---
title: Learning to speak better
date: "2022-10-17T04:09:52Z"
lastmod: "2022-10-17T04:09:54Z"
categories:
  - data
  - how-i-do-things
wp_id: 3384
description: "Eleven hours of Microsoft Speaker Coach data exposed the author's filler words, pacing habits, and “maybe”-driven hypotheses, turning speaking analytics into a self-improvement tool."
keywords: ["public speaking", "Speaker Coach", "Teams", "filler words", "self-analysis", "communication"]
---

Microsoft ported its [PowerPoint Speaker Coach](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/suggestions-from-speaker-coach-25e7d866-c895-4aa1-9b90-089b70a4ea38) to [Teams](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams-public-preview/now-in-public-preview-speaker-coach-in-microsoft-teams-meetings/m-p/3568697). Since September, it's given me suggestions covering 11 hours in 77 calls (I speak ~10 min/call.)

![Learning to speak better](https://files.s-anand.net/images/2022-10-17-learning-to-speak-better-wordcloud.webp)

### I say "uhh" a lot. That's intentional

I use the filler word "uhh" in 70% of my calls. That **did not** surprise me. I do that intentionally.

1. On a poor network, they know I'm still connected
2. They know I'm going to say something
3. I sound less confident. That invites critique I can learn from

But I also use filler words like "You know" and "I mean" in half the calls, and "like", "actually", and "basically" in a fifth. That's NOT intentional, and I'll be conscious.

| Filler words | % of calls | \# / call |
| ------------ | ---------- | --------- |
| uhh          | 70%        | 3.6       |
| You know     | 48%        | 2.4       |
| I mean       | 43%        | 2         |
| like         | 22%        | 1.4       |
| actually     | 19%        | 1         |
| basically    | 18%        | 1.2       |
| anyway       | 14%        | 1.1       |
| hmm          | 16%        | 1.1       |
| umm          | 9%         | 1.4       |
| ah           | 4%         | 1.3       |

### I say "maybe" a lot. That's surprising

What did surprise me was "**maybe**". I use it every fourth call, but when I do, I say "maybe" _ten times per call_. That's a lot of maybe!

Sometimes, I say maybe because I'm **communicating uncertainty**.

> **Maybe** we'll have 20-30% success rate...
>
> So and I had to switch 3 laptops or **maybe** 4.
>
> ... then she said, "OK, **maybe** it's some other Sam"

Sometimes I'm **proposing tentatively**.

> ... one of the reasons why I'm nudging towards that is **maybe** a large reuse initiative is high return,
>
> We can even put this in as part of the project by **maybe** offering it to different teams...
>
> **Maybe** by having dedicated support...
>
> **Maybe** I'll drop off. Bye

But sometimes, it's **testable hypotheses**.

> Uh, **maybe** I'm getting the names wrong, but I think it was Socrates...
>
> **Maybe** it's me, but yeah, I guess...
>
> You know, **maybe** it's because I don't store any of my stuff in...

One of my year's goals is to [run 50 experiments](/blog/my-year-in-2021/). I'd been doing well until April, and then fizzled out. Partly motivation. Partly a lack of testable hypotheses.

And now, in October, I discovered that I literally speak out one testable hypothesis every call -- roughly every 10 minutes I speak! I'm amazed at how blind I've been, and how easy it can be to find experiments to test. I guess I need more of a scientific mindset. (Or just plain curiosity.)

The next time I say, "maybe" (or see it in my transcript), I'll write it down as a hypothesis to test.

### Repetitive words cluster

Another discovery was: I tend to pick a phrase and use it repeatedly in calls. For example, I said "let's say" _twelve_ times in just one call of 15 minutes. I said "main" 20 times over 2 calls of 8 minutes each. I said "cool" 7 times in an 11-minute call.

| Repetitive word | \# calls | \# / call |
| --------------- | -------- | --------- |
| lets say        | 1        | 12        |
| main            | 2        | 10        |
| also            | 1        | 8         |
| only            | 2        | 7.5       |
| correct         | 7        | 7.4       |
| in terms of     | 1        | 7         |
| alright         | 3        | 6.3       |
| that is         | 3        | 6         |
| cool            | 2        | 5         |

Clearly it's something to watch out for. But maybe repetition of words isn't a bad thing if it's not the same phrase repeated across calls? (There! I said "maybe". Let me find out!)

### Modulate the pace

In a third of my calls, I need to speed up. In a third of my calls, I need to slow down. (On some calls, I need to do both!)

Clearly, I need to vary my pace a lot more, consciously. It's not that I talk fast or slow. I do both. But I get stuck in one mode of speaking for too long.

### Takeaways

I used to think I was a pretty good speaker. That's not a bad thought, but it can blind me to feedback and improvements. There's **no end to learning** how to speak. Speaker Coach is a great "in-your-face" feedback mechanism. I hope Microsoft adds more features to it.

But what I'm going to do now is:

1. Every time I say "maybe", write down an experiment
2. Speed up and slow down more in calls
3. Watch for words I use repeatedly