How to Avoid Word Whiskers and Other Habits
A word whisker is a meaningless word or phrase used as’filler’ when
the speaker is unsure of what to say next, what should be said next or
just a bad habit that has formed. Word whiskers and other poor speaking
habits stop us from being fluent speakers.
Being fluent in speech delivery comes naturally to some people, but to
others, their speeches are riddled with word whiskers, stammers and long
pauses. Avoiding these problems is a must if you want to excel in public
speaking. Like um, yeah, you see, er, ah, I’m getting to the point but
it’s taking me a while and in the meantime I’m frustrating my audience.
Although word whiskers are viewed as a normal part of every day speech
they will not be tolerated in speech presentation. The secret to
eliminate the habits that stop your speech from being fluent is
preparation. Follow these simple tips and your speeches will become
fluent and pleasing to the ear.
- Prepare your speech with words you are familiar with. If you need to use terminology or jargon that is new to you, make sure you research it and practice saying it. Get the new meanings clear in your mind before you even think about talking about them.
- Organize your speech in a logical manner. Develop a speech
outline and deliver your main points in a chronological order.
- Practice your speech so as the material is memorable. Although you
aren't expected to recite it word for word, you should be
comfortable enough with your delivery that if you lose your place
you can pause and get back on track without bumbling on with word
whiskers and stammers.
- Tape your speech and listen for any word whiskers. If there are a
number that appear regularly write them down on a piece of paper.
Now draw a circle around the word and strike a red mark through it.
Now practice your speech and every time you want to use the word
whisker, slow down and pause. Take a breath and move on to the next
point in your speech. Be careful that you don’t exchange one word
whisker with another. If you practice and be diligent you will rid
your speech of any unwanted habit.
- Visualize yourself giving your speech. Say it over and over in your mind without any bad habits. Think about when a word whisker may appear; visualize you pausing, taking a breath and moving on. This way you can program your brain to do the action when necessary.
On the day of your speech be clear in your purpose. If you are well prepared with your material and have visualized fluent speech, hopefully your word whiskers and other habits will be minimal or maybe even non-existent.