How to Reduce Fillers in Your Speech

Have you ever listened to someone speak and counted how many times they said “um”, “uh”, “like”, or “you know”? Have you ever caught yourself using these filler words in your speech? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you’re not alone. Filler words are very common in everyday speech, especially when we’re nervous, unsure, or unprepared. But they can also make us sound less confident, less professional, and less credible.

Filler words are words or sounds that we use to fill the gaps or pauses in our speech. They don’t add any meaning or value to our message, but they can distract our listeners and make us lose their attention. Filler words can also affect our communication skills, as they can make us sound less fluent, less clear, and less persuasive.

So how can we reduce or eliminate filler words from our speech? Is it even possible to speak without them? The answer is yes, it is possible, and it’s not as hard as you might think. In this blog post, I’ll share with you six simple steps that you can follow to reduce fillers in your speech and improve your speaking skills. Whether you’re giving a presentation, participating in a meeting, or having a casual conversation, these steps will help you speak more confidently, more professionally, and more effectively.

Step 1: Increase Self-Awareness

The first step to reducing fillers in your speech is to become more aware of them. You can’t fix something if you don’t know it’s broken, right? So the first thing you need to do is to identify the specific filler words that you tend to use in your speech. Here are some ways to do that:

• Record yourself delivering a speech or ask a friend to give you feedback. One of the best ways to increase your self-awareness is to listen to yourself speak. You can record yourself giving a speech or talking about a topic that you’re familiar with, and then play it back and listen carefully. How many filler words did you use? Which ones did you use the most? How did they affect your speech? Alternatively, you can ask a friend, a colleague, or a coach to listen to you speak and give you honest feedback. They can point out the filler words that you used and how they impacted your message.

• Identify the specific filler words that you tend to use. Once you have listened to yourself speak or received feedback from someone else, you should have a list of the filler words that you use the most. Some of the most common fillers include “um”, “uh”, “like”, “you know”, “so”, “well”, “actually”, “basically”, and “I mean”. But you might also have some personal or regional fillers that are unique to you or your area. For example, some people might say “eh”, “right”, “innit”, or “y’all” as fillers. Whatever your fillers are, you should write them down and keep them in mind.

Step 2: Practice Silence

The second step to reducing fillers in your speech is to practice silence. Yes, you heard right. Silence. Silence is golden, as they say, and it can be a powerful tool in your speech. Silence can help you create emphasis, suspense, or drama. Silence can also help you avoid using fillers. How? By replacing them with pauses.

• Embrace silence. Many people use fillers because they’re afraid of silence. They think that silence is awkward, uncomfortable, or boring. They think that silence means that they don’t know what to say, that they’re not prepared, or that they’re not interesting. But that’s not true. Silence can actually make you sound more confident, more professional, and more credible. Silence can show that you’re in control of your speech, that you’re thinking before you speak, and that you’re respecting your listeners. Silence can also give your listeners a chance to process your message, to ask questions, or to share their opinions. So don’t be afraid of silence. Embrace it.

• When you feel the urge to use a filler word, pause instead. One of the easiest ways to reduce fillers in your speech is to replace them with pauses. Whenever you feel the urge to use a filler word, stop yourself and pause instead. Take a moment to breathe, to gather your thoughts, or to look at your notes. Then, continue with your speech. By doing this, you’ll avoid using fillers and you’ll also improve your speech delivery. You’ll sound more calm, more clear, and more coherent. You’ll also give your listeners a chance to follow your speech and to stay engaged.

• Take a deep breath and gather your thoughts before continuing. Another benefit of pausing instead of using fillers is that it can help you relax and focus. When you pause, you can take a deep breath and calm your nerves. You can also gather your thoughts and plan your next sentence. This can help you avoid using fillers and also prevent you from rambling, repeating, or contradicting yourself. By taking a deep breath and gathering your thoughts before continuing, you’ll speak more confidently, more professionally, and more effectively.

Step 3: Pace Yourself

The third step to reducing fillers in your speech is to pace yourself. Pacing yourself means speaking at a speed that is comfortable for you and your listeners. It means not speaking too fast or too slow, but finding the right balance. Pacing yourself can help you reduce fillers in your speech in two ways:

• If you speak too quickly, you can tend to use more fillers. One of the reasons why people use fillers is because they speak too fast. They try to say everything that comes to their mind, without filtering, organizing, or prioritizing their ideas. They also try to keep up with their listeners’ expectations, without considering their own abilities or limitations. As a result, they end up using fillers to fill the gaps or pauses that occur when their mouth can’t keep up with their brain. They also end up using fillers to buy themselves some time to think of what to say next, or to correct themselves if they make a mistake.

