Saving this article for the next time I encounter an academic policing someone's language https://hbr.org/2019/08/why-filler-words-like-um-and-ah-are-actually-useful
@dantheclamman
Seems to me like there is not much here. If you are afraid people are going to interrupt you, just ask them not to do it.
The "being diplomatic" thing seems to me like doesn't belong here... if it's a way of driving the message across, is not a filler. And jumping in is not nice.
I really have troubles with people using filler words and sounds, I get defocused after a very short while =D
@arteteco sometimes people (especially with less power) have no way to get a word in edgewise other than to use such a strategy. if they asked "can I speak ," it could be misinterpreted as aggression. conversations so often in academia are biased towards people unwilling to cede the floor. point is that these filler words are symptom of broader problem in academic discourse. as a student grows more confident these fillers decline. but faculty often miss the forest focusing on one tree
@dantheclamman I see what you mean. Filler words as symptoms of broader problem is interesting, actually I can see them more used by students than by professors, by Ph.Ds less then student...
I am not sure that advocating for them as possibly useful tools is a good point (which is what the articles is trying to bring forward, as I understand), but they have a value, sure thing
