• by Cory Treffiletti , Featured Contributor, April 5, 2017

We are witnessing the death of proper English language, with three horrible habits beginning to permeate every presentation and conversation in the world today.  I mean, ya know, right?

Storytelling requires thought. When you’re thinking of the next thing to say, you tend to try and fill that void. I mean… this is where, ya know, you tend to fill in, ya know, with useless words that bring no value, ya know, and serve to do nothing more than distract the listener, right?

“I mean” is a natural way to start a sentence, and it’s very common dead space filler, but it’s unnecessary.  Why would you say something that you don’t mean?  Of course you mean it – you are about to say it!  If you don’t mean it, why are you talking?

“Ya know” is a poor way to fill the space where you’re thinking in a conversation.  First of all, it sounds lazy.  It’s also condescending and redundant because if I in fact did know, there would be virtually no reason to tell me.

“Right” at the end of a sentence is a very American way to end a point of view, when the speaker is simply trying to ascertain a positive head nod and agreement from the listener. But it’s also lazy.  If you are confident enough to make the statement, you shouldn’t have to go fishing for an unnatural affirmation to support your point of view.

I’m certainly not perfect. I catch myself with some of these bad habits every day (along with “umm,” “like” and certainly more), but when you start to be self-aware and listen for these little peccadilloes, they start to grate on you.

People who speak calmly, and who aren’t afraid to have some dead space in their sentences, are better at conveying their point of view than others.  For some reason, you tend to trust them more.  Watch some of the best TED talks and try to see how many people have refined their storytelling to remove these little speech quirks.   

Storytelling is an art form, and the spoken word is the oldest and most valuable form of storytelling.  The greatest stories in the world have been passed down from generation to generation, but imagine if they had, ya know, been written in, like, the same mannerism as a lazy presenter, ya know, style – right?  I mean – would they be any less, ya know, effective?

When presenting, either to a packed hall or to a small group in a conference room, don’t be afraid of silence.  Don’t be afraid to pause and think something through before you attempt to say it.  The words that come out of your mouth will not only be better thought out, but they will also be more impactful because of the pause.  A pause gets the listener's attention.

Those of us who grew up on the East Coast are far too aware of the speed at which we speak. A little break is refreshing and allows the listener to catch up.  It’s a great trick that will work wonders for your presentation skills.

I mean, everyone wants to tell a story better, right?