How to Stop, Like, Using Filler Words [Simple 3-Step Guide]
Ed Darling | 3 min read
Last updated: 02/07/2026
The filler-words damaging your credibility.
Those little um’s, erm’s, likes, and you know’s that sneak into our sentences, are what we call “credibility killers”.
In casual conversations, they actually serve a purpose: helping to smooth the flow of chat from one person to the other.
But when you’re speaking professionally, whether that’s giving a presentation, or sharing ideas in a meeting — filler words serve only one purpose:
Distracting from your message.
I’m Ed, the founder of Project Charisma. I’ve helped countless professionals to become confident speakers, and one of *the most* common issues we have to deal with, is banishing filler words.
Let’s explore how.
Filler-words... the universal bad verbal habit.
When working as an actor, I once did a theatre tour through Italy. We went from Naples in the south, to Milan in the north, stopping off at countless places along the way.
Everywhere we went, I heard the same word:
“Allora…”
Finally, someone explained to me, this was the Italian version of “erm”.
Different filler words occur across all cultures and languages. But how do we stop using them when it’s time to sound professional?
The first step, is developing your “vocal awareness”.
Step 1: Develop your filler-word awareness.
Filler words are like verbal tics — you might not notice them, but your audience sure does. Ever cringed at a presenter who starts every sentence with “kind of” or ends with “so…”?
It’s one of the many mistakes that can derail a good presentation. Too many filler words make you sound unsure, unprepared, or in the most advanced cases… like Vicky Pollard from Little Britain, rattling off a chaotic “yeah but, no but.”
Most of the time, people aren’t even aware they’re doing it. So lets run a quick experiment.
Pause here, and record yourself speaking for 60-seconds. Choose any topic – explain who you are, and what you do. Then listen back, and note down any filler words.
If there’s a lot… don’t worry. It can be disheartening to realise just how many fillers you’re using, but only by recognising the problem can we fix it.
The more you notice yourself (and other people’s) filler words, the more vocal awareness you’re developing. Each time you catch yourself “uhming”, you’re one step closer to breaking the habit.
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Step 2: Replace nervous fillers with powerful pauses.
Like any bad habit, it’s easier to stop using filler words when you have something else to replace them. Pauses provide the perfect switch.
Pauses are a sign of confidence. It shows you’re comfortable holding silence and choosing your words – not worrying about someone cutting you off.
Many speakers feel uncomfortable pausing. Each second can seem like a huge void. But those moments of silence give your brain (and your audience) time to think.
A few good pauses can be the difference between sounding frantic, and sounding like a leader. So swapping our fillers for pauses gives a double benefit:
- Fewer fillers make you sound more credible.
- More pauses makes you sound more confident.
I once worked with a client who (without realising it) was filling her pitch with “you know?”. It was ruining an otherwise good delivery.
Once we swapped the fillers for pauses, the whole presentation became that much more impactful.
Check out my short video on pauses.
Step 3: Slow down your pace, and speak in statements.
The final piece of the puzzle is pace.
If you speak too fast, it’s impossible to avoid those filler words — your brain is scrambling to think of the next words, and falls back on fillers to buy itself more time.
Slowing down can sometimes feel awkward, especially if you’re used to speaking fast. But just like pauses, it’s a positive habit that becomes normal with practise.
A slower pace lets pauses happen naturally, allows your brain to choose your words more carefully, and makes what you say land with more importance.
Think of this as verbal punctuation. You wouldn’t enjoy reading a book without any commas, full stops, or paragraphs – it would be impossible to keep up.
When you speak too fast, without any pauses, that’s what you’re asking your audience to do.
Action point: Don’t wait for your next presentation to practise this. Start building these habits in everyday conversations: speaking more slowly, leaning into pauses, accentuating your words. If you do this day-to-day, the habit will soon stick.
The simple (but not easy) way to beat filler words.
Filler words don’t have to sabotage your speech. They’re just a bad verbal habit that needs to be unlearned. Here’s how to do it:
- Build vocal awareness by recording yourself, and listening to others.
- Get comfortable using more pauses when speaking, and replacing the fillers with brief moments of silence.
- Practise slowing your speaking pace in everyday conversations, until it feels normal.
Start today – in your next conversation, listen out for any fillers words, and start changing the habit. You’ll soon notice how much more calm and credible you’re sounding.
To your public speaking success,
Ed
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