
Show HN: Speech Coaching App – Stop Saying 'Umm', 'Like', 'Uhh' - abhagi
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ummo/id1102924965
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onion2k
_...looking to improve your day-to-day communication..._

Is there evidence that saying 'umm' and 'ahh' reduces your ability to
communicate effectively? _Why_ are they bad? In conversation phonemes tell the
listener than you haven't finished speaking but you're thinking about the next
thing to say. Without them people would constantly interrupt one another,
which would be horrible.

~~~
deepGem
I don't think there's any evidence. However, in public speaking, using filler
words is seen as a negative, in a sense that you don't know your subject very
well. In day to day communications, I don't see this as 'room for
improvement', as the filler words kind of indicate that you are thinking on
the fly.

~~~
ec109685
There is a good anecdote here: [http://firstround.com/review/radical-candor-
the-surprising-s...](http://firstround.com/review/radical-candor-the-
surprising-secret-to-being-a-good-boss/)

I think excessive fillers betrays a lack of confidence in what the person is
saying, so reducing will help you be a more persuasive speaker.

~~~
lotharbot
That's a great article, and the larger advice is relevant in ordinary
relationships -- don't be an enabler; care about people, and be willing to
tell them when they're doing something that hurts them or you or the team or
the family or whatever. "When you say _ummm_ that much it makes you sound
stupid" is much better than ignoring the issue and letting your friend keep
sounding like they don't know what they're talking about.

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Taek
I have been unable to track down the paper, but a recent study demonstrated
that listener comprehension was higher when filler words were used during
speech.

I think they are stigmatized because often they are used heavily by those who
have no idea what they are taking about. But the fix is to know what you are
talking about rather than to eliminate 'umm' from your vernacular. These
pauses give your audience time to think, give your audience cues on what parts
are important, and let you pull together your own thoughts.

~~~
qq66
As an example, President Obama says "umm" a LOT and is considered a good
speaker.

~~~
crasco
Only in his unscripted communications. His reputation as a speaker stems from
his delivery of messages that are usually pre-written. He's got plenty of
dramatic pauses where normal people would say "ummm".

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pseingatl
In Spanish these are called "muletillas" and are far from a recent phenomenon.
Rather than just being "filler" words, they have a purpose in speech. A speech
is not a mere collection of words. Timing and delivery is just as important as
eloquence. It is often better to use a filler word than an empty pause.

~~~
galistoca
Just because something "exists" doesn't mean it's a good thing. Try to use
silence instead of those ummms. You'll notice you'll get much more attention
when you're talking. Silence introduces tension to conversations which makes
people pay attention. This is based both on theory (there are tons of books
out there that talk about this) and practice (mine).

~~~
collyw
I agree, a silence seems to imply the speaker has a level of confidence in
what they are talking about, wheres "umms" sound a bit more like they are
making it up as they go along. Obviously this is a subjective opinion, and too
long a pause will seems strange.

~~~
crasco
It's true though. Engaging speakers use those pauses as breaks to allow the
audience to catch up and digest what was just said where as "umm" instills the
idea that the speaker isn't prepared and is hunting for what to say next.

------
twoquestions
One other thing I've noticed especially in large offices is instead of using
'umm' and 'uhh', they speak in such a droning monotone that it makes Ben
Stein's classic exaggerated dull speech sound like Freddy Mercury by
comparison. This is especially present when the subject of conversation is
something neither the speaker nor the listener cares about.

Is there a training program or book that can help somebody get away from this
kind of speech? A Baptist preacher can read the phone book and make it sound
captivating, but the people I'm talking about could read the speech from
Independence Day and make it sound dull, so that has to be an acquired skill
that can be applied regardless of the subject.

~~~
AwenTech
Toastmasters is a great organization which helps people improve their speaking
abilities in all kinds of ways, including the issue you mentioned.

------
ievans
Feature idea: can I take a previously-recorded speech and have it show me the
filler words after-the-fact? Could be cool to track improvements over time.

------
fhgksjfgh
Going by tech talks these days, the most common filler-word is "so", which is
also the most common word to start a sentence with

~~~
pivo
For some reason "so" used this way bothers me more than other fillers. Also,
saying "sort of" something when you mean exactly that thing I also find very
distracting.

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gunnihinn
I don't think this can improve on the classic:
[https://youtu.be/rguQFPnPIYc?t=1m33s](https://youtu.be/rguQFPnPIYc?t=1m33s)

~~~
hayksaakian
this practice actually works, that is to say it worked on me.

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galifre
Anyone know anything similar for Android?

~~~
acoravos
For now we're only iPhone, but looking to release an Android version soon. If
you're curious, you can sign up for our newsletter for when we add new
products.

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tmrtsmith
Thoughts on this:
[http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2016/05/10/speech_impro...](http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2016/05/10/speech_improvement_apps_like_ummo_are_sexist_and_support_inequality.html)

~~~
anonred
The entire premise of that article is laughably naive. There's a huge
difference between accents and adding unnecessary filler words as you speak.
There's an even bigger difference between using an app to try and actualize
certain virtues and imposing those virtues on other people. It's extraordinary
that the author has the gall to make this connection. Perhaps she'd also want
to censor self-help literature since those might impose virtues that she
doesn't support?

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theunixbeard
Would have been good for pg:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3695076](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3695076)
/
[https://web.archive.org/web/20120314171633/http://blog.metri...](https://web.archive.org/web/20120314171633/http://blog.metricfire.com/2012/03/paul-
graham-consistently-says-um-7-times-per-minute) /
[https://web.archive.org/web/20120312055157/http://www.youtub...](https://web.archive.org/web/20120312055157/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9ITLdmfdLI&gl=US&hl=en)

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Atlas
This is brilliant. I help people with this issue one on one. It makes a huge
difference.

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pklausler
If only this app could do something about vocal fries, too.

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GrinningFool
This looks like a really helpful app. As someone looking to improve both use
of filler words and speed (too fast), I look forward to seeing it arrive on
Android.

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achikin
Any languages besides English?

~~~
acoravos
Not yet -- but we are looking to add them soon!

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mrmondo
Doesn't seem to work with an Australian / New Zealand accent?

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tomjen3
What did you use to de construct the audio?

~~~
s84
+1

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polynomial
Really isn't the same without the Angular JS powered USB shock box that gives
you a jolt each time you say one of the no-no words.

~~~
nappy
Hook it up to this thing. The future is now.

[http://pavlok.com](http://pavlok.com)

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nutheracc
And "super"!

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swayvil
Yes, let's program ourselves to sound more conscious.

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saiya-jin
umm, it would be like, some teens have not much to say anymore?

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ktRolster
Huh, kind of cool.

