Matt Abrahams

Those are the ones that really stand out, is a breath technique.

I learned this from somebody who has been teaching communication skills for a long, long time.

His name is Jerry Weissman, and it's called landing phrases.

When we speak, we need to be pushing air out.

If I am inhaling, I can't speak.

I invite everybody listening and watching to try to say um while inhaling.

You can't do it.

So if I train myself at the end of my sentences and phrases to land the phrase, to be out of breath,

I have to inhale.

Not only can I not say, oh, I can't say anything, I build in a pause.

So as you speak, train yourself to land.

And the reason I call it landing a phrase, it's like a gymnast who does all those flips and twirls and then they stick the landing.

So at the end of each of my phrases, I'm completely out of breath.

I inhale, and then I start speaking again.

You can reduce significantly the filler words.

Now, you have to practice this.

And the way I teach everybody to practice, look at your calendar or schedule every day.

And once a day, read out loud everything on your schedule.

And at the end of each one, land the phrase.

So I might say, going to lunch with Andrew.