{"id":6554,"date":"2014-11-19T06:18:00","date_gmt":"2014-11-19T14:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.dlvr.it?p=6554&preview_id=6554"},"modified":"2026-04-07T05:59:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T12:59:11","slug":"avoid-filler-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dlvrit.com\/blog\/avoid-filler-content\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways to Avoid Credibility Distractors in Your Social Media Post. Um\u2026What\u2019s the Problem?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:<\/strong>\u00a0As social media marketers, it\u2019s important to demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills that clearly project professionalism and confidence. Here is one big addition to your communication skill set to help with this goal. Learn four easy ways to avoid filler words and content.<\/em><\/p>\n

(#WorkloadWednesday<\/a>) I recently had the horror of listening to myself on a recording my daughter made as we were driving the long I-5 stretch towards Los Angeles. This is an incredibly boring drive and we were passing time by asking random questions. I was shocked at how many times I used the word \u2018um\u2019, mainly as filler, to stall while considering my responses. With educators for parents, I remember having an \u2018Um Jar\u2019 \u2013 every time one of us used the word, we had to deposit a quarter into the jar. With five kids, it filled up quickly. Slowly, while depleting our allowance, we were eventually \u201cbroken\u201d (at least temporarily) of the habit.<\/p>\n

Um\u2026 What\u2019s the Problem?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In conversation, I think most of us have been\u00a0guilty of using filler words. For me, this usually happens when I\u2019m nervous and stumbling for words.\u00a0For some it\u2019s \u2018um\u2019, and others may use \u2018so,\u2019 \u2018like,\u2019 \u2018OK\u2019 or \u2018alright.\u2019 In fact, people around the world fill pauses in their own way<\/a>. In Britain they say “uh,” Hebrew speakers say “ehhh,” the Turks say “mmmmm.” The Japanese say “eto” (eh-to) and “ano” (ah-no), Spanish speakers “esto”, and Mandarin speakers “neige” (NEH-guh) and “jiege” (JEH-guh). In Dutch and German it’s “uh, um, mmm.” In Swedish it\u2019s “eh, ah, aah, m, mm, hmm, ooh, a and oh.” You get the picture.<\/p>\n

What we don’t realize when in the moment is how distracting these “credibility killers” are for your listeners and how they make you sound bad.<\/p>\n

\"Stop<\/a>
\nAn article on How to Stop Saying Um, Uh, and Other Filler Words<\/a>, examines why filler words have a negative impact<\/strong> on your effectiveness. They contribute nothing, and weaken your effectiveness as a speaker in two primary ways:<\/p>\n