Last week I got a kick in the pants while attending the National Speakers Association Conference.  One of the world’s most admired speaking coaches, Patricia Fripp, led a training for for future presidents of the local chapters of our association.  

Pint size and full voiced, commanding the room with poise, polish and perfectly chosen phrases, she admonished the group to be precise in our language.  “This is the national SPEAKERS association,” she intoned.  “Be a ROLE MODEL.”

To drive home her point, Patricia had in hand an obnoxious little clicker which she warned she would use liberally to interrupt any speaker that used what she calls the “debris word.”  That word, which she wisely noted clutters our language and dumbs down our communication, is spelled S.T.U.F.F.  Smugly, I thought I would not get caught.  Each time a speaker used the word Patricia clicked and the offender was required to come up with one dollar in a jar for the associations member distress fund.

We were shocked, and of course amused at how many times the debris word came up.  When you start listening you won’t believe what a crutch it really is.  Try it today.  Sit in a meeting and listen to the number of times your colleagues fall back on s.t.u.f.f.  And if you’re brave, turn on a tape recorder while you’re on the phone today and monitor your own conversation.

By the end of the two days, $450 dollars had been collected and someone threw in another fifty to make it an even five hundred.  It all goes to helping speakers who have fallen on hard times so you can hardly argue with the benefit.  But think about it - these are PROFESSIONAL speakers - people who get PAID to speak for a living; even while they KNOW they are on notice, they STILL can’t eliminate the silly word from their communication.

What’s the remedy?  A bit like quitting smoking.  Not easy but doable:

1.  Have someone monitor your conversation not just for the debris word but for other words that clutter your communication such as like, um, uh, kinda, thing.

2. Give them permission to write down the number of times you use these words in a presentation.

3. Slow down and pause between thoughts, just for a moment.  A brief pause gives your brain time to catch up and choose just the right words.

4.  Read, read, read not just for content but for language and style.

5.  Listen to great speakers who use the language well and adopt some of their good habits in a way that is authentic for you.

P.S.  Yes, I said it.  Once.  But I threw in 20 bucks because I figured that would cover me for the rest of the week.

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