One of my father’s dear friends, John used to say, “in actual fact,” a lot. In actual fact, he would say, in actual fact, probably every other sentence, more in actual fact. He confessed that he felt unable, in actual fact, to stop saying it. John lived a good life but died some years ago. At his funeral, a friend stood to deliver the eulogy. “In actual fact…” he began. Everyone smiled, fondly remembering John.
We say filling words when we are nervous. Whether it is, “in actual fact,” “you know,” or “ummm,” filler words become a real problem in the delivery (p3) and receipt of presentations (p cubed). The audience is aware that the words themselves, in actual fact, are not integral to the story but they do distract, in actual fact, from the clarity of the presentation (p cubed). In actual fact they do this by adding to the “noise” of the presentation and this distracts from the signal, in actual fact. Most presenters are aware, in actual fact, that they might occasionally say these words and, worse, as they try to stop it during the presentation in actual fact, it becomes harder to do so
How then to stop? In actual fact, the first step is to become aware of just how frequently this happens, in actual fact. Gentle feedback from a supportive colleague seldom works as few presenters are, in actual fact aware of just how much this happens. The best approach is simply to record a complete presentation (a practise), listen back to it and count. Once you are aware that, in actual fact you have read it that seventeen times some far, you can begin to address the problem. In actual fact (18) it then becomes a personal irritant that you hear yourself doing it and you will improve. Then, when you return to practice, when you feel the need to say it, just don’t, pause. Your presentation won’t lose anything, it will improve. In this practise you will gain confidence and the need for filler words will dramatically change.
Brilliant write up!