3 Tricks to Eliminate Filler Words

The day has come for the most important sales presentation of your career. You have prepared, practiced, and are ready to knock this presentation out of the park. Your presentation starts out strong, and you begin to feel confident that your audience will be impressed and ready to buy. All of a sudden, the content you prepared starts to slip your mind and you begin losing your train of thought. Without realizing it, the word “like” begins to flow out of your mouth after every other word. The more you search for the right words, the more you find the word “like.” In a last ditch effort to save your presentation, you skip to your call to action and make the big ask. You are met with a weak applause and some blank stares as you return to your seat with your head down. The only thing that can make this moment worse is when your boss leans over and says “Your content was great! It’s too bad it was hidden behind the word ‘like.’ I counted, and you said that word 26 times in 15 minutes.” You know that next time, you have to eliminate that filler word from your presentation in order to redeem yourself.

A filler word is any unnecessary word, phrase, or sound that is used to fill dead air, like “umm,” “uhh,” “like,” or “you know.” When it comes to presentations, these words often become repetitive and cumbersome as they distract from the overall message. Sometimes they can even reduce your credibility and convey unpreparedness or lack of conviction. Follow these 3 tricks to help you eliminate filler words in your next presentation.

Silence is Golden
A common cause of filler words stems from a lack of comfortability with silence. Rather than allowing any form of dead air time, we choose to insert words that do nothing to add to our overall message. As presenters, we must learn to embrace the silence and even leverage it to our benefit. Be intentional with your pauses to help create dramatic space and draw your audience in; when you feel a filler word coming on, stop and take a breathe to embrace the quiet before moving on. It may feel uncomfortable for you at first, but your audience will appreciate a brief pause much more than yet another “so…”.

Pay a Fine
For some presenters, it’s difficult to recognize when filler words are being used. By associating a fine to the use of filler words, you’ll trigger your brain to pay closer attention. Record yourself practicing, and every time you hear a filler word, pay the fine you’ve set (we suggest donating the accumulated amount to your favorite charity or treating a loved one to a nice gift with the total). After hearing yourself use these words and paying several fines, over time, your mind will refuse to let you say the words. Just make sure that the fine is of enough value that you don’t want to have to pay it; if it’s simply an inconvenience, you will not experience the same trigger.

Prepare Your Transitions
The most common place that filler words are used is during transitions. These are often the least thought about section of any presentation, and in return, lead to the largest distraction from the overall content. By taking the time to think through and prepare each transition, you create intentional, valuable language that replaces the filler word. We recommend writing out each transition ahead of time which will allow you to select each word, and then memorize these transitions during your preparation.

Filler words may seem like an insurmountable obstacle, but they don’t have to be. By taking the time to be intentional both during your presentation development and practice, filler words will become a thing of the past and intentional wording a skill for today.

Looking for more tips on how to elevate your presentation skills? Check out the Presentation Mentor online course today!

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