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Using “um”s, “uh”s, “you know”s and the like are NOT the way to appear credible and be persuasive!
Here’s how to eliminate them: Take a breath in before you speak, then use the air that you breathe out for your speech. When you are done with your phrase or sentence, STOP, take a breath in and use that air for your next phrase or sentence. This takes a bit of practice.
You are essentially Replacing Filler Words with Pauses . This, by the way, is the correct way to speak:
Step 1. Hit the record button on your voice recorder app. Don’t be scared! You can do this!
Step 2. Take a breath in (all the way down to your stomach.)
Step 3. Using the air that comes out on your exhale say a short sentence.
Step 4. Stop. Breathe into your stomach again.
Step 5. On your exhalation say another short sentence.
Practice this for 5 minutes every day for 10 days. You are practicing replacing filler words with pauses and a breath in.
Filler Words Begone From All Areas of Your Life!
Ok, now you know how to replace filler words from your speech but how to do make it a habit in your life?
Keep in mind that unlearning old habits & learning new ones requires a bit of exaggeration. So don’t be afraid to use long pauses & loads of air while you’re speaking. And you have to sound a little crazy in your head. That’s the point of using the recorder. Because even though it sounds weird in your head, you’ll play it back on the recorder & it’ll sound amazing! After a while you’ll find your new normal–filler word free!
Now choose three categories in your life where you want to eliminate your filler words. Do you use fillers in meetings more than with friends? Do you want to be filler-free during talks with your boss? How about when giving your elevator pitch? Chatting up a cutie pie on a first date?
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Write down some things that you might say during your chosen categories & apply the 5 steps. Don’t worry–you won’t have to memorize everything you’re ever going to say. Just do it for about a week. Each time you do it you’ll get better in your spontaneous speech. After a few of these exercises you’ll start to see this technique seeping into your everyday speech.
Happy filler-word free life!