How can I avoid using too much modal such as (ah...ehh...)

Hi there,

You need to slow down and pause!

Take time to let your brain process what you'd like to say. We normally talk a lot faster than we think we are when we're nervous!

Learn to wait until you know what to say, and speak more deliberately.

Good luck!

This could be habitual or technical. Since we cannot diagnose the reason over Q&A - lets look at the potential solutions - and then you can go about figuring out what works best for you:

• Avoid speaking as soon as a thought comes to your mind. Spend an extra second in formulating the sentence and then speak. Don't be uncomfortable with the extra second of silence and don't think that it shall be construed negatively.
• Record yourself. Speak to the camera. Record your case sessions. Then play them back. Observe where you stalled. Try to formulate new and better answers. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
• Speak to the mirror. Talking in front of the mirror is one of the best ways to improve your speaking skills. It gives you instant feedback and your improvement is accelerated.
• Speaking with pauses and slower speed. Observe great speakers such as Steve Jobs in how they conduct their words. Emulate and practice their mannerisms in front of the mirror and jump forward.

Hey there,

Record yourself while solving cases and you will realise that you you do this mostly when you try to speak while you think or sometimes to avoid any awkward moments of silence or to acknowledge what's said by the interviewer.

The gaps fillers (um, ah etc) are totally fine and are essential part of human communications. Just catch yourself and cut it down a bit if you think you are over doing it. Try and avoid this when the other person is speaking. Nod your head or use the occasional "hmm" to acknowledge what's been said.

Speaking while you think is always hard, so sometimes its best to just ask for 30 seconds to gather your thoughts and the play back after. Again, you need to balance this and go with the flow as you wont be able to ask for a time out on every thinking-speaking occasion.

Hey there,

Please note that to a certain degree this is normal but sometimes it can be a bit too much, which would negatively impact the effectiveness of their communication.

I always recommend my coachees, who do this, to conduct drills (e.g., structuring) and even practice the communication that goes along with it.

While doing that, they should record themselves and it's often a big aha-moment for them. From there on they become more mindful and it shows that in subsequent recordings and sessions the filler words become less and less.

Try it out and see for yourself!

Cheers,

Florian

Hello,

This comes with practice!

First of all, everyone uses these modal phrases to some extent, so I would only worry if you feel like you are really using them a lot. If that is the case, then I would do some mock case interviews, and focus (among other things) on this issue. Slow down your delivery, take more pauses, and whenever you feel yourself about to use a modal, just take a pause instead. Pauses feel much more awkward for the candidate than they do for the interviewer, so it takes time to get comfortable with them.

Hi there,

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for quite a lot of users, so I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

• First of all, it is absolutely normal to express yourself slightly different when you are nervous. In many cases - as the interviewer did not know you in advance - the slight change will mostly be noticed just by you.
• Still, when it comes to avoiding too much model, I would advise you - as I do with all my coachees - to have a quick pause to structure your thoughts and words before answering. It might seem artificial to yourself at first yet it does not for the interviewer but rather comes off pretty natural and thought through.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on what might be other factors to improve regarding your language, facial expression or gestures, please feel free to contact me directly.

I hope this helps,

Hagen

This is what I learned from multiple sessions with communication experts (the ones that consulting firms use in their worldwide trainings when you are at a manager level), and is the kind of advice I incorporate in my coaching sessions when necessary.

The reason you are using “fillers” is because you are talking faster than you think. So you need to speak slower. When you speak slower you use less fillers because your brain and your voice are aligned. 

Now that leads to another potential issue. If you slow down, you may seem like lacking energy. But there's also a “cure” for that. You need to speak a louder (just a bit, don't overdo it). 

So if you speak slower and a bit louder you will sound confident and energetic and with less “uh”s! ;)

Hi!

Let your case partners know about this area of improvement and prompt you when this happens. Slow down and pause during the case resolution - it might also be beneficial.

Best,

Anto

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