This is part one of a four part series on how to improve your public speaking...
A client reached out to me recently inquiring if I could help someone she knew get rid of those habits we get into to that fill in the spots when we are thinking on our feet. You know the ones: "Uhmm..." "So..." "Right..." "You know..." and the very popular "Like".
I don't know about you, but if I listen to one more conversational podcast where every...other... word is...like...I will...like..
A-hem.
We all do it to some degree. And when you are speaking in front of people, it's not that you can't EVER say these filler words, but when the filler is all that the audience hears, it dilutes the ability for the audience to hear the content of your speech.
There are three ways to solve this problem. And unfortunately none of them is an overnight fix. The first I will talk about here. The other two will be in subsequent newsletters.
Solution #1: Awareness.
Another client is a personal coach. She has adapted the word "right?" as a way of checking with her clients during active coaching to make sure they are understanding the concepts she is describing. Unfortunately she carried it over as a habit in her speaking.
My advice? Listen for it. Be aware of it. When you hear yourself saying it in everyday conversation, note it. After awhile your brain will figure away around using it. It sounds simple - and it KIND OF is, (Oops! There's another one), but it is not necessarily an overnight solution.
Solution #2 Improv... (Yes, IMPROVISATION!)
To be continued...
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