You are listening to a speaker deliver their presentation. The speaker is uttering multiple “ahs,” “ums,” and repeated words. You are cringing, hoping the presentation ends soon.

Did you ever think these verbal miscues could be in your presentations? Unfortunately, they are, and you may not even know it.

I call these verbal miscues verbal “potholes.” This article will explore the various verbal “potholes,” how to reduce them in your presentations, and ensure they are kept to a minimum when you speak.

What Are Verbal “Potholes?”

The experience of your audience members during your presentation is like a trip my wife, daughter, and I took from Denver, Colorado, to Piney River Ranch for horseback riding a couple of summers ago.

Piney River Ranch is just twelve miles from Denver. However, the road to the Ranch is littered with potholes. We barely got up to ten miles per hour on the trip. Then, when we thought we came to a smooth patch of road, another pothole would appear, giving us another unexpected jolt.

This circumstance is similar to what your audience experiences when you have verbal miscues in your presentation. Just when your audience thinks you’ve come to “a smooth part of the road,” you deliver another “pothole” of verbal miscues and give them a jolt. It is not a very pleasant experience. Wouldn’t you like to deliver your presentation on a “smooth road?” Your audience would love it if you would.

By the way, the jolting trip was worth it. We were treated to a wonderful hour and a half horseback ride, a sparkling lake, and a breathtaking view of the majestic Rocky Mountain range.

Ok. Back to verbal “potholes.”

Examples of verbal “potholes” in your presentation delivery are repeated words, mispronounced words, and stuttering. Others are incomplete sentences and filler words like “um” and “ah.” This is not even a complete list. I am sure you can think of others.

These verbal “potholes” are more prevalent than you think. So let’s try an experiment. The next time you listen to a speaker, count the verbal miscues. You will be astounded at how high the number will be at the end of the speaker’s presentation. For bonus points, keep a count of the individual verbal miscues (e.g., 23 ums, 17 repeated words, 11 incomplete sentences).

Speaking, to a considerable extent, is timing. The success of your presentations, to a large extent, depends on the time it takes for you to deliver your presentations. Audiences and event planners will love you if you finish your presentation early. They would give you bad reviews if your go over the time allotted for your presentation

There are not many constants in life. However, a universal constant is that time does not stop when you say a verbal “pothole.” Verbal “potholes” add appreciable time to your presentations – time you can ill afford to waste. I have witnessed some presentations where the verbal “potholes” swiped fifty percent of the allotted time. Would you like to use that time for more awesome content? I would.

I think you know now what these verbal “potholes” are. So you probably are asking this question: “How do I get rid of these verbal “potholes.”

Ways to Greatly Reduce Verbal “Potholes”

Verbal “potholes” in your speaking happen when your mouth is engaged, but your mind has not caught up. This may sound basic because it is basic. The question is, how do you keep your mind ahead of your mouth.

Americans and people from many other countries are uncomfortable with silence. You may feel like you have to keep talking every minute of your presentation – not true. Your audience will respect you more if you stop talking when you come to a “bump” in your presentation. How can you force yourself to stop talking when your thoughts are not yet aligned?

You know from my previous newsletters I am passionate about practicing your presentation many times before the actual event. During these practice sessions, one of the best ways to significantly reduce your verbal “potholes” is to have someone in your practice audience click one of those New Year’s Eve clickers every time you say a verbal “pothole.” It may take up to three clicks before you are embarrassed enough to choose your words when you speak very carefully.

Pardon me for stating the obvious but don’t have someone in the audience use the New Year’s Eve clicker during your actual presentation. You should have practiced enough by the time of the actual event, so you have a minimum of verbal “potholes” in your presentation.

You now know what verbal “potholes” are and how to reduce their occurrence.

This brings me to my final main point of practice.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

If you ask anyone who has given presentations before whether practicing their presentation will contribute to the success of their presentation, you will universally get the same answer – yes.

At the same time, if you ask anyone who has to give a presentation before whether they have not practiced enough before their presentations, you will also universally get the same answer – yes.

Why is the second answer always yes? This is because to the vast majority of speakers, the presentation is their slides. This is a mistake I have seen beginning, seasoned, and expert speakers make. The truth is the presentation, is you. You are the message.

There are many ways to practice a presentation. My five-step presentation practicing process is below:

• Step 1 – Practice Sitting Down Alone. Sitting down, aloud, practice your speech by yourself either from a script or bullets.

• Step 2 – Practice Standing Up Alone in Front of a Mirror. Standing up, practice your speech aloud by yourself, either from a script or bullets. Gradually ween yourself from a script and use only bullets.

• Step 3 – Record Yourself. Standing up, practice your speech aloud by yourself, either from a script or bullets. Record your voice first and then on video, standing up practicing your presentation aloud by yourself from bullets. View the audio and video recording several times and make adjustments in your speech accordingly. Pay particular attention to your body language and tone of voice, which make up most of your communication with your audience.

• Step 4 – Record Yourself Before a Live Practice Audience. Record yourself on video standing up practicing your presentation aloud before a live audience. At this point, you should not need any notes to deliver your presentation. View the video recording several times and make adjustments in your speech accordingly. Again, pay particular attention to your body language and tone of voice, which make up the majority of your communication with your audience. Allow your practice audience members to use a New Year’s Eve clicker if you say a verbal “pothole.”

• Step 5 – Record Yourself in the Event Room. Record yourself on video standing up practicing your presentation aloud before a live audience in the actual room you will deliver the actual presentation. Use no notes. View the video recording several times and make adjustments in your speech accordingly. Pay particular attention to your body language and tone of voice, which make up the majority of your communication with your audience. Allow your practice audience members to use a New Year’s Eve clicker if you say a verbal “pothole.”

You may not be able to do Step 5. However, even doing up to Step 4 will significantly prepare you for your presentation.

If you follow these five presentation practice steps, your verbal “potholes” will decrease significantly. In addition, your confidence, your audience’s enjoyment, and the success of your presentation will increase dramatically.

Ken Blanchard of “One Minute Manager” fame says, “Feedback is the Breakfast of Champions.” When you follow these five steps, the feedback you receive will do more to reduce your verbal “potholes” than any other method.

In this article, we have explored what verbal “potholes” are, how to reduce their occurrence, and how practicing using the previously mentioned five steps will reduce the occurrence of your verbal “potholes.”

Verbal “potholes” are annoying to your audience. Use the advice in this article to reduce your verbal “potholes” and delight your audience!

Call to Action

• Implement the five-step presentation practice formula

• Eliminate your verbal “potholes” during your practice sessions

• Recognize when you are about to say a verbal “pothole” (e.g., repeated words, mispronounced words, stuttering, filler words like “um” and “ah.”), pause and think about what you want to say, and then say it

Frank DiBartolomeo is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and award-winning speaker, presentation and interview skills coach, and Professional Member of the National Speakers Association. He was awarded Toastmasters International’s highest individual award, Distinguished Toastmaster, in 2002 because of his outstanding work in public speaking and leadership.

Frank formed DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC (www.frankdibartolomeo.com) in 2007. The mission of DCI is to help technical professionals to inspire, motivate, and influence their colleagues and other technical professionals through improving their presentation skills, communication, and personal presence. Frank can be reached at frank@frankdibartolomeo.com and (703) 509-4424.

Don’t miss Frank DiBartolomeo’s latest book!

“Speak Well and Prosper: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Better Presentations”

Available now at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com