I recall many years back one of my directors was watching a few us from the back of the stage. We were giving our respective presentations. He was holding a counter - clicking away.
At the end of our sessions, we found out what he was up to : He was counting the number of times we said, "Okay" as we spoke.
I did it half a dozen times within the ten minutes allotted. One of my colleagues said it fourteen times.
It's not only "Okay". There's also, "Alright", "Yah", "Uh-huh" and whatever verbal soft-farts we unknowingly make as a way of pacing/steadying ourselves.
Why a fart? i. Because it's not palatable (and is sometimes downright irritating), ii. we're often barely aware of it (but our listeners would be) and iii. like a bad odor, such words 'cloud' our speeches and turn people off.
I did it half a dozen times within the ten minutes allotted. One of my colleagues said it fourteen times.
It's not only "Okay". There's also, "Alright", "Yah", "Uh-huh" and whatever verbal soft-farts we unknowingly make as a way of pacing/steadying ourselves.
Why a fart? i. Because it's not palatable (and is sometimes downright irritating), ii. we're often barely aware of it (but our listeners would be) and iii. like a bad odor, such words 'cloud' our speeches and turn people off.
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2 comments:
In Toastmasters they have an "Ah" counter whenever someone is speaking. I wonder if pastors who speak Sunday after Sunday, need such a counter. Most don't I suppose. Some AoG pastors have a habit of ending sentences with a low "erh" a speech defect learnt from US missionaries I think.
the British seem to make 'Uhm' sound like an art. it comes up after a punchline, mostly.
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