Ums and Ahs: Improving Your Public Speaking

Most people are nervous about public speaking. One of the ways this nervousness comes out is in the form of ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’. A few aren’t a problem, but when every second word is ‘um’ and you pepper in the ‘ahs’ for good measure, the message gets lost in the delivery.

Most people handle this by avoiding getting up in front of an audience at all costs. Public speaking is one of the greatest fears people have.

But being a Lean leader of any sort—kaizen team leader, facilitator, manager in a lean company—requires you to be up in front of a room addressing a team.

So, use this quick strategy to help polish up your talk:

Record your presentation when you rehearse.

There is nothing like hearing your own voice to call attention to how often you ‘um and ‘ah’ your way through a presentation.

What other ways do you use to be a more effective Lean speaker?