How to Stop Saying Um When Presenting: 7 Fixes
To stop saying um when presenting, replace it with silence. Every time you feel an "um" coming, close your mouth, pause for one beat, then say the next word. Pair that with knowing your first and last lines cold and practicing out loud with a recording, and your fillers drop fast.
If your "ums" come from your voice getting lost under pressure, Aura pins that exact leak and gives you one small move a day to fix it: Find my aura leak.
Why you say um
"Um" isn't a sign you're dumb. It's your brain holding the floor. In normal conversation, a filler tells the other person "wait, I'm not done," so they don't jump in. Totally useful in a group chat voice note. Less useful when you're presenting and nobody is trying to interrupt you.
You say um more when:
- You're searching for the next word. Usually because you memorized sentences instead of ideas.
- You're scared of silence. Two seconds of quiet feels like ten when you're at the front.
- You're rushing. Speed and fillers go together.
- You're switching topics. Transitions are filler hotspots: "So, um, the next slide is..."
Why do I say um so much? Mostly the second one. Silence feels like failure, so your mouth fills it. The fix is to make silence feel normal.
Swap um for a pause
Here's the core trick behind how to avoid saying um during a presentation: a pause sounds confident to the audience, even when it feels awkward to you.
Compare:
- "Um, so, the results were, uh, pretty surprising."
- "So. The results were... pretty surprising."
Same words, same timing. The second one sounds like you planned it. That's the whole move: you're not deleting the gap, you're just making it silent.
7 fixes that work
1. Close your lips at the end of each sentence
You can't say "um" with your mouth closed. Finish a sentence, close your lips, breathe through your nose, then start the next one. This one habit does more than everything else on this list.
2. Memorize your first and last lines
Most filler words in presentations cluster at the start (nerves) and end (trailing off). Lock those two lines in word for word. Need some? Grab one from our presentation opening lines for students.
3. Learn ideas, not sentences
If you memorize a full script, losing one word sends you into "um" mode while you hunt for it. Instead, know the three points on each slide and say them in whatever words come.
4. Slow down by about a third
Speaking without filler words is much easier at a calmer pace. Mark "SLOW" on your notes. It will feel too slow to you; it'll sound normal to everyone else.
5. Script your transitions
Write the exact sentence that takes you from one slide to the next: "That's the problem. Now here's what we tried." Transitions are where "so, um, yeah" lives.
6. Hold eye contact through the pause
Looking down while you pause makes it look like you're lost. Looking at someone while you pause makes it look intentional.
7. Record yourself and count
Phone on the desk, record a two-minute practice, play it back, and tally every filler. Don't judge, just count. Then do it again tomorrow. Watching the number fall is weirdly motivating.
Um, uh, erm and like
Different fillers, same fix, slightly different triggers:
| Filler | Where it shows up | Quick fix |
|---|---|---|
| Um / uh (US) | Start of sentences, searching for words | Close lips, pause, then speak |
| Erm / er (UK) | Same as um, especially in UK classrooms | Same pause swap |
| Like | Middle of sentences, before examples | Replace with "for example" or just cut it |
| So | Start of every sentence | Start with the noun instead: "The results..." |
| You know / basically | End of points | End on the point, then stop |
How to stop saying like when speaking
"Like" is the hardest because it's part of how we talk with friends. You don't need to delete it from your life, only from your presentation. Practice reading one slide out loud and replacing every "like" with a tiny pause. If you're presenting in a UK school and "erm" is your thing, the exact same pause swap fixes it.
A 3-day drill
Here's a short plan for how to stop saying um and er before your next presentation.
Day 1: Count. Record a two-minute run-through. Count your fillers. Write the number down. No fixing yet.
Day 2: Pause swap. Do the same two minutes, but every time you feel a filler coming, close your mouth and pause. Record and count again. Expect it to feel slow and awkward. That's correct.
Day 3: Full run. Run the whole presentation twice with your lips-closed pause habit and scripted transitions. Do one run standing up, in the clothes you'll present in if you can. Count once more.
Before you start each day, do a quick 60-second voice warm-up. Our vocal warm ups before presentation day routine fits in a corridor.
The hard part isn't knowing the fix. It's remembering to practice it every day and noticing whether you're improving. Aura turns this into one small move a day with a one-tap check-in each night, keeps a streak and full history, and tells you if your real leak is your voice, your eye contact or something else. Find my aura leak
What to do if you hear yourself say it
You will say um at least once. Everyone does. What matters is what happens next.
- Don't apologize. "Sorry, um, sorry" doubles the filler.
- Don't restart the sentence. Just keep going.
- Use the next gap as your reset. Close your lips, pause, continue.
- Remember the audience barely notices. A few fillers in five minutes is normal. Twenty in one minute is what people notice.
The goal isn't zero fillers. It's fewer fillers and more confident pauses. That's how to sound confident when presenting without becoming a robot.
Sound like you planned every pause
Learning how to stop saying um when presenting gets faster when you know what's actually leaking. In the next minute, Aura's 16 questions find your weak spot, give you an aura tier, and build a 14-move plan you check off with one tap each night. It's a one-time payment and runs right in your browser.
FAQ
How do I stop saying um when speaking in public?
Replace the "um" with a silent pause: close your lips at the end of each sentence and breathe before the next one. Practice with recordings so you can count your fillers and watch them drop. Slowing down and scripting your transitions helps a lot too.
Why do I say um so much when presenting?
Usually because silence feels scary and your brain fills it to "hold the floor." It also happens when you're rushing or searching for a memorized word. Learning ideas instead of exact sentences reduces the hunting.
How do I stop saying um and like when speaking?
Treat them separately. "Um" goes at the start of sentences, so use the lips-closed pause. "Like" goes mid-sentence, so swap it for "for example" or a tiny pause, and practice on one slide at a time.
Is it bad to say um during a presentation?
A few are completely normal and most people won't notice. It only hurts when it's constant, because it makes you sound unsure. Aim for fewer, not zero.
How do I stop saying erm in presentations?
"Erm" is the UK version of "um," and the fix is identical: pause instead, slow down, and memorize your opening and closing lines. Recording a two-minute practice and counting each "erm" is the fastest way to see progress.