Urm… Uh… You know… Hmm… Oh yeah… Pause (Uh) Fillers…

Have you ever counted the number of “uh”, “urm”, “you know”, “hmm” or “now” read in your speech? I did. It’s not pretty. I still remember the first time someone counted for me. It was so bad that he stopped counting at 60. He wasn’t alone, of course. In fact, it came to a point where the president of my old Toastmasters Club considered fining 10 cents for every “urm” and “uh” in our speeches; to get the club out of red numbers! (I won’t name the club for “face” sake.)

Now that I think about it… I should have. Imagine the amount of money that could have benefited our club. We had 25 members at the time, with an average count of 20 “urms” and “uhs”, which equaled 500. In one session, we could have easily made $50! What a great deal!!!

At Toastmasters, we have a term for these nasty word plagues. They are called rupture fillers. Pretty obvious, right? They fill in the breaks in our speech, usually subconsciously. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), we all practice this habit in our oratory evolution. When we forget a word or a point in our speech, we inadvertently make these strange sounds while trying to remember what to say next. Sometimes they also “help” fill the sudden silence that occurs in the middle of our speeches. I even notice speakers use pause fillers as crutches when they get nervous and scared.

So are break fillers necessary? My answer is a resounding no, unless you want to convey to the audience your lack of confidence and preparation. Pause fillers also significantly reduce the impact of your speech.

But here’s the problem. Quite often, these pause fillers manifest themselves without warning. So how can we remove them if we don’t know when they will appear?

First of all, be mindful of your speaking! That was the first piece of advice I received from a highly respected speaker after my appalling performance of pause fillers in my inaugural address. He told me to listen to myself while he delivered my speech. And every time he’s about to spit out a pause filler, catch him (figuratively, of course). Something like this:

“As you can see, the energy is… (potential ‘urm’ trigger: stop it and then continue)… everywhere. In fact, you are immersed in it. (potential ‘urm’ trigger: stop it and then continue) You can even feel it…”

At first, this may sound a bit awkward. It feels like your engine just died on you. However, after a while, the recovery time will get faster and faster. After a while you’ll notice that you don’t even feel like filling your pause with “urms” and “uhs” anymore.

In second place, have someone in the audience count their break fills. It is impossible to notice all of your pause fills and with a third party, he or she could objectively identify them. At every Toastmasters meeting, we have this kind person who helps us do that. He or she is often called the “uh-counter.” In my case, I not only learned that I was constantly contaminating my speeches with “uh”, “urm”, “you know”, “hmm”, “now” (the list goes on)… Noises and gestures. I have a habit of applauding every time I make a point. I will also clear my throat at odd moments in my speech.

“Ok, NOW (claps) I’ll move on to the next point. (clears throat) NEXT (claps) (urm) I’ll share with you more (clears throat) my (urm) experience…

Yes, it’s that bad.

In third place, Get used to silence in your speeches! In oratorical speeches, silence sometimes speaks louder than words! Not only does it build suspense, but it also allows your audience to digest and process your message. In fact, pauses are also the fundamental mechanics of humor. Notice how the comedian always pauses before unleashing his joke. It’s the same in your speech.

In your next speech, pause after each important point you’ve made. It doesn’t have to be too long. Two seconds should be enough. You can even insert the pauses in your written speech. This will remind me to pause every time you reach a certain point in your speech. As you experience your pauses, you will gradually become comfortable with silence. You’ll also notice that the need to fill silence with pause fillers is no more!

In one of the speech contests, the finalist came up on stage, walked to the center, and was silent. He stared at the audience but didn’t say a word. After a really awkward pause of about 30 seconds, he said, “I can’t do it…” and walked away. The emcee returned to the stage, apparently surprised. But before he could say a word, the speaker suddenly turned to the audience and spoke again. “That’s life my friends. In times of need, in your desperate moment when you feel like giving up, is there someone out there to hold you back and encourage you to stay strong?”

The power of pause my friends!

Lets play a game. The next time you give a speech, no matter how long or short, ask your friend to count the fillers in your pauses. Let me know if you broke my record! (smile)