Name: 5 Speaking Tips to Avoid Filler Words During (Virtual) Presentations
Uploaded: 2026-03-30T01:00:13.000Z
Duration: 6 min 26 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

How can you kill your credibility in three words?

Participle clauses

No matter how much you've researched your topic or prepared for an important job interview or presentation, as soon as you let those filler words creep into your speech, the perception of you lacking authority becomes a reality.

In this video, we look at 5 speaking tips to minimize those filler words and help you convey credibility every time you speak.

Hi, I'm Riyaz Meghji, founder of the Every Conversation Counts platform and 17-year television broadcaster.

This is the channel that helps you present with confidence, captivate your audience,

and connect authentically every time you speak, on camera and on stage.

If you're new here, subscribe to the channel and hit the bell so you are the first to know when new content is released every single week.

They are placeholders that give us a moment to collect our thoughts while we are speaking.

Sometimes the um or ah can be effective as they help humanize you as it brings a realness to your delivery that can get your audience to pay attention.

The tricky part is when we overuse the ums and ahs to the point it distracts listeners from your message.

Now, if you want to present with confidence and eliminate those dreaded filler words, consider these 5 ideas.

We can get so comfortable with our own crutch words that we often fail to notice them.

A great starting point is to become aware of what our filler words are in the first place,

First, practice speaking in front of a couple of friends that you trust and have them document the number of times you sneak them into your presentation.

You could get really into this by having your informal audience clap or just ring a bell when they hear an um or ah to make you aware of this habit.

The second option is to record yourself and watch the playback to discover your filler word use firsthand.

If this feels awkward, check out the video How to Become a Better Speaker on Camera right here on this channel.

The People Science firm, Quantified Communications, revealed research that the optimum frequency of filler words is often one um or ah per minute,

but the average speaker uses five fillers per minute.

Look, I've been guilty of this as well, the occasional um, basically, or essentially, among others.

Because I watch the playback meticulously to catch myself doing it and proactively work on eliminating these verbal crutches.

The most common filler word hotspots are usually when you're starting or ending a sentence, transitioning to your next thought, or when you begin to answer a question.

The next time somebody asks you a question, try and catch yourself if your initial reaction to answer is, um, or ah.

Most people start their sentences with, "So..." and I've been guilty of this next one, ending your sentences with, "Right?" which can totally undermine your belief in your own idea.

In cognitive psychology, chunking is a technique that involves grouping information into smaller segments so it's more easily understood.

This helps the presenter avoid the filler words and helps your audience retain as much relevant information as possible.

For example, if you're presenting three big ideas, work on a structure of presenting three different sections,

and in between each section, take a breath.

And chunk your information by finding the right amount of detail relevant to your audience.

We talk about the best questions to ask to discover what's important to your listeners in the video How to Start Your Presentation here on the channel.

and if you want to turn your weakness into a strength, replace your filler word with a pause.

The Harvard Business Review shared data that the average speaker only takes three and a half pauses per minute, which isn't enough.

Take a breath, slow down, and pause purposefully in between points.

Just make sure your pauses max out around five seconds.

Anything longer than that could signal to the audience you may have lost your train of thoughts.

A good way to remember this is pause, think, reply.

One of the biggest causes of filler words is being nervous.

Well-placed pauses help calm your nerves and help you appear more confident with your audience,

and the power of pauses can even draw the audience in or emphasize an important point.

Remember, focus on how your ideas can help your listeners.

Instead of worrying about how you're being perceived, this is a game-changing mindset to manage your speaking anxiety.

For more tips on how to calm your nerves when speaking, make sure to check out this video,

and I'll put the link in the description as well.

Final point: if you struggle with overusing filler words, this might sound completely ridiculous,

When someone asks you a question and you can't help but begin your answer with, "Uh, do this one thing," just close your mouth.

but watch how this simple act helps prevent you from filling the gaps with sounds versus delivering silence from your closed mouth.

This silence can build suspense for the audience and make them believe that important insights are coming.

A final thought on this: just prepare and practice as much as you can.

The more preparation you can do to help manage your anxiety, the lower the likelihood you'll be stretching for that next thought and covering the transition with a filler word.

Following these 5 speaker tips will help you build your self-awareness and, with your efforts to catch your filler fixes, earn more respect from your audience.

What's your best tip for avoiding those filler words?

For more ideas on building human connection, you can download the free guide, The 5 Secrets to Making Every Conversation Count.

For more ideas on how to calm your nerves when speaking and tips on becoming a better listener, check out these videos.

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