# Um...Learn how...um....to...um...TALK! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 29, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-learn-how-um-to-um-talk/544881 "2010-06-29T02:32:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-learn-how-um-to-um-talk/544881/21 "2010-06-29T17:40:03Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Giving presentations seems to be one of those things which many lower-level schools think will be taught in college, while many college teachers expect it has been taught before. Add the ones who just expect students to pick up things from thin air and yeah, it’s kind of hard to learn something when nobody will teach it. Hopefully the teacher is better at his actual subject than at teaching how to give a presentation! I had a public speaking course as part of my required gen. ed curriculum for transfer to my current school. I don’t know how common or uncommon this is as a requirement. But it definitely helped me _tremendously_ in learning how to prepare for and deliver a decent presentation. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-learn-how-um-to-um-talk/544881/22 "2010-06-29T17:40:17Z")
> [@movingfinger](#): > > Good speakers speak in complete sentences. > > Excellent speakers speak in whole paragraphs. Really fucking excellent speakers include profanity. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-learn-how-um-to-um-talk/544881/23 "2010-06-29T18:19:35Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Bonus Rant: If you deliver the filler-ridden “speech” in a flat monotone, you are Evil Incarnate. Remember that skit on SNL with the two women on NPR? They’d speak in a flat monotone and occasionally inject an “I’m excited” in the same tone. Funny stuff. Know why it was funny? And for that matter, exciting? Because it was performed by two talented comediennes, and it was written by a top comedy writer. And it had a point. Even then, they kept it to under 3 minutes. Those reasons were completely ignored by a couple of women that I used to work with. They’d give presentations while immitating that skit. It would be cute at first, seeing them trying to be funny. But when the presentation was an hour long and about profit margins, well… I’ll let you come to your own baseball bat, er, conclusion. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-learn-how-um-to-um-talk/544881/24 "2010-06-29T19:24:02Z")
_Everyone_ stutters and uses pause fillers in speech. Yes, there are people who use a lot more of them, but every single one of you will use “um”, “y’know”, “uh” or restart sentences. Transcripts of speeches are always cleaned up because it’s definitely hard to read what was said when the filler words are included. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-learn-how-um-to-um-talk/544881/25 "2010-06-29T19:52:31Z")
I taught computer courses for a year at one of those multinational big box computer learning places. I have to hand it to them, their crash course in public speaking was pretty good. One exercise was that everyone had to teach 15 minutes in front of the other instructors, who each had a bell. Each time you used a filler while speaking, they rang the damn bell. Twenty bells going off made you VERY aware of using “er,” “um,” and “you know,” and went a long way to breaking the habit. Pauses while you’re looking for the right word in front of a room full of people only \*seem \*to take forever, and piss people off less than saying “you know” every five seconds. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-learn-how-um-to-um-talk/544881/26 "2010-06-29T20:38:50Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > _Everyone_ stutters and uses pause fillers in speech. Yes, there are people who use a lot more of them, but every single one of you will use “um”, “y’know”, “uh” or restart sentences. Transcripts of speeches are always cleaned up because it’s definitely hard to read what was said when the filler words are included. Not everyone. As was mentioned, some people get trained out of it. At the meeting I mentioned in post #23, we got a good lesson in contrasts. While the NPR ladies bored the living shit out of us, earlier in the day we had a professional motivational speaker. He was such a straight shooter who knew exactly what he was going to say next, it was a pleasure to hear him speak. And he got us all pumped and rowdy. There’s nothing like a great speaker. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-learn-how-um-to-um-talk/544881/27 "2010-06-29T20:53:34Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Not everyone. As was mentioned, some people get trained out of it. > > At the meeting I mentioned in post #23, we got a good lesson in contrasts. While the NPR ladies bored the living shit out of us, earlier in the day we had a professional motivational speaker. He was such a straight shooter who knew exactly what he was going to say next, it was a pleasure to hear him speak. And he got us all pumped and rowdy. > > There’s nothing like a great speaker. He can’t do that 100% of the time\*. I’ve been reading “Um… : Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean” by Michael Erard. One of the main points of the book is that _everyone stumbles verbally_. Everyone. Even fantastic speakers. It’s part of being human. Even Sign Language has signs that are pause fillers. If the pause fillers are not excessive, you filter them out and don’t even remember that the person said them. I bet your motivational speaker probably had at least a handful in his presentation. - Man, you actually get motivated by “motivational speakers”? What a wiener! :: points and laughs :: 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-learn-how-um-to-um-talk/544881/28 "2010-06-30T13:45:05Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > _Everyone_ stutters and uses pause fillers in speech. Yes, there are people who use a lot more of them, but every single one of you will use “um”, “y’know”, “uh” or restart sentences. Transcripts of speeches are always cleaned up because it’s definitely hard to read what was said when the filler words are included. You can train yourself out of a lot of them, though. Especially when you are prepared. When I am calling a company, for example, I have in mind already what I need to say and the most efficient way to say it. I have a speech planned, and I can adjust it or customize it sometimes. Sure, I use speechfillers but make a concerted effort not to. These are people who just don’t plan. These are the same people who drive down the same road every frickin day and every frickin day are taken aback that their turn has come up so fast. They are the ones who are never ready for their exit. Who always end up making a difficult left turn out of a gas station because they _never plan ahead_. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-learn-how-um-to-um-talk/544881/29 "2010-06-30T14:27:15Z")
> [@PoorYorick](#): > > I taught computer courses for a year at one of those multinational big box computer learning places. I have to hand it to them, their crash course in public speaking was pretty good. One exercise was that everyone had to teach 15 minutes in front of the other instructors, who each had a bell. Each time you used a filler while speaking, they rang the damn bell. Twenty bells going off made you VERY aware of using “er,” “um,” and “you know,” and went a long way to breaking the habit. > > Pauses while you’re looking for the right word in front of a room full of people only \*seem \*to take forever, and piss people off less than saying “you know” every five seconds. I got that training in the Army, sans bells. It was pushups instead. You’d give a speech on a topic assigned to you 10 minutes before. I personally had to give a brief on the Iran-Iraq war. For every stutter word, you had to do 2 (3? 4?) pushups. Naturally, when you have 10 minutes to prepare, you’re have to speak extemporaneously so there will be pauses where you have to mentally plan the next paragraph. The lesson: If you have to pause, SHUT THE HELL UP until you’re ready. Now if only I can stop my hands from punctuating. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-learn-how-um-to-um-talk/544881/30 "2010-06-30T14:30:45Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > I got that training in the Army, sans bells. It was pushups instead. Heh. I wonder which method was more effective. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-learn-how-um-to-um-talk/544881/31 "2010-06-30T14:31:41Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > He can’t do that 100% of the time\*. I’ve been reading “Um… : Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean” by Michael Erard. One of the main points of the book is that _everyone stumbles verbally_. Everyone. Even fantastic speakers. It’s part of being human. Even Sign Language has signs that are pause fillers. No, you can train them all out, and use alternative, non-stupid fillers for when you need a moment to speak, rather than standing around like a cow chewing cud. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-learn-how-um-to-um-talk/544881/32 "2010-06-30T15:54:50Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > \ > > And don’t even get me started on people who call for our address, and, when I start giving it, go “Hang on - let me get a pen.” :smack: When I worked in sales, I used to ask people, “Do you have a pen _and_ paper ready?” You’d think people would understand that they needed paper to go along with their pen for writing things down, but that would be an untrue assumption. > [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > It’s worth pointing out that only some Canadians do this, wot? I’m so going to use that. 🙂 I think the point is not that everyone uses fillers and dead air sounds, but that some people use them so sparingly that you don’t even notice, and some people use them so often that you don’t notice anything else. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-learn-how-um-to-um-talk/544881.md?page=1)