How to... umm, be persuasive when... err, speaking

Every time you give a talk or presentation, you're trying to persuade people of something. 'Um's and 'err's are time-filling hesitation that conveys uncertainty (even if you know what you're talking about). That uncertainty says to your audience that you're unsure of your subject and of yourself. Not very persuasive.

In order to fix this problem, you must lose the habit of filling any spaces with noise.

Instead, get comfortable with the few seconds of silence that happen when you need to find the right words. That silence will probably feel a lot longer to you than they do to your audience, but for goodness' sake keep your mouth shut until a coherent idea or piece of information comes to you. Not only will you be making sure that only useful information comes out of your mouth, but those short moments of silence will actually reinforce your presence and authority, because they indicate that you're in control of the situation (even if you feel horribly nervous). It will also help calm your nerves, by stepping into the role of being a confident, commanding speaker.

Remember:

1. Form the idea in your head.
2. Say useful things.

In that order.

Good luck!

[image by Natasha Hall on unsplash.com]