Comments on: Replace “ums” with Pregnant Pauses when Speaking

By: Public Speaking Preparation Guide

Public Speaking Preparation Guide — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:39:59 +0000

[...] 3. Watch videos of your past speaking engagements. I had a nasty habit of saying “um” frequently throughout my presentations. By watching videos of myself, I noticed it and then fixed my use of “ums” by replacing them with pregnant pauses. [...]

By: Swearing, vocabulary and the pregnant pause

Swearing, vocabulary and the pregnant pause — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:32:43 +0000

[...] JimRaffel on March 25, 2011 TweetWhen I wrote “Replace “ums” with Pregnant Pauses when Speaking,” I never expected to circle back to the post as a way to swear less on social media – [...]

By: Better public speaking by writing more

Better public speaking by writing more — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 10:34:15 +0000

[...] Sometimes when speaking publicly I will lose my train of thought. I now use a short silent pause (that used to be an “um”) to gather my thoughts. During the pause, I picture a blog post in my head on the topic at hand, [...]

By: Jim Raffel

Jim Raffel — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:36:00 +0000

You're an awesome conversationalist one on one Anne. That's where it starts. The key is to never lose the ability to speak to one person at a time even if the group is 1000.

By: Jim Raffel

Jim Raffel — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:32:19 +0000

Same as reply to Joshua – I'm sure not throwing stones because I live in the glass house but am trying to move out of the neighborhood.

By: Jim Raffel

Jim Raffel — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:31:18 +0000

This week I have even been more aware of my “ums.” Trying hard to disengage my motor mouth until my brain catches up.

By: Bananza

Bananza — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:59:12 +0000

I would love to overcome my “um”… thanks for the tips. I am positive I use it when I don't need it. I also have a tendency to trail off and mumble. Will be more mindful of that going forward. I appreciate that you mentioned the listener and how they are helped by hearing silence rather than a distracting 'noise'. Fantastic post!

By: Stu Nami

Stu Nami — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 07:03:18 +0000

Um…don't hit, don't hit. I know I have done this, though I am fully aware I should not. I have noticed others do this, and feel they are better than to succumb to the um (dear god, please kill me for that unintended groaner.) I guess I never thought of how to overcome it, besides just trying not to say it in the first place. I never thought about just giving myself a moment to collect my thoughts. It surely will resonate better with listeners if you take a break from your thoughts vs. giving off what is commonplace vocal static. Thanks.

By: Joshua Garity

Joshua Garity — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 01:47:12 +0000

You never realize how often you say um, ah, etc until you think about it. Or, better, watch yourself. I learned about this during business/speech class back in the day and it changed my delivery quite a bit. Great knowledge to have and insight to provide!