In this video, I answer the question: “How do I stop saying “um” all the time?”
“Um” is a hesitation sound, or a filler sound, that people make to literally fill the silence. Usually they do it in the middle of a thought, or in between thoughts, as a way of “buying time” while they think through what they are trying to say or what they are going to say next.
It’s not a problem to make this sound occasionally— we all do— including me. But if you’re making it continuously, every time you have any kind of pause in your speech, it can really muddy the clarity of your thoughts and make it difficult to follow what you’re trying to say.
One way you won’t get rid of this sound is by thinking to yourself: ‘Stop saying “Um” all the time.’
I talk you through what you can do instead– how you can treat this sound as a signal from your body that you need a breath to think, and why that moment to breathe is also generous to your listener.
Let me know how it goes and if you are finding these videos useful, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel to help support this avenue for free coaching.