Tips for Reducing Speech Fillers: A Quick Guide for Multilingual English Speakers
Sep 28, 2024If English is your second or next language, you may have been leaning on speech fillers too much. Think of words such as yeah, like, right, you know, erm, ugh, actually used in the attempt to fill in the conversation.
They are universally common, and you may be using them a lot in your native language too.
Some may be guilty of relying on them too heavily, though. This may also hold for the people, whose English a mother tongue.
These filler words, sometimes described as "crutch words" in business communication and "hesitation markers" in linguistics (discourse analysis), can be useful and have their place. They offer you a moment to gather your thoughts before continuing, especially in stressful situations. And speaking publicly in another language is particularly challenging!
However, overusing these words in professional settings can undermine your credibility. To address this issue, it’s important to take active steps. So, what can you do about them?
BECOME AWARE
Start by becoming aware of the filler words in your speech. Try to engage in mindful conversations. Chances are, you will catch yourself overusing one or two words or phrases—these are your fillers.
Make a list of yours and categorise them according to this key:
- single words (like, so, there),
- phrases (you know, kinda, sort of),
- non-content words (erm, ah, ugh...).
Here is a useful list of them, to give you an idea. Please, don't try to memorise them now; instead, focus on becoming aware of them in your speech in English.
SILENCE...
As awkward as it may feel at first, pauses can enhance your communication, especially when speaking English as a foreign language. Halting helps you collect your thoughts, calms your nerves, and builds suspense. While pausing may initially feel uncomfortable for Multilingual Users of English, it is an invaluable skill that enhances clarity, confidence, and engagement in communication. By embracing pauses, you’ll find that they not only improve your speaking abilities but also make your conversations more enjoyable for both you and your listeners.
By practicing pauses, you can sound more composed and confident, ultimately improving your interactions in both professional and casual settings.
SLOW DOWN
As Multilingual Users of English (MUEs), we often think faster than we can articulate our thoughts, making pauses feel terrifying!
Research shows that the average professional speaks at a rate of 150 words per minute, while some studies indicate that our thinking speed can reach up to 400 words per minute (some estimates suggest it may be as high as 1,500 words per minute!).
This significant gap explains why embracing pauses and slowing down can be particularly challenging for Multilingual Users of English.
However, for multilingual speakers, pausing is not just about collecting thoughts; it also involves processing complex linguistic structures and vocabulary in another language. These longer pauses are often necessary for MUEs to plan our utterances especially when dealing with syntactically complex phrases or less familiar vocabulary and ensure clarity in communication.
Fillers can be useful, offering a brief pause to gather your thoughts, especially when navigating stressful situations, so it is good to know them! But knowing them and overusing them are two separate matters. Expressing yourself publicly in a non-native language is particularly demanding, but overusing them in professional settings may diminish your credibility.
By implementing these strategies, you'll sound more polished and assured, when speaking English in a professional setting.
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Positive vibes, xxx,