Bert Decker, communications expert says "ah's" and "um's" bleed the energy out of the message, retard effectiveness and get in the way of the message. He further states that the use of "ah's" and "um's" will debilitate speakers in their ability to persuade. These nonwords make your listeners question the speaker's credibility.

The use of "ah's" and "um's" is a bad addictive habit. So how does one stop this bad habit? Become aware of the usage and your level of the use of these words that slip into your speech and in everyday conversation. Tape yourself giving a speech and listen to the tape. (This can be scary!) Replace the nuisance words with words that are powerful.

Are you convinced the "ah counter" needs to ring the bell every single time he or she hears one of these nonwords? We all can become powerful communicators---thanks to Toastmasters.

Thanks to Valley Toastmasters Kathryn DeBano-Rhodes, Jackie Weaver, Kathleen Hartnett, Lori Weldon, Tim Ducar, Don Lewis, Liz Bebo and Brendan Kennedy for facilitating.

Jerry and I learned valuable lessons in our role as coordinators. I listened for positives in the speeches and encouraged the Speechcrafters to build on their strengths. Jerry spoke from the heart and had fun demonstrating different gestures and aspects of what goes into learning to speak in public. - Connie Kadansky

Connie serves as timer