We all strive to be effective communicators, but sometimes, those annoying filler words can get in the way. They sneak into our speech without us even realizing it.
In this episode, we will cover a different approach for eliminating your fears and filler words. You will learn the power of pause. And how to practice your presentation for more lasting change.
Consider, the more you pay attention and become mindful of where you are at in sentence structure, ask yourself, are you connecting to the feeling of your words, and of being confident?
Notice that when you are using filler words, you may be be feeling less confident. So shift your focus, and connect to your heart. The more connected you are with what you are sharing, the more naturally your words will flow.
Once you become comfortable, I encourage you to take the next step. Let go of the script, Conscious of that internal connection, knowing you have all the right words at your disposal. Trust your intuition and voice to allow you to be your most authentic you.
Speak from that place of heart, mind and soul and you truly are the master.
About Melinda:
Melinda Lee is a Presentation Skills Expert, Speaking Coach and nationally renowned Motivational Speaker. She holds an M.A. in Organizational Psychology, is an Insights Practitioner, and is a Certified Professional in Talent Development as well as Certified in Conflict Resolution. For over a decade, Melinda has researched and studied the state of “flow” and used it as a proven technique to help corporate leaders and business owners amplify their voices, access flow, and present their mission in a more powerful way to achieve results.
She has been the TEDx Berkeley Speaker Coach and worked with hundreds of executives and teams from Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Caltrans, Bay Area Rapid Transit System, and more. Currently, she lives in San Francisco, California, and is breaking the ancestral lineage of silence.
Website: https://speakinflow.com/
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/speakinflow
Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakinflow
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpowerall
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Welcome to another episode of The Speak In Flow
Melinda Lee:Podcast. Today we are going to delve into mastering your
Melinda Lee:communication by eliminating filler words. So you can have
Melinda Lee:more impact, we all strive to be an effective communicator. I
Melinda Lee:mean, that's why we're here. And yet sometimes of filler words,
Melinda Lee:they're pesky, they, they just come in, out of the blue, and
Melinda Lee:sometimes we don't even realise it. It's the filler words such
Melinda Lee:as you know, so I'm, like, Ah, so on so forth. They just come
Melinda Lee:in. And what we don't realise is that it does diminish our
Melinda Lee:message when we have too much. I mean, generally, they're
Melinda Lee:relatively harmless. If you have a couple here and there is
Melinda Lee:totally fine. It's more about connecting with your audience,
Melinda Lee:with your heart, and with your passion. However, if you are,
Melinda Lee:have too many of them, that means you're not as connected to
Melinda Lee:your message, and you're just doubtful, and your message can
Melinda Lee:become unclear. And then people start noticing the filler words
Melinda Lee:more than your message. So how do we eliminate those filler
Melinda Lee:words and speak with more confidence speak with more
Melinda Lee:And so when you're talking, you can have key points. But then
Melinda Lee:really just trusting your intuition trusting your voice.
Melinda Lee:influence? The first step is we want to be aware, yes, you want
Melinda Lee:And that will allow you to come in with more confidence to be
Melinda Lee:the authentic you. Because what is happening is when you are
Melinda Lee:talking from a script, and you're memorising it word for
Melinda Lee:to be mindful of it? And no, I'm not going to have you count
Melinda Lee:word, you're actually in your head, meaning you're thinking
Melinda Lee:about what to say you're thinking about the next word.
Melinda Lee:And when you're thinking and in your mind, you might also wander
Melinda Lee:them. Sometimes there have been strategies, or sometimes people
Melinda Lee:off to am I saying the right thing? Is that word Correct? Or
Melinda Lee:what are they, you know, thinking about me? Am I being
Melinda Lee:judged? So all of these thoughts are in your head. Great speakers
Melinda Lee:will say, Hey, you, you want to count the filler words, and the
Melinda Lee:come from a full embodiment. Mind, body, soul, your whole
Melinda Lee:passion, you everything about you is in it's all in not just
Melinda Lee:less words filler words that you use the treat, you know, treat
Melinda Lee:your mind, right? So you want to come in with your heart, your
Melinda Lee:mind, your soul, every part of you speak from that place.
Melinda Lee:And when you're just speaking with us through a script that
Melinda Lee:yourself, give yourself kudos. But you know, how many times
Melinda Lee:doesn't feel like that you'll feel more robotic and so we want
Melinda Lee:you to be natural. We want to to be okay with being in flow.
