Reducing excessive use of filler words in scientific speech

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a serious article by Douglas R. Seals and McKinley E. Coppock in Advances in Physiology Education (2022, Volume 46, number 4, pages 615 to 620) titled We, um, have, like, a problem: excessive use of fillers in scientific speech which also can be downloaded for free as a six-page .pdf file. I broke the abstract into sections rather than its original single paragraph format. It says that:

 

“A filler is any word or sound that interpolates (i.e., is inserted into) the main message of a speaker. Common fillers include ‘um’, ‘ah’, ‘like’, ‘so’, and ‘you know?’ among others.

 

Excessive use of fillers in scientific presentations can reduce the credibility of the speaker as well as impair the comprehension of the speaker’s message by the audience.

 

Primary causes of fillers include nervousness/speaking too quickly, inadequate preparation time, and infrequently used words that are difficult for the speaker to remember while presenting.

 

Recommendations for reducing the use of fillers include self-awareness of the problem, reinforcing feedback, and active intervention to render pauses silent (instead of verbal) by ‘chunking’ content, increasing preparation time, and slowing presentation pace.

 

Excessive use of fillers is an obstacle to becoming an effective public speaker, and therefore efforts to reduce filler use should be a goal of professional development.”

 

A next-to-final section in the text headed One step at a time warns us:

 

“When emphasizing improved public speaking skills in the context of professional development, it is important to remember that it is not necessary to eliminate filler use in an initial effort but rather to reduce the frequency of use as a first step and then progressively work toward elimination. It also is important to recognize that improving public speaking skills, including reducing use of fillers, may be more challenging for certain individuals and groups. For example, some individuals whose first language is not English initially might find it challenging to present in that language. Similarly, some trainees with disorders of fluency, such as a stutter, and others with a fear of public speaking might need additional guidance, time, and space to improve their oral presentation skills. The reality is, all trainees and faculty, regardless of circumstances and level of training, benefit from empathy, mentoring, encouragement, and opportunities to enhance their scientific speech and public speaking abilities.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is an unfortunate tendency by some (including Toastmasters) to demand immediate total elimination of filler words. I call them Filler Word Daleks, after the xenophobic mutants in the Doctor Who science fiction television program, whose favorite word is Exterminate!

 

For example, a blog post by Esther Snippe at SpeakerHub on January 30, 2017 titled Stop “Um-ing” (and using other filler words) proclaims:

 

“Public speaking experts strongly recommend eliminating these words and phrases completely, keeping your talk clear and succinct — without distractions.”

 

The image of a Dalek came from here at Wikimedia Commons.