Communication Part 2: Pace, pauses and fillers

People who are hard to follow usually talk too fast, never pause, and fill every gap with "um" and "basically". All three get better with practice.

Slow down more than feels natural

Nerves often make you speed up, and from the inside it still feels normal. Everyday conversation often runs at 150 words a minute or more. For a talk, a class answer or a video, aim for about 130, because your listeners are taking in new ideas.

To check your pace, record yourself talking for one minute and count the words. If you're well above 130, slow down.

Let pauses do the work

A pause before an important point makes people listen. A pause after it gives them time to take it in:

Our app has 2,000 users. (pause) Half of them joined in the last month.

Pauses also give you time to think, which is the job fillers are trying to do.

Fillers

Um, uh, like, basically, actually, you know. Everyone uses a few, and a few are fine. They become a problem when they're in every sentence, because listeners start hearing them instead of you.

Fillers fill the gap while you think of your next words. The fix is to let that gap stay silent: finish a sentence, close your mouth, breathe, then start the next one. It will feel long to you. To your listeners, it sounds calm.

Finish your sentences

Two habits make you sound unsure: trailing off at the end ("so, yeah...") and letting your voice rise at the end of a statement, as if it were a question. Let your voice come down at the end of a sentence, and it sounds like you mean it.

Your accent is fine

You don't need to change your accent. A steady pace, real pauses and saying each word fully, including the ends of words, matter far more than how you sound. Clear speech works with any listener.

Try it

Record a one-minute answer to "Tell me about yourself" on your phone. Play it back and count your words, your fillers and your pauses. Record it again, aiming for half the fillers and at least three proper pauses.

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Next: Communication Part 3: Listen so people feel heard