You want your audience to be in rapport with you for as much of your presentation as possible. And you may not realise that they are certain words that can cause your audience to disagree with you. They are: ‘OK?’, ‘Basically’, ‘Obviously’, ‘You know?’, and ‘Alright?’
When you say words like this, it’s possible that some people in your audience will say, ‘no it isn’t!’ or ‘no I don’t!’, and it encourages them to start looking for other parts of your message that might be inconsistent or inaccurate in some way.
What should you do instead?
It’s a good idea to avoid saying them. Consider replacing these words with a pause and a diaphragmatic breath. Eventually you will find you eliminate this habit when you speak.
© Michelle Bowden 2023. Michelle Bowden is an authority on presentation & persuasion in business. Michelle is a CSP (the highest designation for speakers in the world), creator of the Persuasion Smart Profile, best-selling internationally published author (Wiley), and a regular commentator in print, radio and online media. www.michellebowden.com.au