How can you stop yourself from rambling?
The Challenge
Before your next presentation (or even just a meeting in which you'll have a speaking role), take 15 minutes to organize the information you'll speak about into "chunks"--first thought, pause, second though, pause, and so on.
Why do this?
Overusing filler words--"um," "like," "so"--makes you come across as nervous and unprepared. While saying them a few times during a presentation is no big deal, your credibility is severely impacted when they start to clutter your sentences. (By the way, if you noticed that this challenge is similar to another one you've done, you're right. It is! We developed a whole series on avoiding filler words, and this challenge is part of that series.)
Learning to speak more precisely and avoid verbalizing your pauses will greatly elevate your oral communication skills.
What’s next?
Record yourself speaking during a meeting at the beginning of the week, and again at the end of the week, after you've implemented this challenge. Do you notice a difference in the number of filler words you use?
