What to do about Filler Words

Years ago, I visited a Toastmaster club where they counted every filler word.

At the end of your speech you had to pay a quarter for each one.

I found this practice mortifying.

I get why you want to cut out filler words—they can be distracting when overused.

Blogs and articles say cutting them out is key to improving your confidence.

They suggest recording yourself or asking a friend to tell you which filler words you use.

It sounds reasonable enough but I do not recommend this approach.?

The more you pay attention to something, the more the problem grows.

You don’t need this extra level of scrutiny when your cheeks are bright red and you’re already nervous.

It makes you extra worried and self conscious.

What I tell my clients is to stop focusing on it.

Seriously, ignore your filler words (for now).

That might seem counter intuitive when your goal is to cut down.

But these 3 things will be more helpful:

Slow down

Calm Your nerves

Pause

When you stop paying so much attention to them, filler words often solve themself.?

Try it.

If it doesn’t work, you can always count your filler words and pay up your quarters instead.

Here's what client Danielle Zeitlen Hughes said:

If you’ve attended one of my workshops, and if you've ever remarked that I'm a natural or you really enjoyed it, I have one person to thank: Madeline Schwarz. Madeline is a communications coach who took my stuffed to the gills presentations and litany of filler words and honed me like a diamond (or maybe an amethyst).

I'm Madeline and I help introverts and creatives speak in public, have difficult conversations and build better relationships with your team.

I can teach you how to calm your nerves, slow your pacing and articulate your message like a pro. Grab a time to talk to me.