An “um” or “you know” does not make an idea less valuable. If a particular filler habit distracts you from the point you want to make, you can work on it without trying to eliminate every hesitation from your speech.
This exercise is about noticing and practicing one choice. It is not a diagnosis, an assessment of confidence, or a reason to judge someone’s accent or speech difference.
Choose one small thing to notice.
Pick a familiar prompt, such as recommending a place to visit. Speak for about a minute. Notice whether you repeatedly use one phrase when starting a sentence or switching ideas. Focus on that one pattern, rather than grading everything about the answer.
You can ask a trusted listener to notice the phrase, or listen to a recording you make privately on your own device. Recording is optional. Our website’s practice tool does not record you.
Give the pause somewhere to go.
It is easier to practice a pause at a clear boundary: after your main point, between two reasons, or before answering a new question. Start with a sentence you know you can finish.
“I’d choose the smaller venue.” Pause. “It gives everyone more time to ask questions.”
Read those sentences aloud, leaving a comfortable gap. Then put the script aside and explain the same idea in your own words. There is no required pause length. The goal is to leave yourself room to think and the listener room to follow.
Prepare an opening, not a speech.
For a conversation you can anticipate, decide on the first idea you want to express. An opening such as “My recommendation is…” or “The main thing I learned was…” can give you somewhere to start. Use it when it fits, and drop it when it sounds unnatural.
If you do not know an answer, say so. A useful response might be “I don’t have that figure yet. I can check it after the meeting.” Practice should never pressure you to replace uncertainty with a confident-sounding guess.
Compare meaning as well as delivery.
- Answer a familiar prompt once.
- Choose one boundary where you want to leave a pause.
- Answer again, letting yourself pause at that boundary.
- Check whether your main point was still clear.
- Keep the version that feels understandable and natural to you.
A lower filler count is not automatically a better answer. You may have fewer fillers because you left out a useful explanation, or more because you tried a harder example. Context matters more than a single number.
Take one cue into real life.
Choose a low-pressure conversation for your next attempt. Before you begin, remind yourself of one cue: finish the thought, leave a pause, then continue. Afterward, reflect on whether you communicated the idea you wanted to share.
Keep it kind: Let ordinary pauses, accents, and speech differences be ordinary. Practice is useful when it supports your message and your goals.