If you are honest and not a diehard President Obama fan where he can never do anything wrong in your eyes, then you are going to agree with me about stop using ums and ahs so much.
Maybe, the very mention of his name with a headline like this has created some angst in you. You’ve probably taken a few deep breaths, crossed your arms and rolled your eyes with “another one.” Maybe you have already labeled me as an Obama hater and someone who is a right-winged zealot.
If that’s true, then you might want to not read any further. You might hate me even more. I’m smiling while I write this but you might not be. Sorry.
Let me preface by saying this is not an Obama hater post. It is also not meant to be political.
For the record, I’m a person who is a Jesus follower, not in name only, but also in deed. The only hate that’s in my heart is that of evil, not of people.
With that said, why did I say “stop the ums and ahs unless you are President Obama?”
As someone who has listened to him speak without a teleprompter, especially in interviews, I’m amazed at how many ums and ahs he uses.
At times, I felt sorry for him and somewhat embarrassed as he, my President, stumbled through his words.
Maybe you didn’t notice or ignored it but as a communicator, I couldn’t.
As a matter of fact, at times I could not tell you the content of his interview because I sat there counting the amount of ums and ahs he was using. It was unbelievable how many.
I cannot recall anyone making much mention of that. It seemed like he was given a pass because he was the president. But should he? Shouldn’t we expect our president, not to be perfect, but at the very least be a good off-the-promoter communicator?
There’s no doubt that he was effective when he had to deliver a speech. I do believe he will be long remembered as a very effective speech presenter. He used all the elements of an effective speech to connect with his audience: good eye contact, great use of the pause, incredible vocal variety and on and on.
I admired that and took lessons.
But, when it came to interviews, I wondered where was the man I saw behind the prompter.
I believe that if you want to have one less unnecessary distraction when you are trying to make an impression, learn to get rid of the ums and ahs.
You might be wondering how to do that.
Here are 3 proven strategies that works:
1. Join A Toastmasters Club
This is one of the most recommended tips I have given in my coaching practice and at times, when I’m asked a question on how to become a better speaker.
I’m not a spokesperson for Toastmasters and I do not get any monetary renumeration from referring people to the program.
But as one who have been a member for many years, I cannot say enough about this organization.
It has helped me hone the craft of speaking in many ways. One of which is that of decreasing the use of ums and ahs.
I remember when I first joined the organization and gave my first set of speeches, I thought I was a very good speaker and the feedback I received seemed to confirm that. However, when I listened to the recorded playback of my speeches along with the Evaluator pointing out the amount of ums and ahs, I was astonished.
I didn’t realize how often I said um and ah.
Not only did the recording attested to that, but during my speech, the person in charge of keeping track of my ums and ahs – crutch words as they are called, would ring the bell. Wow. There were so many dingings of the bell. It became overbearing.
Yet, the bell ringing continued. And it helped.
I was determined to decrease my usage of them. I eventually did. I learned to associate my ahs and ums with the bell and the feelings I had when I heard. them.
Let me quickly say that I still at times use them but it’s a far cry from what I used to do. It has made my speaking more polished and I feel more in control when I speak. That’s why I recommend Toastmasters.
2. Practice using pauses / Get used to silence
In general, most people are uncomfortable with silence. They don’t know what to do with themselves when that happens.
This is one of the main reasons, people increase their use of ums and ahs They have to fill the silence with something.
What I find is that silence can become your best friend.
When you can practice to feel comfortable with silence and use the time to gather your thoughts, read your audience and make intentional moves, it makes your speech more powerful.
At first, a two-second silence feels like forever. You feel the tension within you as your thoughts goes haywire: “What are they thinking? Do they think I’ve forgotten my lines? Are they getting bored with me?”
These are just some of the thoughts that fill our minds. And it only gets worse the longer the silence continues.
However, if you can think of the silence as a time where you are giving your audience time to think and process what you are saying, it decreases these crazy thoughts.
I recommend smiling slightly during these moments of silence while making eye contact with people throughout the audience-slowly. Don’t rush it. Look from person to person and smile at them.
Let them think that what you’ve just said, is for them. Don’t do so if it was something that would embarrass, make them feel guilty or bad.
As you do this, over time you will become more comfortable and actually enjoy using the pause to create these powerful moments.
3. Know your topic well
I cannot emphasize this enough. When you don’t know your topic well, you tend to get nervous. You activate your sympathetic nervous system, also known as the fight / flight syndrome.
This is where you’ll speed up and speak faster, make more mistakes and doubt yourself. You’ll insert irrelevant stories and points.
Whether your audience shows any sign that they are aware of it, you’ll feel that they do.
However, when you know you’re subject matter and are comfortable with it, your confidence is projected through your voice and your body language.
By knowing your topic well, allows you the ability to make quick adjustments on the spot as needed. If you were asked to give a 45 minute speech but for whatever reason changes had to be made at the event, because you knew your topic well, you would not freak out.
These three strategies i) join a Toastmasters Club ii) practice using pauses and iii) know your topic well, will help you decrease your usages of ums and ahs, which you need to do, unless you are President Barak Obama.
I would love to hear what other strategies you have used that you’ve found helpful.
If you would like to have someone help you expedite the process of decreasing the use of ums and ahs, connect with me here.
