Language is a learned behavior. It is quite surprising what you can train yourself to do, or not do, linguistically and otherwise. Think of it this way, if a person can train themselves to speak an entirely separate language, they can surely train themselves to avoid "ticks" in their primary tongue.

That is what these words are, linguistic ticks that allow your brain's speech centers to come up with the next phrase. You have three choices (and can combine elements of each). 1. Think better (faster). 2. Be more confident about your topic. 3. Hide the ticks.

Once upon a time in high school I won state tournaments in forensics for impromptu speaking. Eliminating these ticks was one of the reasons for my success, and doing so taught me a lot about not only how we speak, but what we do (and don't do) mentally to get the words out. Here are the solutions in more detail:

1) Think better and faster. This is a matter of practice more than anything else, but it's the right kind of practice that helps most. Speaking to a classroom full of students every day for years on end means I get a whole lot of practice speaking to groups, and so I'm not inclined to verbally "tick" too often, because my brain is used to keeping up with my mouth, even at full tilt. You can practice this just by talking to people. You'll notice you don't tick very often talking to your parents, siblings, or other people you are close or comfortable with. This is because you're actually comfortable with the possibility of a mistake in speech (see option 2). But this kind of speaking builds confidence and practice tick-free speech. You can also read aloud (double-bonus points if you volunteer somewhere so your reading practice is both in front of an audience and for a good cause). Text does not include ticks, and so it trains the brain to again avoid them. You can and should record yourself, extemporaneously talking about a subject. Play it back, count ticks, think about what was going on in your head when they occur, and work to mitigate those situations. If you were trying to think of the "right word" and said ummmmm while you searched your memory, get out your thesaurus and not only look up that word and its synonyms, but browse through it. Consistence "work outs" for your language centers and memory will help a lot.

2. Be more confident about your topic, or your speech. I alluded above to the lack of ticks in speech to people you're comfortable with. This is because you can in fact ramble on, stumble, and not worry about the mistake being judged harshly. This is a form of confidence or security. This is also part of the meaning of the phrase "speak with authority." It isn't just command of a subject, it is the confidence to deliver that information without fear of judgment, reproach or any other unpleasant response. Be an expert in what your're discussing and the ticks go away. Also, if you have related knowledge beyond the basic facts, you'll be amazed at how often your brain will save you by pulling them up right when you need them. Instead of err/umm while you figure out what to say next, you'll jump from a basic fact to a sidebar you learned, filling time and sounding both smooth and well-informed. Also, and this is a bit much, but it does help, help yourself feel personally confident. All those forensics competitions as a high school student I was wearing a jacket and tie (far from the usual jeans and sweatshirt). Looking good, being freshly shaved/showered/groomed, and being aware that I was ready to make a good impression made me more confident, which made the words come out better. Don't put on a tuxedo to podcast alone from your basement. But also don't "get it done" after you've just been turned down for a promotion at work. If you can improve your confidence elsewhere, it shows up in the sound and structure of your language.

3. Hide the ticks. Two ways to do this. The first, the traditional way when you're speaking to a live audience, is to find something less abrasive than "ummmmm" to do or say if you do blank out. The confidence/research into topics sometimes counts in this area as well, you can auto-pilot through a few facts you learned while you think of what else you need to say. If you draw a blank, stop. You'll say umm to fill time, but you're allowed just as much time to draw a breath, so do so intentionally. You do not need to fill verbal space with noise, resist the urge to do so.

Some people can't do that, it's too deeply ingrained. So find something else to say. I had a professor who'd taught himself to say "onto" instead of "umm" and it worked pretty well. "Now, as I was saying... -onto- the post-Victorian..." If you use it enough, you get used to building it into your sentences, and it's a very minor bump to the audience's ear, rather than a full stop of an "ummm" while they know you have gone braindead.

The second way to hide the ticks is with the magic of editing. As I suggested, train yourself to stop, say nothing. Recording dead air is easy to find on a waveform of the podcast later (the flat line). Just trim these down until they're the length of a normal pause. This is a cheater method, and it's a pain, but it will let you get started while you're doing the real versions of 1, 2 and 3.

Good luck!

think before you speak

Slow down. Think before you speak. Increase your confidence by knowing what you are saying is important. Don't beat yourself up for saying those phrases. Go practice speaking in front of large groups.

Practice and speech delivery

Let me explain..

Mel Tillus the singer never stuttered in singing..but yes when he spoke he did stutter.same concept get a beat pattern and see how that beat pattern eliminates the ums and etc..

It does not have to be country..did yo ever notice that rap artists never say um as well..