• Speak slowly and deliberately. Imagine you are talking to a group of 5 years old kids. One of the ways to avoid speaking too fast and using fillers is to speak slowly and deliberately. Speaking slowly and deliberately means speaking with intention, with purpose, and with clarity. It means choosing your words carefully, pronouncing them clearly, and emphasizing them appropriately. It also means using pauses, gestures, and facial expressions to enhance your speech. Speaking slowly and deliberately can help you reduce fillers in your speech, as it can give you more time to think, to articulate, and to communicate your ideas without relying on fillers. It can also help you sound more confident, more professional, and more credible. A good way to practice speaking slowly and deliberately is to imagine that you are talking to a group of 5 years old kids. Kids have a shorter attention span, a lower vocabulary, and a higher curiosity than adults. So when you talk to them, you need to speak slowly, clearly, and simply. You need to use simple words, simple sentences, and simple examples. You also need to use pauses, gestures, and facial expressions to keep them interested and engaged. By imagining that you are talking to kids, you can train yourself to speak slowly and deliberately, and to reduce fillers in your speech.

Step 4: Use Transitional Phrases

The fourth step to reducing fillers in your speech is to use transitional phrases. Transitional phrases are words or phrases that help you connect your ideas and move from one point to another. They help you create a logical flow and structure for your speech. They also help your listeners follow your speech and understand your message. Some examples of transitional phrases are:

• To introduce a new point: “First of all,” “Secondly,” “Finally,” “Another point is,” “One more thing is,” etc.

• To add more information: “In addition,” “Furthermore,” “Moreover,” “Also,” “Besides,” etc.

• To compare or contrast: “However,” “On the other hand,” “In contrast,” “Similarly,” “Likewise,” etc.

• To give an example: “For example,” “For instance,” “As an illustration,” “To demonstrate,” “To illustrate,” etc.

• To summarize or conclude: “In conclusion,” “In summary,” “To sum up,” “To recap,” “To wrap up,” etc.

Using transitional phrases can help you reduce fillers in your speech in two ways:

• Fillers often emerge when we need a moment to transition from one thought to another. Another reason why people use fillers is because they need a moment to transition from one thought to another. They need a moment to switch gears, to change topics, or to move to the next point. They also need a moment to signal to their listeners that they are about to say something new, something important, or something different. But instead of using fillers to mark these transitions, they can use transitional phrases. Transitional phrases can help you smoothly and clearly transition from one thought to another, without using fillers. They can also help you organize your speech and make it easier for your listeners to follow your logic and understand your message.

• Instead of using fillers, use transitional phrases such as “Moving on,” “In addition,” or “Furthermore.” One of the ways to avoid using fillers when you need to transition from one thought to another is to use transitional phrases. Transitional phrases can help you smoothly and clearly transition from one thought to another, without using fillers. They can also help you organize your speech and make it easier for your listeners to follow your logic and understand your message. For example, instead of saying “Um, so, like, the next thing I want to talk about is…”, you can say “Moving on, the next thing I want to talk about is…”. Instead of saying “Uh, you know, another thing that’s important is…”, you can say “In addition, another thing that’s important is…”. Instead of saying “Well, actually, I mean, it’s not really like that…”, you can say “However, it’s not really like that…”. By using transitional phrases, you can reduce fillers in your speech and improve your speech delivery.

Step 5: Practice Active Listening

The fifth step to reducing fillers in your speech is to practice active listening. Active listening is the skill of paying full attention to what someone else is saying, without interrupting, judging, or distracting yourself. Active listening can help you improve your communication skills, as it can help you understand others better, build rapport, and show respect. Active listening can also help you reduce fillers in your speech in two ways:

• Actively listening to others can help you become more conscious of your own speech patterns. One of the benefits of actively listening to others is that it can help you become more aware of your own speech patterns. By paying attention to how others speak, you can observe if they use fillers, how they use them, and how they affect their speech. You can also learn from their strengths and weaknesses, and apply them to your own speech. For example, if you listen to someone who speaks without fillers, you can notice how they sound more confident, more professional, and more credible. You can also notice how they use pauses, pacing, and transitional phrases to enhance their speech. You can then try to emulate their style and reduce fillers in your own speech. On the other hand, if you listen to someone who uses a lot of fillers, you can notice how they sound less confident, less professional, and less credible. You can also notice how they use fillers to fill the gaps, to buy time, or to correct themselves. You can then try to avoid their mistakes and reduce fillers in your own speech.

• Pay attention to how others speak and observe if they use fillers. One of the ways to practice active listening and to reduce fillers in your speech is to pay attention to how others speak and observe if they use fillers. You can do this by listening to different types of speakers, such as your friends, your colleagues, your teachers, your favorite podcasters, or your favorite TED speakers. You can also listen to different types of speeches, such as presentations, interviews, debates, or conversations. As you listen, you can ask yourself these questions:

• Do they use fillers? If yes, which ones do they use the most? How often do they use them? How do they affect their speech?

