Use This Quick Reference to Eliminate “um” From Your Speech Forever.
Even if you are confident in what you are saying, insertion words such as “Em” can creep in and make you seem insecure. If you want to get to grips with them, this quick reference table has tons of helpful hints.
This graphic, provided by the London Speakers’ Bureau, has a lot of advice on how to avoid “Umm” and other placeholder words. There are obvious things like slowing down, but you can also do more proactive actions like breaking your thoughts into organized chunks or even keeping your hands out of your pockets.