Junk Words— Get Them Before They Get You!

Notice the regular “uh” “oh” and “mmm” that infest your speech? TM Paul Chee tells you the way to throw out these parasites that eat on the true essence of your speech.

Have you ever noticed that while delivering a speech, the “and you know”s come up more frequently than the actual things you intended to say? Or have you ever been stuck in the middle of a sentence, not knowing how to continue but for the mm?

Most, if not all of us, can remember such embarrassing times. How then are we to eliminate these junk words from our conversations or oral presentations? How are we to get rid of them before they do us in?

The first step in getting rid of your junk words is to count them. As elementary as that seems, counting junk words would keep you aware of the frequency at which you use them. Be warned that if junk words perpetuate your speech, your audience will start counting them. You want to be known for your ideas, your plans, your integrity, and your vision. Nobody wants to be known as that “you know” speaker.

I cannot tell you how many junk words you can drop before your audience starts to take notice and loses concentration on your message. However I have a challenge for you( zero junk words. That brings us to the second point. After counting and having a feel of the frequency at which we use junk words; now is the time to eliminate them altogether. Before facing the firing squad, first deliver your speech into a tape-recorder. Play it back. Count and take notice of where junk w ords pop out. It would be helpful if you note them down on your written script. Next, deliver your speech again. This time, when you feel that the junk word is just round the corner, SHUT UP! A nicer way of putting it would be to pause. It does not matter if the pause appears at an awkward point in the sentence. Our first goal is to get rid of the junk words. As we cannot speak as fast as our thoughts, these pauses give us time to come up with a more suitable word to replace the

Lastly, speak as how you write not as how you think. Nobody writes with s and “you knows” thrown in. With more practice, you will be able to accomplish this. It is extremely difficult to speak as fast as your thoughts. You do not have to. Your speech should turn out like the final draft of an essay; smooth and coherent. Be confident of what you have to say. And most important of all, be prepared and stay focused.

That is how you can eliminate the junks words from your speech: count them, pause, speak as though you are writing and stay focused. Get those junks words before they get you!