• Why do they use fillers? Is it because they’re nervous, unsure, or unprepared? Is it because they need to transition, to think, or to correct themselves? Is it because they have a habit, an accent, or a dialect?

• How can they reduce fillers? What can they do to avoid using fillers? What can they do to replace fillers with pauses, pacing, or transitional phrases? What can they do to improve their speech delivery?

By asking yourself these questions, you can increase your awareness of fillers and how they impact speech. You can also learn from others’ experiences and apply them to your own speech.

Step 6: Prepare & Rehearse

The sixth and final step to reducing fillers in your speech is to prepare and rehearse. Preparation and rehearsal are essential for any type of speech, whether it’s a presentation, a meeting, or a conversation. Preparation and rehearsal can help you reduce fillers in your speech in two ways:

• If you’re giving a presentation or participating in a meeting, take the time to prepare and rehearse your speech. One of the reasons why people use fillers is because they’re not prepared or rehearsed. They don’t know what they’re going to say, how they’re going to say it, or how long they’re going to say it. They also don’t know what to expect from their audience, their environment, or their situation. As a result, they end up using fillers to fill the gaps, to buy time, or to correct themselves. To avoid this, you should take the time to prepare and rehearse your speech. Preparation means doing your research, gathering your information, and organizing your ideas. Rehearsal means practicing your speech, either by yourself or with someone else, and getting feedback. By preparing and rehearsing your speech, you can reduce fillers in your speech, as you can:

• Know your content. By preparing your speech, you can know your content inside and out. You can know what you’re going to say, how you’re going to say it, and how long you’re going to say it. You can also know your main points, your supporting points, and your examples. By knowing your content, you can avoid using fillers to fill the gaps, to buy time, or to correct yourself. You can also sound more confident, more professional, and more credible.

• Know your audience. By preparing your speech, you can also know your audience. You can know who they are, what they want, and what they need. You can also know their background, their interests, and their expectations. By knowing your audience, you can tailor your speech to suit their needs and preferences. You can also avoid using fillers to fill the gaps, to buy time, or to correct yourself. You can also sound more relevant, more engaging, and more persuasive.

• Know your environment. By preparing your speech, you can also know your environment. You can know where you’re going to speak, when you’re going to speak, and how you’re going to speak. You can also know the equipment, the facilities, and the logistics. By knowing your environment, you can plan ahead and avoid any surprises or problems. You can also avoid using fillers to fill the gaps, to buy time, or to correct yourself. You can also sound more prepared, more professional, and more credible.

• Improve your delivery. By rehearsing your speech, you can improve your delivery. You can practice your speech, either by yourself or with someone else, and get feedback. You can also record yourself and listen to your speech. By rehearsing your speech, you can:

• Identify and eliminate fillers. By rehearsing your speech, you can identify and eliminate fillers from your speech. You can notice which fillers you use the most, how often you use them, and how they affect your speech. You can also practice replacing fillers with pauses, pacing, or transitional phrases. By doing this, you can reduce fillers in your speech and improve your speech delivery.

• Improve your confidence. By rehearsing your speech, you can also improve your confidence. You can become more familiar and comfortable with your content, your audience, and your environment. You can also overcome your fear, your nervousness, or your anxiety. By doing this, you can reduce fillers in your speech and improve your speech delivery.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve shared with you six simple steps that you can follow to reduce fillers in your speech and improve your speaking skills. These steps are:

1. Increase self-awareness. Record yourself delivering a speech or ask a friend to give you feedback. Identify the specific filler words that you tend to use.

2. Practice silence. Embrace silence. When you feel the urge to use a filler word, pause instead. Take a deep breath and gather your thoughts before continuing.

3. Pace yourself. If you speak too quickly, you can tend to use more fillers. Speak slowly and deliberately. Imagine you are talking to a group of 5 years old kids.

4. Use transitional phrases. Fillers often emerge when we need a moment to transition from one thought to another. Instead of using fillers, use transitional phrases such as “Moving on,” “In addition,” or “Furthermore.”

5. Practice active listening. Actively listening to others can help you become more conscious of your own speech patterns. Pay attention to how others speak and observe if they use fillers.

6. Prepare & rehearse. If you’re giving a presentation or participating in a meeting, take the time to prepare and rehearse your speech. Know your content, your audience, and your environment. Improve your delivery.

By following these steps, you can reduce fillers in your speech and speak more confidently, more professionally, and more effectively. You can also improve your communication skills, your relationships, and your opportunities.

Now that you know how to reduce fillers in your speech, it’s time to take action. I challenge you to apply these steps to your next speech, whether it’s a presentation, a meeting, or a conversation. I also encourage you to share your results, your feedback, or your questions in the comments section below. I’d love to hear from you.