9.1: What are filler words and why do we use them?

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Do these look familiar: um, ah, like, you know, and yeah, er, okay, uh? They should. Most of us currently use them or have used them before. Unfortunately, they add no value to your communication. In fact, you can remove these from your communication repertoire and still speak in complete sentences. There are names for these: filler words, filler phrases, and filler sounds.

"A filler is an apparently meaningless word, phrase, or sound that marks a pause or hesitation in speech. Also known as a pause filler or hesitation form. Some of the common filler words in English are um, uh, er, ah, like, okay, right, and you know”.(12)

“Recently I worked with a client who was a Solutions Architect. He had good experience and was getting interviews, and he answered interview questions well. He sounded like someone any company would want to hire, except for one thing – when he spoke he said “um” constantly. Although his other interview skills were good, the “um’s” made him sound unprofessional.” (13)

Some people use fillers when they are having anxiety, when thinking about what they want to say next, when they don’t know their topic well, or because it’s a habit. Regardless of the reason, you will be a better communicator when you eliminate or decrease your usage of fillers, because fillers may be distracting to the person or audience you’re speaking to. Some may even view you as less intelligent if you use fillers.