Do you know why instead of hitting hard, our words come out limp?
Because we sabotage ourselves. We dilute our speech with fillers like “Umm, Uuuu, Right, Basically, Actually, You Know.” I have myself used enough fillers for one lifetime.
When we are thinking about what to say next, and need a pause, let us use the most beautiful sound known to man: ‘Silence.’
By using fillers, we dilute the force of our words much like how our milkmen used to once dilute our milk. We hated that milk; why should it be different with speech?
However, eliminating fillers is not easy. We struggle because fillers have become a habit; we spout them unknowingly. Breaking habits is hard but if you consciously watch your speech and train yourself to use silence liberally, it is quite doable.
Next time you are tempted to say ‘you know’, remind yourself that you know better than that – just shut up and use the best filler known to man – silence.