Master the elimination of filler words and learn professional delivery techniques that create confident, authoritative presentations executives respect.
This is Lesson 15 of The English Farm's professional English presentation series. Master the vocal techniques that make executive audiences take you seriously from the first word to the last.
Your teacher will read an excerpt from a presentation. How many filler words did you hear?
Look at the excerpt that your teacher read and read it out loud, but this time, remove the unnecessary fillers and make it more professional and confident. Instead of fillers, try pausing.
Um, so, on this slide you can, like, see the, uh, key benefits of, you know, moving forward with, um, our digital expansion plan. Basically, it’s, uh, going to, like, save about 30% of, um, average task time. And, you know, we’ll also, um, improve, like, customer satisfaction, which is, you know, already, um, up from, like, 68% to 89%. So, yeah, it’s, um, a really good opportunity.
While using fillers naturally is a part of learning language, it's better to manage pauses and organize your thoughts instead. Look at the following table. What other examples can you think of?
| Language Point | Why It Helps | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Pausing for effect | Silence is more powerful than “um”—it makes you sound confident and gives the audience time to process. | (Stop speaking briefly instead of saying “uh”) → “On this slide… [pause] …you can see the key benefits of digital expansion.” |
| Signposting phrases | Gives you “ready-made” structures to connect ideas smoothly, reducing the urge to fill gaps. | “Let’s move to the next point.” ,“What this means is…” , To summarize…” |
| Hedging phrases | For when you need a moment to think but want to sound professional, not hesitant. | “Let me consider that for a moment.” ,“That’s an important question; here’s how I’d explain it…” |
| Chunking & thought groups | Speaking in short, organized chunks makes your flow natural and reduces nervous rambling. | Instead of “uh, so, like, the plan will…” → “The plan will… reduce costs by 20%. / It will also… improve efficiency.” |
| Reformulation phrases | Helps correct yourself smoothly without panic (instead of filler words while thinking). | “Let me rephrase that…” , “What I meant to say was…” |
| Time-buying phrases | If you need a second to think, use structured phrases instead of “um.” | “Let’s look at this from another angle.”, “Before I answer, let me give some context.” |
Note that native speakers DO use fillers, but with a few points in mind:
- Use fillers sparingly, not constantly.
- In business presentations, fillers are usually used while transitioning between thoughts, not every sentence.
- Choose the right type of filler for the situation.
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Thinking fillers (buy a second to plan your next words): “Well…”, “So…”, “Let’s see…”
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Connecting fillers (soften transitions): “You know,” (informal), “Basically,”, “Right?”
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Reformulating fillers (adjust what you said): “I mean…”, “What I want to say is…”
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- Keep them short and confident.
- “So…” (pause) …this approach saves 30% of task time.
- Replace long silences with controlled fillers.
- Silence is fine—but in a high-pressure Q&A, a short hedging phrase can keep your flow.
- Match the tone to the audience.
- In formal settings, use more structured fillers and avoid overly casual ones like “like” or “you know” in executive presentations.
You are ending your presentation with a final call to action. Look at the following slide and present it. Be as confident as you can!
As you have explored, even native speakers of English use filler words. The trick is to be aware and proficient enough to use pausing, signposting, chunking, and rephrasing to create time. This comes with practice and fluency—recording yourself and doing a quick audit to see what your particular crutch is, and then addressing it accordingly.
You can now deliver presentations without distracting filler words, using strategic pauses and professional language instead. These Professional English Courses skills will help you sound authoritative and prepared in any executive presentation setting.