Amanda has recently been filmed giving a presentation. When watching, she notices that she frequently uses words such as “So”, “you know”, and “basically”. She also thinks she says “uh” and “um” too much. What could she do to minimise these verbal tics?

(A) Increase her speaking speed

(B) Use silent pauses

(C) Find synonyms for repeating words

(D) Clear her throat

Explanation

Amanda could minimise these verbal tics by using silent pauses and finding synonyms for repeating words. Silent pauses will help her to quickly think about what she is going to say next and finding synonyms for repeating words helps her in improving the quality of the presentation.

Conclusion

This question is a part of the Check Your Knowledge section of the fourth lesson Eliminate verbal tics from the Speaking in Public course. You can check out all the answers to this exam on our Speaking in Public Answers page.