Are you guilty of these annoying public speaking habits?
When you're trying to influence or inspire others, the last thing you want is for them to lose focus while listening to you.
Certain habits can easily distract or frustrate your listeners—sometimes without you even realising it.
Here are 8 speaking habits that might be driving your audience up the wall!
Speaking too fast
Speaking too fast can make it difficult for your audience to keep up with you, which can lead to misunderstandings, frustration, or disconnection. It can also cause you to trip over your words or lose clarity, especially when you're trying to make a point.
The first step is being aware of the issue. Often, we speak quickly when we’re nervous, excited, or trying to get everything out at once. Record yourself speaking and listen to see if you tend to speed up during certain moments (e.g., when you're passionate about something or under pressure).
One reason people speak too quickly is that they are not breathing properly, often due to anxiety or rushing to get the words out. Deep, diaphragmatic breathing helps regulate your speech, giving you time to think and speak more clearly.
Practise breathing in through your nose for a count of 4, holding for 4 seconds, and then exhaling for 4 seconds. This helps calm you down and gives your body the oxygen it needs to regulate speech.
Check out this blog post on how breathing exercises can magically turn your nerves around.
Before speaking, remind yourself to focus on slowing down. Acknowledge that it's okay to pause and collect your thoughts. Use pauses strategically, to help your message sink in and be savoured.
Take at look at this post on how to incorporate pauses into your speeches and presentations.
2. Speaking too slowly
Speaking too slowly can make your communication feel drawn out, which can cause listeners to lose interest or become frustrated. While pacing is important for clarity, speaking too slowly can disrupt the flow of a conversation or presentation.
The right speed can depend on the context. In presentations or storytelling, a slightly slower pace might be effective for emphasis, but in casual conversations, speaking too slowly may sound unnatural. Make sure you’re adjusting your pace to suit the situation and the audience.
In a professional setting, you may need a slower, deliberate pace to ensure clarity, but in casual conversations, a faster pace keeps things dynamic.
Record yourself speaking and get feedback from others to find the sweet spot for you.
3. Too many filler words
These are the words you use to fill the air, as you gather your thoughts.
Filler words include words such as:Um,ah,like, basically, and “you know”.
The occasional filler word here and there is perfectly fine.
The problem is when you go overboard with them. You come across as being unprofessional, unprepared, and unintelligent.
Read this post on how to remove filler words from your speech, once and for all.
4. Uptalking
Uptalking, or speaking with a rising intonation at the end of a sentence (like a question), can sometimes make you sound uncertain or unsure, even when you're not.
The first step is recognising when you tend to uptalk. Are there particular words or phrases that cause you to rise in pitch at the end? Does it happen when you're unsure of your point or nervous? Pay attention to your speech patterns, especially when you're speaking in front of an audience or in important situations.
Instead of raising your pitch at the end of a sentence, focus on lowering your voice slightly. Ending on a declining pitch gives your speech a more authoritative, confident tone and signals that you’ve finished your thought.
As you speak, consciously lower your pitch on the last word of each sentence. This can help you avoid rising intonation at the end.
5. Speaking in a monotone
Speaking in a monotone means using a flat, unchanging pitch throughout your speech, with little variation in tone or inflection.
While it can sometimes be effective in conveying neutrality, it can also come across as robotic, uninterested, or disengaged.
When you speak in a flat, monotonous tone, you run the risk of sending your audience to sleep. Definitely not the way to be an engaging presenter!
One of the biggest reasons we sound monotone is a lack of emotion or energy in our voice. Whether you’re excited, serious, or curious, try to bring those emotions into your voice. Imagine how you would speak if you were genuinely passionate or invested in what you’re saying.
As an example, Instead of flatly saying, “I love that movie,” try saying it with excitement, like “I love that movie!”
Aim to inject some vocal variety into your voice.Raise your pitch to convey excitement. Lower your pitch to convey authority or seriousness.
6. Speaking in a sing-song voice
Speaking in a sing-song voice (a repetitive pattern of rising and falling pitches) is great if you’re reading a fairy-tale to children in kindergarten.
But not, if you’re presenting to anyone older than a 5-year-old.
A sing-song voice typically involves shifting your pitch up and down in an exaggerated way. Try to keep your pitch more even and controlled. Aim for a neutral pitch, not too high or low, unless you want to emphasize something specifically.
Sometimes, we don’t realize we’re doing something until we hear it. Record yourself speaking in different situations to identify moments when your voice gets too sing-song. This way, you can become more aware of your speech patterns and make adjustments.
7. Mumbling
Mumbling often occurs when you speak too softly or quietly, and people strain to understand you.
Project your voice so that you're speaking at an appropriate volume for the situation. You don't need to shout, but try to speak with enough volume that others can easily hear and understand you.
Practise speaking at different volumes. Start with a quiet voice and gradually raise your volume, making sure that you're still clearly articulating each word.
Also remember to enunciate your words nicely and clearly. Enunciating means clearly pronouncing each syllable and word, rather than slurring them together. Practise speaking slowly and deliberately, exaggerating your mouth movements so you can feel how each sound should be formed.
Some exercises to try to stop mumbling:
Reading Aloud: Read a book, article, or passage aloud slowly and with intention. Focus on making each word clear.
Tongue Twisters: These help you work on your articulation and pronunciation, breaking down any lazy speech habits. (e.g. “she sells sea shells by the sea shore”)
Exaggerated Enunciation: Over-enunciate your words in practice to help improve your muscle memory for clear speaking. This will feel awkward at first but helps with clearer speech in the long run.
8. Being too informal
Yeah, Nah. Gotta, coulda, woulda, shoulda, I dunno.
Too much slang and casual language makes you sound less professional or serious.
Be mindful of your vocabulary, avoid slang, and focus on good grammar and sentence structure.
Work on cleaning up how you speak in your conversations in everyday life.
This will carry over to when you are presenting in public.
In closing
Recording and reviewing your speech is one of the most effective ways to identify and address any speaking habits that may be undermining your communication. Whether it's uptalking, mumbling, speaking too quickly, or sounding overly informal, hearing yourself speak provides valuable insights into areas you can improve.
This self-awareness allows you to focus on making specific changes, like adjusting your pacing, tone, or clarity.
And to be your most influential, remember to:
Not speak too quickly
Not speak too slowly
Minimise your use of filler words
Avoid uptalking
Not speak in a monotone
Not speak in a sing-song voice.
Avoid mumbling
Not be too casual in your language
© 2025 Susan Weser. All rights reserved.
Susan Weser is the Founder of Speaking2Win, a boutique public speaking and presentation skills consultancy, based in Melbourne, Australia. Susan’s mission is to demystify public speaking and presenting. She loves to fast-track her clients’ public speaking success, empowering them with the skills and confidence to excel in all their public speaking endeavours.
Audience in auditorium looking on, listening to the speaker