How to overcome crutch words
- Embrace the pause. They create suspense, slow down fast talkers, demonstrate confidence, draw audience attention and give speakers the time they need to communicate with precision. With practice, you will soon be pausing instead of using crutch words, and there’s no penalty for pausing.
- Slow down. But when speakers slow down, they have much more time to plan out the precise phrases they want to use and will not need nonsensical fillers to connect random and pre-baked thoughts.
- Know your point. Prepare your points in advance and know them well. If you start talking before you know what you want to say, you’re bound to say something pointless.
- Practice your speech. Practicing mitigates that anxiety by making the speaker more familiar with the material. A comfortable and confident speaker has more control, enabling her to embrace pauses and deftly avoid the “ums” and “ahs.” Practice may not always make perfect, but it can give you the confidence to make good public-speaking decisions.
