When listening back to, you know, your podcast audio, are you, like, um, noticing, uhh, a uhh few too many filler words? Speaking with excessive filler words can be annoying to listeners and make you sound unsure of yourself. On the flip side, the benefits of fixing this issue extend far beyond your podcast! There are ways to stop using filler words on your podcast.
Like any bad habit, you can break this one, but you will have to put the work in and be persistent. We’re outlining 5 ways to banish filler words from your vocabulary once and for all!
1. Become Aware
One of the best ways to stop using filler words on your podcast is to simply become aware of it. Once the idea is on your mind, you’ll start to notice when you slip up. Whether it’s a sticky note on your desk or asking friends to point out when a filler word sneaks into your speech, keeping it in mind will have you speaking smoothly in no time.
You can solidify this even further by taking the time to go back and repeat any flubbed sentences when speaking. Listening back to your podcast recordings and noticing your use of filler words is another great way to raise your awareness of the issue.
2. Take Time to Plan
Often we use filler words to give us a moment to decide what we’re going to say next or organize our thoughts. If you take some time to plan and ensure that you know where you’re going with a thought or interview question, you’ll naturally use those fillers less. You shouldn’t script the whole show, but it can be helpful to have an outline.
3. Breathe
Taking a pause and a breath is a great way to slow down without resorting to filler words. A slower pace can give a sense of seriousness and knowledge. Also, it makes it sound as if you’re in control.
4. Help Your Guests Out
If both the host and the guest are peppering the conversation with filler words, it’s extremely off-putting for the audience. It makes your show sound amateurish and also gets in the way of all that amazing content that your guest has to share. If you’re using filler words to organize your thoughts, signal to your guest that your thought isn’t quite finished. Maintaining good eye contact with your guest helps build a connection and can make the interview more comfortable and help it flow more smoothly. This is why it helps to use a video connection when doing online interviews.
You can’t control how your guests speak, but you can help them by providing a prep sheet containing a reminder to try not to use filler words on your podcast. This is easier said than done, as removing filler words from our vocabulary isn’t an overnight process!
5. Editing
At the end of the day, you can pay your podcast editor to remove as many filler words as possible. However, it’s always going to be more expensive than just training yourself not to use them in the first place. Plus, you’ll sound better and more polished in everyday life!
Need help removing filler words from your podcast and publishing professional-sounding episodes? East Coast Studio can help! Book a call with us today.