Latest / She Speaks to Scale / 20. Speaking Habit #2: The Words Undermining Your Credibility (And How to Limit Them)
Transcript
- Sarah Collins: Hello and welcome to She Speaks the Scale with me, Sarah Collins. the podcast that empowers women in business to own their voice, be heard and create impact, one communication insight at a time. a former senior television producer for ITV and ITN. It's my mission to bring the communication skills we need to thrive in today's world of business to the generation of women who simply weren't taught them. Whether it's scaling your authority and stepping into thought leadership, scaling your impact on camera on stage and beyond, or scaling your revenue through speaking opportunities, this podcast will help you use your voice to be heard so you're trusted and remembered when it matters most. Before we begin, if a speaking opportunity came your way tomorrow, would you pass on it, say yes through the nerves or confidently agree? Understanding your speaker identity is the first step to being able to scale and I have a quiz to help you do just It takes two minutes to complete and we'll tell you where you are now and your potential next steps on your speaking journey. I'll drop the link in the show notes. Welcome to episode two in my summer speaking habits series. If you're looking to scale your speaking, then you're in the right place. Speaking is a growth strategy, and throughout this series, I'll be sharing the four most common speaking habits I've seen and how to unlearn them. This episode, the focus is on those dreaded filler words. Now before we start and get into the episode, I want to say we're not looking to limit them completely. I actually use an interview with Barack Obama, who is one of the most credible and composed speakers in the world within my training workshops in organizations. And even he uses a filler word in that interview. We're not looking for perfection, so I just want to get that out there before we start. Filler words are used when we don't quite know what to say next, and these can include and r, but also you know or like. And we use them because speaking is one of the most cognitively demanding things we can do. You're selecting words, assembling the right grammar, planning what comes next, creating the right tone and pitch. Monitoring what you've already said and all the while reading your listeners' reactions within fractions of a second. Filler words buy you a bit of time to do this. It's thought we use them when our brains haven't quite caught up with what we're saying. The brain is trying to do too many things, and the filler word gives a little respite to gather our thoughts. It's also an indication to the listener that you're not quite finished. So confident communicators and those who speak with impact oo credibility. And the use of too many filler words can have the opposite effect. It can show a lack of confidence and harms your credibility, therefore harming the impact you wish to make, Maybe it's because I'm more in tune than others as a speaking coach, but if someone uses these regularly, I pick up on it immediately. And as an audience member, you may do too. When listeners detect excessive filler words, the brain's amygdala activates a subtle threat response. This signals uncertainty or unreliability in a speaker. Listeners are likely to be more engaged and respond to clear and confident communication as a signal of trustworthiness in a person, and it's this trust that makes a speaker memorable. It takes energy to listen to another person, and by including regular filler words, it will only lead to listener fatigue, which means they will eventually switch off as the cognitive overload is just too much. Limiting these filler words is all about conscious communication, being mindful of your words and communicating with intention. People are often inclined to use one filler word over another. So first I want you to start being aware of which ones you are using. perhaps there's one that stands out for me. I know I'm partial to saying you know more regularly than I'd like. And that's something that has become more and more apparent as I record my podcast, especially when I'm editing and listening to my own voice on a regular basis. I've been implementing my own strategies that I'm going to go on to share with you now to limit this as much as I can. So my top three tips to prevent using fidder words regularly. Tip one is practice and prepare. So from my days working in TV, the experts that stood out were the ones who had fully prepared, knowing inside out what they needed and wanted to say, having that clarity and practicing beforehand means that what you need to say becomes second nature. This builds confidence and focus so that when the time comes for the interview, speech, or workshop, you'll deliver it with intention and impact. I can't tell you how important preparation is. Tip two is to speak slowly. So your body's reaction to a stressful situation means that your communication naturally speeds up. Therefore, you need to speak slowly to appear credible and limit the amount of filler words. By slowly I mean what you think is slower and then ever so slightly slower than that. This eliminates you trying to catch up with your thoughts and having that cognitive overload that leads the ums and the ahs, or the likes, or the you knows. This is something I myself have really had to work on and I don't get it right every time, but there has been a definite improvement. So slowing down that speech is really important. And learning to pause. You may have heard people talk about the power of the pause, and it's true, pauses are a verbal communication tool used to allow your audience time to catch up with what you are saying. It's also a great chance to gather your thoughts. The next time you worry, those filler words may sneak in. Take a pause instead. Some people shy away from using pauses strategically, but they can actually increase your credibility if they're used in the right way. The next time you deliver a speaking opportunity, be mindful of your go-to filler word. Every time you feel it coming, pause instead. It will feel uncomfortable at first, but that is the habit breaking. Now I know if you're listening to this podcast, speaking is a part of your business growth, And there is a version of you that speaks with more clarity, more presence and more credibility. And breaking these habits is a step in that direction. Thank you for listening to this episode of She Speaks to Scale. If you liked the episode or you think it will be useful for someone else, please follow and leave a review. Don't forget there's a link to my speaker identity quiz in the show notes. It takes just two minutes to find out where you are now on your speaking journey and what your next move should be. Remember to speak with intention, not hesitation and let your voice be heard.