Monday, June 25, 2018

So, like, how can I clean up my writing?









































You can do a careful job of researching your topic, and get all the details correct. For example, on June 21, 2018 there was an article by Lisa Evans at Fast Company titled So, like, how can I, um, clean up my speech? She said that: 

A tried-and-true program for overcoming your fears of public speaking and improving your speech skills, Toastmasters can also help you eliminate your ums, aahs, and likes. Toastmasters assigns a grammarian to each meeting whose job is to record all the filler words used by speakers. Knowing that someone is listening for these words can help you to recognize them in your speech and take steps toward eliminating them.”

First that organization is called Toastmasters International, and second the person who counts filler words at a club meeting is logically called the Ah-Counter. (In some clubs the roles of Ah-Counter and Grammarian are combined to an Ah-Grammarian. Perhaps Lisa just heard the second part of that combination.) I saw the Fast Company article mentioned at the In the News section on the Media Center web page for Toastmasters International.

The galvanized steel sculpture of a cleaning woman is at the entrance to the Museum of Clean in Pocatello, Idaho.

No comments: