Page 182 - Free Yourself From

Making Your Words Count 165

ers as they want to be done unto and you’ll be amazed how much eas-
ier it will be to make your words count!

Guideline 7: Pay Attention to Your Speaking Habits

So, umm, we all, over time, you know, pick up speaking habits that,
umm, come out without our even realizing it, you know? And, umm,
that can be a distraction in professional conversation, right? Umm,
it really can, you know?
It’s important to pay attention to your verbal tics and other dis-
tracting habits in order to learn to control them. Chris Hipwell, a
sales executive at Pfizer, Inc., says, “We women sometimes aren’t
aware that our sentences go on and on. We have this knack for con-
necting and extending our thought process out loud by using such
words as and, but, because, or umm.” Chris says a large part of her
job involves communicating with or presenting to executives, cus-
tomers, and other stakeholders. It is very important for her to learn
to master her speaking and conversation skills, so she hired a speech
coach who made her aware of her own umms, buts, becauses, and
ands. Chris says, “I had no idea how often I was doing this. Once
someone called it out and I heard myself, I realized that this was not
the way I wanted to sound to others.” Chris addressed this issue by
beginning to play back her voicemails before sending them. Chris
says, “When I heard how many ands, buts, and umms I used, or, you
knows, I became aware of a pattern of speech that I had probably
been carrying for years.” She says she would rerecord those messages
five or six times until her voice was confident and her messages were
concise. “This technique has helped me become aware of my speech
patterns and to be much more effective in my communications.”

Guideline 8: Speak Up! Believe You Deserve to Be Heard

Consider this situation: A critical customer issue has surfaced and
you have been called into an emergency meeting to address it. As