What's worse...?

Water Cooler
#1

  1. Saying “Ummm” as a filler during a call or speech.

  2. Saying nothing at all and taking a second to think if you need it.

  • Saying Ummm
  • Not saying anything

0 voters

#2

What’s up CEO? You giving a speech?

Btw big fan of that voting feature.

#3

I usually fall into the “Uhhhhh duhhhh sooo arfff” trap but I think not saying anything could be beneficial because it shows that you think before you speak which is a rarity to come by these days for most people.

#4

Just say “Know what I mean?” and “Capiche?” a lot to buy time. It’s provocative, gets the people goin’.

1 Like
#5

I’m really glad the lighter shade of blue started overcoming the darker shade of blue in the pie graph. I was worried I had a wrong way of thinking at first.

Not tons of speeches per se, but tons of phone call presentations!

#6

They’re green.

#7

Dang I guess uhmmmm are ok!

#8

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmm… Ya. They are green I guess.

#9

I read the question wrong and clicked the wrong button - couldn’t change it back.

But yes, saying nothing is 100% the correct call vs. a case of the “uhh’s/ahh’s”. I’ve given countless presentations both live and via conference calls. Follow the 3 p’s: Be prepared, be present, and be professional. If you lose your train of thought just stop talking for 5 or 10 seconds. It feels like an eternity but the audience won’t notice a thing.

Check out this article on giving a presentation, it’s hilariously written but words to live by:

When in doubt, always take the happy birthday approach.

#10

I think not saying uhhs/ahhs to fill the silence gives an impression of a BSD who knows what he is talking about. Everyone understands that in a conf call/meeting you sometimes need to think and pause for a sec. Filling the silence with an ”ummm” is a sign of insecurity IMO.

#11

lets check with what hollywood thinks
#12

Watched the first 2min. Point proven. The guy at the head of the table (a BSD) speaks clearly and doesn’t utter ”ummhhh” once while the analyst (very smart but also very insecure!) keeps ummmhing like a school boy. Lesson learned: don’t ummmmh unless you’re a rocket scientist analyst.

#13

The reason why i feel strongly about this is that for the past 2-3 weeks ive been in a team that tries to estinguish a corona dumpster fire. A lot of conf calls. And theres this guy who knows his ■■■■ and doesnt care about what other people think of him. When asked a question, he lets an awkward silence set in (no ahhhms or ummms) before he starts explaining his POV, which is usually filled with very good points and views.