Are you one of those who fill all the blanks in your conversations with “you know”?
Most people use “you know” when they are trying to figure out what to say next. “You know” has become such an annoying filler words.
When you “you know” too frequently, your listener(s) will no longer focus on your message, but the annoying “you know.”
Using “you know” too frequently implies that you are not certain of what you say and you are not smooth in your thought process.
Another meaningless word used in conversations is “actually.”
When I asked those whom I met in networking events what line of business they were in, I would never fail to hear, “I’m actually a …”
What does it even mean?
It sounds as if you were often considered a fraud, or you were working in a fake profession, or you were defending yourself out of nothing.
Even worse, more “actually” will come its way in the conversations.
Too frequent use of “actually” reflects your insecurity and lack of confidence.
You don’t want to be perceived as uncertain, insecure, lack of confidence, and unreliable. You want to sound more confident, credible and convincing. First, start recording your conversations and find out which annoying filler word you’ve been using. Be more observant of yourself. Whenever you catch yourself use “you know”, “actually” or other filler word(s), pause to think. Your listeners won’t be annoyed by the fact that you pause to think. They’ll only be annoyed when you “you know” and “actually” too much.
