The pause feels longer to you than to your audience.
Direct answer
To reduce filler words, slow down, prepare your key points and replace "um" with a silent pause. Record yourself to notice your patterns, practise out loud and have a friend signal when you use them. You will not remove them all, and that is fine.
Steps
- Record a minute of speech and count them.
- Slow your pace.
- Plan your first sentence of each point.
- Pause instead of filling.
- Practise in low-stakes settings.
- Review progress weekly.
Tips
- Know the next idea before finishing the current one.
- Breathe at the end of sentences.
- Do not obsess. Clear content matters more.
Where Teyro fits
Teyro's Speak Like a CEO course turns this into short lessons you can play in a few minutes a day. It has 50 lessons, and you can start free.
The bottom line
A confident pause beats a filler word.
