“Ums” and “Ahs” – don’t fight ‘em
If you are among the 95% of people who “um” and “ah” when they present, then you will benefit from this blog.
As a public speaking trainer, I am appalled by the throng of “experts” who suggest that when making a presentation, the speaker should concentrate on not saying “um” and “ah”. Wrong.
I recall watching a high school student making a presentation. He was using “ums and “ahs” in some moderation, when a peer hollered, “Greg, ease up on the “ums and ahs”. It’s easy to predict what happened: Greg’s reliance on the filler words doubled. Now that he was aware, he became more nervous, and actually focused on the words he was trying to avoid.
In addition, when I was a member of BNI, I counted the number of “ums” and “ahs” each person said in their 60-second commercials, and it averaged five incidences. The next week, I “educated” them on how much filler detracts from their message. I asked them to endeavor to omit the filler from their commercials. What happened? Despite their sincere efforts, the average rocketed to nine occurrences.
Why does this happen?
I learned the secret at Ananda Yoga Studio where Tish Roy shared a story about an instructor who told his student, “Whatever you do, do not think of a monkey while meditating.” After sometime the instructor asked the student how he was doing. The student replied, “All I could do was think of that Monkey!”
Case in point: The worst thing you could do when you are about to present is concern yourself with filler. If you use fillers, no worries, just focus on your message, and you will be better off.
That said, it is important to note that “ums” and “ahs” drastically undermine your credibility and impact. The time to fix the problem, however, is not right before you present. It is in your everyday speaking.
1. Stop saying “um” and “ah” in your everyday conversation with friends and family. Offer them a dollar whenever they catch you.
2. Pause when you think. While it may make you feel awkward and insecure, others will perceive you as very confident and thoughtful.
3. Listen to the voice mails you leave to others by pressing the star or pound key. See how many times you “um” and “ah”. Keep leaving the message until there are none.
Here is the bonus:
Stop the filler and you will speak with authority and confidence in both your presentations and in your personal conversations. You will always appear in control even when you don’t feel it. What a great return for such a small effort.
Here is an excellent blog on “ums” and “ahs” from one of my favorite sources of public speaking wisdom: Six Minutes Speaking and Presentations Skills.
Leave a comment below if you have any strategies to help stop the “ums” and “ahs”.
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