Do you get the opportunity to speak in public to a group of more than 5 people at one time? Whether you are in the audience asking a question, calling a talk radio show, speaking to a group at a meeting or giving a seminar or lecture, sounding intelligent makes people really listen to what you have to say.
Your way of speaking, the words you use and how you use them might make you seem weak and less confident.
5 words to omit when you are speaking in public:
1. “Um” and “Ah” Instead of using these, just pause for a second. I once attended a seminar where the speaker used so many of these words that I lost interest in what she was saying, and instead just counted the number of times she used these “crutch” words.
2. “Like” and “You know” If you are a follower of my soapbox, you know I have written about these words before. Every generation seems to use these words constantly. If you do it, stop it. It’s very annoying.
3. “Kind of” or “Sort of” These words make the speaker look like they have no idea of what’s going on; clueless and timid.
4. “Actually” “Basically” or “Literally” People overuse these words where they don’t even make sense. They are unnecessary fluff and can easily be omitted.
5. F-Bomb. There have been occasions where Hollyweirdos use this word in an interview in print or live, probably because they think they are cool. Not so cool; they sound crude and rude. The F-Bomb can be used in private conversations to emphasis your point.
Keep it brief. When answering a question or making a statement, don’t ramble.. Condense your words and speak concisely or you will lose people attention very quickly.
If you found these hints helpful, please feel free to leave a comment.
