5 Words to Avoid Using to Sound More Confident When Speaking
Improve your communication skills
By | Cheska Pangilinan | www.femalenetwork.com
Words give us the power to express ourselves and communicate with others. Our word choice reflects how we want to be perceived by the people we talk to whether they are loved ones, colleagues, or strangers we meet. So, if you want to sound confident and move people with your thoughts, you need to avoid using these words and find better alternatives:
“Just”
This word can mean two extremes: either you’re way too shy or too authoritative when addressing your concerns. Of course, it’s best to sound like neither so refrain from using the term. For example, the shy type would say “I just wanted to follow up” and it gives off the impression that you’re afraid to get feedback when you shouldn’t be.
Meanwhile, the authoritative type would say “Just follow up” and that makes you sound demanding and not easy to work with. As much as you want to be confident, you don’t want to come across as arrogant and unfriendly. Drop “just” and replace it with refined terms like “kindly” or “please”.
“Um” or “Uh”
Now these are filler words often uttered when you’ve lost your train of thought. Using the words “um” or “uh” can affect our way of communicating and make listeners feel less engaged in the conversation. Instead of these fillers, give yourself two-second pauses to regroup and continue with “Let’s say”, “You see”, “However”, or “Another thing to consider is” for a smooth transition.
