Has anyone else noticed people increasingly starting sentences with multiple "so"s? It’s like the person is chomping at the bit to begin talking, and they are so eager to claim the next word before they’ve even fully formed their thought that they just jump in with a string of “So…so…so…so…” I’ve started amusing myself by counting them in business meetings; this one guy started out with, and I sh*t you not, six "so"s before getting on with his sentence. I wanted to ask if he had developed a stutter with the excitement of the topic at hand.
Furthermore, the overuse of “right?” at the end of sentences must cease immediately, for I simply cannot agree to many of the thoughts that end with the word. Here is an example of the deadly combination of the two: “SO, SO, SO, SO…I’m sitting on my couch, enjoying the latest episode of ‘Million Dollar Listing,’ right?” NO. Not right. Not right at all. And not that urgent. Just. Please. Stop.
Reminds me of an interesting conversation I had with a co-worker once. He never said “Uh” or “Umm” when speaking. And he explained why not. Basically, he said “uh” is a way to fill the silence, so you can keep control.
When you are talking, and you stop and say “uhh”, that’s because you don’t know what to say next, or you’re caught off guard, and you’re trying to maintain control of the conversation. If you stop talking, you’re basically allowing the other person to take over. By continuing to say “uhh”, you get to keep control of the conversation while you think about what you’re going to say next.
Try it at your office. Start talking to somebody, and in the middle of the sentence, stop talking. Like, “I was on the AF Water Cooler today talking to Destroyer of Worlds and…” You’ll notice that your buddy will jump in and say something. If you say, “I was talking to Destroyer of Worlds and…uh…uh…uh…uh”, they will not say anything, but will let you say “uh” as many times as you want.
It also works when you ask somebody a question that suddenly distracts them or catches them off guard. Try it. Ask a co-worker in your office an unimportant, yet easy-to-answer question. They’ll be surprised for just a moment, but they feel the need to say something, so they’ll start with “uh”. So the conversation goes something like this, “Where’d you get your shirt?” “Uhhhh…JC Penney.” Saying, “uhhh” fills in the silence, while they’re thinking, no matter how easy the answer is.
I notice it at the end of sentences. “I am taking the week of Christmas off” so…
Toastmasters has helped me improve my verbal communication. I rarely say uh, um, so anymore and I tend to notice these fillers more when talking to people.
That “uh”-thing is widely spread in athlete´s interviews right after the match. These guys come right from the pitch and have no time to think when some sports reporter holds a mic into their face.
I say “but uh” and “so” a lot. Never twice in a row like, “but uh, but uh” or “so, so”. Greenman’s point about using it as a placeholder in a conversation may be right. I often use it in fast paced investment meetings to give me a second to load my words. I think my new years resolution may be to clean up my speech, it’s gotten increasingly sloppy over time. I also use “like” in personal conversations alot and that needs to stop. I sound like a teenage girl.
I have a friend who abuses the word sorry. It’s common with women but she goes way and beyond. I once witnessed her saying “sorry” after accidentally hitting herself with a door.
I sometimes abuse the word scared in certain situations. So I made a point to say delighted instead. The fact that it makes zero sense helps me stop altogether
I’ll add to the discussion how upper-crust Brits, Scots and Irish people (especially asset managers going through presentation decks), tend to say “um” pronounced like “EHHMMMM…” and draw it out. But the accent doesn’t make them sound as stupid as an American saying “Uh” or “Um” for similar duration. Damn UK and Irish advantages.
^ oh come on. we all know you’ll merge the Maritimes. and Nunavut is a great replacement for Guantanamo. terrorists will become extinct if they face going to Resolute Bay to eat whale blubber.
The kindest province in Canada, with the wildest people who only start partying at 2:30 in the morning and don’t stop until 5 the next day. Recently described by a survey as having the kindest, most polite people who are the most sexually active in Canada. Newfoundland is the best place in the world.