How to Eliminate "Umms" and "Ahhs" from Your Speech: Lessons from a Toastmaster
Have you ever watched a video of yourself speaking and cringed at the number of filler words slipping out? The umms, the ahhs, the so's and like's peppering every sentence — words you never even realized you were saying. If that experience sounds familiar, you're far from alone. Filler words, often called crutch words, are one of the most common issues people face with public speaking. The good news? With awareness and practice, you can dramatically reduce them — and transform yourself into a far more polished, engaging speaker in the process.
Why We Use Crutch Words in the First Place
Before you can fix the problem, it helps to understand why it exists. The root cause is surprisingly simple: silence feels uncomfortable. When we speak in front of an audience, our nerves kick in. We become hyper-aware of how we sound, and the idea of a gap — even a brief, natural pause — between sentences feels unbearable. So we rush to fill that silence with filler words like "um," "uh," "so," or "like," creating the illusion of continuous, unbroken speech.
The irony is that these filler words actually make things worse, not better. If you've ever listened to a speaker who says "um" after every sentence, you know how distracting it becomes. After a while, the filler word is all you hear. It pulls your attention away from the message and undermines the speaker's credibility — even when the content itself is excellent.
Step One: Identify Your Specific Crutch Words
Everyone has slightly different tendencies. Some people default to "um." Others lean on "like," "so," "you know," or "basically." The first and most important step is to figure out which words are your personal crutch words, because you can't fix what you aren't aware of.
In the Toastmasters program, there's a dedicated role at every meeting called the "Ah Counter." This person listens to every speaker throughout the meeting and tallies each filler word they hear. At the end of the meeting, the Ah Counter delivers a brief report: "Wade, during your speaking opportunity, you said the word 'um' twenty-three times." That kind of direct, specific feedback is incredibly powerful. Once you know your crutch word, you start catching yourself in real time during future speeches — and that self-awareness is the beginning of real change.
Not a Toastmasters member? You can still identify your crutch words using these approaches:
- Record yourself speaking. Set up your phone camera and practice a speech — whether it's a wedding toast, a work presentation, or just a few minutes of impromptu talking. Then watch it back. You'll be surprised at what you notice when you're observing yourself rather than performing.
- Ask someone you trust. Have a family member or friend listen carefully the next time you practice a speech. Ask them to jot down every filler word they hear. They may even offer additional constructive feedback on your delivery that you wouldn't have caught on your own.
Step Two: Embrace the Power of the Pause
Here's the insight that changes everything: the silence that feels awkward to you doesn't sound awkward to your audience. In fact, it sounds polished. It sounds confident. It sounds intentional.
When you allow a brief pause between sentences instead of filling it with "um" or "uh," you give your audience time to absorb what you've just said. You give yourself a moment to collect your next thought. The result is speech that feels composed and authoritative rather than rushed and scattered.
Consider the difference. A sentence delivered with clean pauses between ideas sounds smooth and professional. Now imagine the same sentence stuffed with filler: "Um, so, uh, this topic, um, it's really focused on, um, incorporating, uh, the different elements of…" — it's uncomfortable to listen to. The pauses aren't the enemy. The filler words are.
Step Three: Slow Down Your Pace
One of the biggest reasons crutch words creep into our speech is that we're speaking faster than our brains can keep up. When your mouth is racing ahead and your mind is scrambling to formulate the next sentence, filler words rush in to bridge that gap. The solution is deceptively simple: slow down.
Slowing your pace accomplishes several things at once:
- It gives your brain time to prepare your next thought before your mouth needs to deliver it.
- It gives your audience time to breathe, reflect, and absorb your message.
- It naturally eliminates many of the moments where filler words would otherwise appear.
You can even use changes in pace as a storytelling tool. Speed up during an exciting or urgent moment — describing a family racing through an airport to catch a flight, for example — then slow down for the emotional resolution. That variation in rhythm is deeply engaging for listeners, and when it's delivered without crutch words cluttering the way, the effect is even more powerful.
It's a Journey, Not an Overnight Fix
Let's be honest: eliminating filler words from your speech doesn't happen overnight. It's a process that requires consistent, deliberate practice. Even experienced speakers slip up from time to time — and that's perfectly okay. Nobody is perfect. What matters is the commitment to continuous improvement.
The feedback from audiences and fellow speakers makes the effort worthwhile. When you remove the "umms" and "ahhs," people consistently report that your speech is more enjoyable to listen to. Your message comes through with greater clarity and impact, and you project a level of confidence and competence that sets you apart from the average speaker.
A Simple Framework to Get Started
If you're ready to start cleaning up your speech, here's the process in a nutshell:
- Identify your specific crutch words through recording, feedback, or both.
- Acknowledge them without judgment — awareness is the foundation of change.
- Practice consistently, embracing pauses where filler words used to live.
- Slow down your speaking pace to give your brain room to stay ahead of your mouth.
By following this combination of awareness and practice, you'll reach a level of speaking ability that is significantly higher than average — because most people never take the time to address this issue at all. The ability to speak cleanly, with purposeful pauses and without distracting filler, is a genuinely valuable skill that will serve you in presentations, conversations, interviews, and every other area of communication throughout your life.