyer, doctor, pilot, police, etc to sound like that?
It's 'like' nails on a chalkboard for you? Why not ban the word in instances in which its use is justified and replace it by others: 'similar' or 'such as' , at least until you learn to stop using and abusing it.
Now you have 104 likes.
That is why If someone says "that is literally crazy!", I say "naw, its figuratively crazy."
The word "literally" is overused. A friend of mine used that word 5 times in 2 minutes when telling a story. None of the usages were correct. I've thought about the word and why its overused, and I've come to think of it as a crutch, to signify to others " I'm not being sarcastic, I'm telling the truth" Mcdonalds is across the street. Vs. Mcdonalds Literally (I'm so serious I'm not lying) is across the street.
That looks like crazy. Damn, like how could you be like using the word like 17 times in like 30 second?
thank you
To many people now use the word “So” to begin a sentence, even though that is grammatically incorrect.
So is "To", but not this "so".
@@MyLittleMagneton this is the most confusing sentence ive read in the past months.....
@@MyLittleMagneton he meant to say "too" not "to"
I say “so” and “you know” way too much. It’s gotten to the point that I need to work on this because I’m starting a business and need to be confident talking to potential clients!
Thank you so much😍❤
You're welcome!
I have always said a lot of filler words without thinking about it. I’ve been more conscious of the times I say it and even try to notice how many times other people say it. I still say it pretty often when I’m trying to give a solid answer right away but when I’m telling stories, I’m purposely trying to avoid them and take pauses as I speak until I have my next thought ready. It’s very hard but it’s doable. My next challenge is getting rid of “like” “so” and “just.” Since they aren’t necessarily most of the time, although..”so” and “just” seem to take the tone of the seriousness down a little. Telling someone “sorry, I’m just now waking up.” Vs “sorry, I was sleep” has a whole different vibe from it. Idk if this makes sense but I feel the urgency or genuine consideration of the other person’s feelings become less meaningful. “Sorry, I’m JUST now seeing this text.” Vs “Sorry, I didn’t see this text.” One feels apologetic with anxiety for not replying and the other feels like you’re unbothered by having missed the text.”
um.. and... you know... are my favorite fillers. I frequently use them a lot without
any intention. Actually, I am not familiar with being silent between one word/sentence to another. I will try the fourth tip _ take a breathing_ for my first step to decrease the time for using fillers. Thanks for your tips....
Happy to help, May.
Thanks
I'll just, you know, go ahead and, like, like this video.
I have started to do videos and OMG I use You know sooo much :( got even a comment by someone saying I can't watch it because you say you know so much.
Need to practise a lot to cut this out.
Great tip, I need to practise :) Thanks
You're welcome. It takes practice but you'll be surprised at how quickly you'll improve.
Someone has brought this to my attention.
That's the first step. My mother, years ago, told me I said "kinda" a lot.
I have the habit of saying ,you know
Um
Aaa
But now I improved a lot ❤
Thanks for your wonderful tips ❤
I kind of use "please" as a filler word. It started when I was a little girl, I liked flaunting how good I was at using my manners, I always said "please", "thank you", "you're welcome" and seemed more like someone who went to finishing school than a regular girl, especially a girl with autism. That manifested into me saying "please" much more than necessary, which I still do to this day at age 27. I didn't even realize I did this until a year ago when someone pointed it out to me.
Interesting example, Robin. Thank you for sharing.
it really annoys me when i use too much "uh" in my speaking! it's reaally distracting me... after i presented i think that i don't even know what am i saying
Hi, Asuka. We all have bad habits but if you keep working at it, you'll get better.
Know what you’re talking about. Haven’t read the other comments, but in my personal experience, when I am presenting a topic I’m not confident in (I.e., understand), I use um or uh. And that is because I need time between thoughts that I wouldn’t need if I understood my topic near 100%. So don’t work on fixing the ums and uhs, but rather the knowledge gap that makes you say those things. Also, ask your boss or boss’ boss if you will need to speak. Speaking on an item confidently can relay on expectations as well. If unexpectedly asked to speak, you may fumble while gathering your thoughts.
Thanks coach
You're welcome, coach! :-)
I think it will help us if we slow down and listen to ourselves.
i really searched for drum tips for fillers. But this came out usefull also..
Really? That's hilarious. Glad it was useful.
@@alexanderlyon ye thats the truth xD but it felt like something i didnt want to miss so watched it and thanks for the tips :)
Thank u
That's OK to forget words, we all just a human being. When we said "I mean" /"like" this words just made a bridge between what we planned to said and what we actually try to explain.
I would love to eliminate "kinda" from my vocabulary, it seems a handy filler when describing/demonstrating a creative process. I notice this with a lot of creative people.. "kinda" seems a good filler for describing things that are variable or highly subjective.
That's a tough one to get rid of.
Great
Content
Thank
You
Man
Silence
And so what or how can I do it actually
New habit
Period. Silence
Breathe
This was stressful to read xD
I am not a native speaker, but my English is somewhat okay; I really need to improve on avoiding 'aaa' sound. I observed that I use it when I am thinking of what to speak next, or when I do not find the right word (Vocab) to express my thoughts. Any suggestions would be of great help.
Thanks for the video - I like the 'pausing tip'
Exactly the same happens with me!
This could of worked for Bill Gates during a conference a few weeks ago. lol
Great video I guess I'm a new subscriber
Welcome aboard, Raven. I look forward to reading your comments in other videos.
I am from India and i was interviewed by uk base co. recently. First question interviewer asked me to tell about your self, how you have chosen this domain, what do you like about your work and the co , all at once. Within 10 sec I went blank and not been able to create first impressions mostly because using uh, umm , like, you know filler. I struggle to start , furthering pitch and to end with proper phrases , what should I do, please guide!
I've just listened back to an interview I did and Urgh, way too many 'you know' and 'um' s. 🙈. I was afraid to leave any silence.. I felt anxious listening to it, I want people to feel relaxed listening to me speak.
If I’m silent (ie pause for breath or form my thoughts) I would be interrupted. I think this helped me form the (bad) habit of fillers 🤦🏼♂️