Melinda Lee:Being in a flow state. When you're flowing, you're really
Melinda Lee:have you paid attention to something, and then the more you
Melinda Lee:not in your head. You're more in your heart. You're speaking from
Melinda Lee:a more grounded place. You're trusting your voice, you're
Melinda Lee:trusting that you know the stuff that whatever you say is going
Melinda Lee:pay attention to something, the worse it gets, or you get real
Melinda Lee:to be great. And that requires you to let go of the script. The
Melinda Lee:script is a training wheel. And it's a crutch. So we want to let
Melinda Lee:go of that idea that we have to be perfect. And just trusting
Melinda Lee:frustrated? And and so my suggestion is actually
Melinda Lee:that you can connect with that inner dial, inner strength of
Melinda Lee:yourself. And that is when the filler words will leave. And
Melinda Lee:contradictory of counting them. I do want you to be mindful. But
Melinda Lee:when you're presenting, let's say you, you start to get
Melinda Lee:nervous again, and the filler words start to happen.
Melinda Lee:You go into a pause, that will allow you to gather yourself,
Melinda Lee:I don't want you to be mindful of counting filler words, I want
Melinda Lee:you will appear intentional to your audience. And that will
Melinda Lee:slow your your voice down your pace down, and then the filler
Melinda Lee:words disappear. When you're at a good pace, when you're
Melinda Lee:you to be mindful of where you're at, like, where your
Melinda Lee:comfortable with what you're saying. It feels thoughtful, and
Melinda Lee:it feels like a good pace. And then the audience is able to
Melinda Lee:centres at where your mind is that where your body's at? Are
Melinda Lee:receive what you're saying the filler words just naturally
Melinda Lee:disappear. They dissolve, they're gone, because you're
Melinda Lee:just so confident and you feel confident you're in your body,
Melinda Lee:you connected to your competence? Are you connected to
Melinda Lee:in your intuition and using allowing the words just flow
Melinda Lee:through you. And that is what a great speaker does. And that is
Melinda Lee:the feeling of being confident inside, because what is
Melinda Lee:when you can connect your words to your audience. That is when
Melinda Lee:you can look at one person in the audience and truly connect
Melinda Lee:happening, when you are using filler words, you're just
Melinda Lee:to their eyes. And then look at another person in the audience
Melinda Lee:and truly connect to the second person's eyes, and have a
Melinda Lee:disconnected to that confidence, that internal dial of strength
Melinda Lee:beautiful experience. When you're all connected. It's not
Melinda Lee:about a performance. It's not about being perfect, and having
Melinda Lee:all the specific beautiful, perfect language, because that's
Melinda Lee:that everyone has, you have it, it's just a matter of
Melinda Lee:not how we talk. We want people to speak, when you can feel
Melinda Lee:connected to them, when you can keep feel connected to their
Melinda Lee:remembering it again, and getting connected back to it.
Melinda Lee:entire message because people will remember how you make them
Melinda Lee:feel. And so when you are coming from your whole passion, every
Melinda Lee:And so the more you practice, speaking from that place, and
Melinda Lee:part of you trusting your words and trusting that you're
Melinda Lee:connecting to the audience. That is what people feel, that is
Melinda Lee:what people remember, your filler words will be either zero
Melinda Lee:connecting to your heart connecting to with allowing the
Melinda Lee:or limited or very few. And that is what it will take for you to
Melinda Lee:speak with more confidence. So using the pauses using your
Melinda Lee:words to flow, the less filler words will happen, they
Melinda Lee:breath. And, and again, if you do want to continue being a
Melinda Lee:powerful speaker, you should practice but not practising your
Melinda Lee:naturally disappear because you are so dialled in with your
Melinda Lee:script, practising connecting to your strength, practising
Melinda Lee:speaking your presentation with just the key points and
Melinda Lee:connecting to your strength connecting to the confidence
Melinda Lee:message with the confident you. And one of the things that I
Melinda Lee:that you feel inside and using your breath to take you there.
Melinda Lee:So remember, having a clear communication requires that
Melinda Lee:you're able to feel within yourself all the words and
Melinda Lee:highly encourage you to do, to take a step forward in getting
Melinda Lee:connecting with the audience. And that is going to help you
Melinda Lee:skyrocket your presentations to be more compelling to make a
Melinda Lee:connected to your strength is letting go of the script. That's
Melinda Lee:more impact. Because you're able to connect with the audience
Melinda Lee:captivate your audience, because you're free to be yourself.
Melinda Lee:You're free to show your quirkiness to make a mistake.
Melinda Lee:right, let go of the script. You don't want to go right out. You
Melinda Lee:And that is okay. Because you're ultimately connected to the
Melinda Lee:audience. And you can make a joke about it. You're flexible,
Melinda Lee:can write it out word for word, but when you go to say it, I
Melinda Lee:you're free. And that is what makes a great speaker. So if
Melinda Lee:you've enjoyed this episode, subscribe to our podcast giving
Melinda Lee:me a good rating. That would be so helpful for you for the
Melinda Lee:want you to just let it go and know that you can do it know
Melinda Lee:community. It would mean the world to us and let me know what
Melinda Lee:content you would like. And until next time, let's eliminate
Melinda Lee:that you can you have all the right words.
Melinda Lee:the filler words so you can speak with your confidence. Make
Melinda Lee:an impact, and let your voice be heard.