Conversation Fillers

Do you use conversation fillers? If you do, they might be holding you back. By conversation fillers, I mean the things that you say while you're searching your mind for other things to say. Here is a list of common conversation fillers that I often hear:

Conversation Fillers

1. you know
2. um
3. aw
4. like

Here are some common phrases that I often hear as fillers in conversations:

Phrases As Conversation Fillers

1. and the thing is, you know
2. and things like that, you know
3. and that's the thing, you know
4. like, you know
5. it's like, you know

Subconscious Reaction

Now, if you're a person who uses these in conversations, other people will notice it, but they usually won't tell you about it because it's kind of embarrassing to have to tell someone. You might not even notice that you do this because it's often times a subconscious reaction to use in a conversation when you run out of things to say.

First Step

So, the first step is noticing that you have this problem. I suggest listening to yourself when you talk. You may even want to practice talking out loud when nobody else is around.

Noticing

I used to have this problem myself. The way I got passed it was by consciously noticing everything that I say while I am talking. If I start to use fillers while I'm talking, I know that it's time to stop talking. Then, once I know what it is that I'm trying to say, I can start talking again so that I can get my point across.

Conversation fillers are not only annoying; they make you sound unintelligent.

Subconsciously

The worst thing of all about conversation fillers is that sometimes you use them subconsciously without even noticing that you're doing it. Then when I catch on to the fact that I'm doing it, I usually walk away with my tail between my legs thinking," my bad."

Benefits

When you stop using conversation fillers; you might notice that more people do talk to you because you sound like you have something intelligent to say. This can be one of the benefits from correcting this habit.

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