When speaking, the average person uses about five filler words—such as um and uh—per minute, Noah Zandan, CEO and co-founder of science firm Quantified Communications, writes for the Harvard Business Review.
While these verbal crutches are common, overusing them can hurt your credibility in interviews or make audiences less interested in what you have to say. Fortunately, it's possible to eliminate this habit with a bit of practice, no matter how uncomfortable or nervous you may feel when speaking in public.
