Subscribe to this Blog
Services We Offer
What's New
- The case for speech training
- What you won't learn in B-School: 100 Cutting Edge Blogs
- Presentation Pointer: The art of speaking - it makes sense to pursue it
- Powerpoint Presentation Skills: Don’t start with the slides
- The forgotten presentation skill: Empathy
Sims Wyeth founded Sims Wyeth & Company, Inc. in 1995 in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers.
Voice Training: How to Eliminate “Ers” and “Uhms”
This morning a woman told me that when she hosted a company radio show, she heard herself on tape and was horrified to hear how often she said “er” and “uhm.” She resolved to stop.
The next day, while on the air, she heard herself “ering and uhming” and began to have a dialogue with herself. One voice was telling her that she was “ering and uhming” and the other voice was trying to talk to the audience through the microphone. She described it as an impossible situation.
Athletes practice until their bodies know what to do. Musicians practice until their fingers know what to do. Why should speakers be any different? If you have the habit of “ering and uhming” you need to practice speaking until you’ve created a new habit–the habit of flawless speech.
However, if you are obliged to perform during such a “practice period” in your life, you would be better off forgetting about your “ers and uhms” during performance and simply let your talent take over.
If you ride shotgun on your talent, as the radio announcer did, your conscious mind is trying to interfere with what should be a well-grooved habit. Psychologists call this “conscious override.” It’s the mind getting in the way of the talent.
Work on your skills in practice, but when it comes time to perform, give it your best shot. When the performance is over, you can go back to ridding yourself of those “ers and uhms.”
Tags: flawless speech, How to Eliminate "Ers and Uhms", nj voice training, ny speech training, persuasive speech, public speaking skill, public speaking skills, speech coach, speech coaching, speech training, verbal skill, voice projection, voice training, voice training ny
One Response to “Voice Training: How to Eliminate “Ers” and “Uhms””
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
June 30th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
[...] As reported in another posting, speakers with their hands in their pockets are more hesitant and awkward as speakers. Speakers who gesture say fewer “ers and uhms.” [...]