Have you ever listened to a peer or a person on the tram speaking and he or she is always going on and on with a repetition of a certain word? Say for example, “I was like… But like… And he was like… Like… Kinda like… He’s like…”. And when you try to listen into it even more, it’s almost kind of annoying? Well, that is pause fillers working right there.

Pause fillers comes in different forms and it varies from person to person. Some people use, “Erm…” others use, “Err…” or like the example mentioned above, using the word ‘like’ over extensively. Somehow during our speech, we tend to rely on pause fillers a lot, without even ourselves aware of it. Whether it is a good or bad thing, it really depends. Some people do it subtly in a timely manner in order to incorporate good pacing and it punctuates their sentences well. Others might use it to cover up lack of content or vocabulary to express and articulate themselves. At the end of the day, it is just how much we use it in our speech and language, and when we use it.

In a formal context when an individual is giving a public address or carrying out a presentation, the pause fillers comes out even more obvious as now that person is in the spotlight and everyone is listening. Unlike being in a conversation with a peer, where it is pretty much a 2-way street, giving a speech or when you are in public speaking circumstances, it is more of a 1-way street for most of the session, up until at least during the Q&A session. Hence, all ears are on that person and some people would really go to the point of scrutinising every single word the person is speaking. Therefore all this little pause fillers of “Erm…”, “Arh…”, “Hmm…”, “Like…”, would stick out like kinks and dents on a smooth copper wire.

How would do you get away from having pause fillers you might ask? Well, there no right or wrong method in getting rid of having pause fillers. In fact, I don’t think it is possible to completely eliminate pause fillers from your speech. It is what gives the human element in the speech and makes it less of a robotic or an announcement. However, we could always cut down on pause fillers by rehearsing our speeches and the content in front of a mirror. Being a lecturer, my dad grades his business students’ presentation skills base on how well they deliver their content and how well they manage their time to fit everything inside a specific duration, once the timer goes off, the students will be asked to stop presenting whether they are finished or not, pretty much simulating the scenario of pitching their business ideas to potential clients. One of the tips he mentioned to me was to practice in front of the mirror with your notes in your hands. If you find yourself having to refer to the notes more often than not, you’re not ready for the presentation. On the other hand, if you can go without having to refer to your notes or a minimal number of times and having to see yourself in the mirror most of the time, then you’re pretty much good to go.

Having said that, it really varies from person to person and how one articulates one’s self. So we should always experiment in front of the mirror to simulate public speaking just to brush up on our presentation skills. Who knows, your next sales pitch could make or break you just base on how many times you refer to your notes or how many times you rely on your pause fillers.