Presentation Fillers [How to Use them Strategically]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- Apr 8
- 6 min read
While designing a keynote presentation for our client Lena, she paused and asked, "Should I try to get rid of every ‘uh’, ‘so’, and ‘you know’?”
Our Creative Director answered without hesitation: “Only if you want to sound like a robot.”
That line landed, and it stuck. Because the fear of sounding unpolished often drives speakers to chase perfection at the cost of authenticity. And in doing so, they strip out the very thing that makes a presentation work: connection.
As a presentation design agency, we help leaders craft high stake presentations all year round, from boardroom decks to product launches to TED-style keynotes. And we’ve noticed a recurring challenge: speakers get obsessed with eliminating all filler words.
Not reducing them. Eliminating them.
But here’s what no one tells you: fillers aren’t the enemy.
Used thoughtlessly, yes. They clutter and confuse. Used strategically, though? They do something surprisingly powerful.
They give you control. They give your audience time. They give your message rhythm.
In this blog, we’re not going to give you a list of phrases to avoid or tell you to pause for dramatic effect like every other cookie-cutter guide.
Instead, we’re going to talk about how to use fillers on purpose: to buy time, build contrast, telegraph emotion, and humanize your delivery.
Because in the hands of a good speaker, a filler isn’t a flaw. It’s a tool.
First, Let’s Understand What Presentation Fillers Are.
Presentation Fillers are verbal cues. They signal uncertainty, transition, hesitation, or even emphasis. Sometimes they soften what’s coming next. Other times, they help the speaker hold the floor, a trick picked up subconsciously from years of classroom, boardroom, and coffee shop dynamics.
Let’s break that down:
“So…” often signals a transition or an attempt to summarize. (“So… what does this mean for our team?”)
“Like…” helps a speaker search for the right comparison or example. (“It’s like… imagine if Uber did warehousing.”)
“You know?” seeks agreement or shared understanding. (“The market’s shifting fast, you know?”)
“I mean…” preps the listener for a reframe or clarification.(“I mean, we’re not just cutting costs — we’re rethinking operations.”)
They may sound throwaway, but they’re doing invisible work. Work that helps the audience stay with you or gives you a second to line up what’s next.
The trouble starts when speakers use these fillers unconsciously, excessively, or without control. That’s when they become distractions. That’s when they chip away at authority, make a speaker sound unsure, or dilute the message.
But used with purpose? They become part of the rhythm of the talk. And rhythm is everything.
Need a hand with your presentation? We'd love to help.
How to Use Presentation Fillers Strategically
Let’s clarify, we’re not advocating for mindless rambling. No one wants to hear “uhhh… like… you know?” every other sentence. That’s not strategy. That’s noise.
What we’re talking about is conscious deployment.
Because when you understand what fillers do beneath the surface, you can start using them like tools. Not patches. Not apologies. Tools.
Here’s how.
1. Use Fillers to Buy Thinking Time — Without Losing Authority
When you're presenting live — whether it’s to investors, an internal team, or a massive audience — the scariest space isn’t the Q&A. It’s the silence between the question and your response.
That gap, if you’re not prepared, turns into a scramble. That’s where people trip up, say too much, or undercut their credibility with rushed answers.
A strategic filler closes that gap.
“Hmm… that’s a good question. Let me think about that.”
It’s not just a stall. It’s a power move. You’re buying yourself seconds to think, and you're signalling thoughtfulness. You’re showing that you're not bluffing, you're building.
And here’s the secret: people don’t mind waiting when they feel they’re about to hear something worthwhile.
2. Use Fillers to Signal Transitions
Most presentations don’t lose audiences because of bad ideas — they lose them in the jumps. From one point to the next. From problem to solution. From slide to slide.
Strategic fillers like “so…”, “now…”, or “anyway…” serve as cues. They gently tap the audience on the shoulder and say, “Stay with me — we’re going somewhere new.”
“So… let’s step back for a second.”“Now, here’s where things get interesting.”“Anyway, what we discovered next changed everything.”
These transitions mimic how we talk in real conversations — which makes them easier to follow and harder to tune out.
And in high-stakes presentations, being followable is non-negotiable.
3. Use Fillers to Build Contrast or Emotion
Think of fillers as emotional punctuation. They change how a sentence feels — even when they don’t change what it says.
“I mean… it was chaos.”. “It’s like… trying to run a marathon blindfolded.”
The filler sets the tone. It softens the landing. It gives the sentence an emotional runway to take off or slow down.
And when you’re talking about something heavy — layoffs, missed targets, a pivot — a well-placed filler can signal empathy, not just data.
Sometimes the point needs to hit like a hammer. Sometimes, it needs to land like a sigh.
Knowing the difference is everything.
4. Use Fillers to Keep Conversational Authority
Ever been interrupted mid-sentence in a panel? Or watched someone lose control of the room during a Q&A?
Fillers, when used well, are a subtle way to hold the mic. Not physically — psychologically.
“So yeah… the challenge wasn’t the idea. It was the timing.”
That “so yeah…” might seem like fluff, but it’s actually anchoring your presence. You’re telling the room: I’m not done yet. Stay with me.
It’s a quiet grip on the narrative, and it’s incredibly effective in situations where you need to keep control without raising your volume.
5. Use Fillers to Mirror Natural Conversation
People listen differently when they feel like you’re talking with them, not at them. The right fillers create that feeling — especially in virtual presentations where attention is fragile and tone does more heavy lifting than usual.
“You know?”. “Right?”. “Okay, here’s the thing…”
These small phrases aren’t meaningless. They’re signals of inclusion, cues that invite the audience into your mental space. They’re how you shrink the distance between the speaker and the listener — which is where persuasion actually lives.
In our experience, the presenters who connect the fastest aren't the ones with the tightest scripts. They're the ones who sound like someone you'd actually want to talk to after the meeting.
6. Use Fillers to Let Ideas Breathe
Not every point needs to crash into the next. In fact, some of the most powerful moments in a presentation happen in the gaps — in the time you don’t speak.
But here’s the thing: silence is scary. And too much silence, especially for nervous speakers, becomes unbearable.
That’s where a light filler can act like scaffolding.
“So…”(pause). “What does this mean for the business?”
You're giving your idea room to breathe without going completely still. You’re holding space without white-knuckling through awkward silence.
And often, that’s the difference between a rushed delivery and one that actually lands.
Should You Rehearse the Fillers or Use Them Spontaneously?
This is where things get nuanced. Most people assume fillers should never be rehearsed. That they should only show up in the moment, like seasoning added to taste. But in reality, the best speakers we’ve worked with don’t leave their tone to chance. They rehearse spontaneity. That doesn’t mean they script every “uh” or “so,” but they do know where they want their delivery to feel looser, where a natural pause might need a soft transition, and where a conversational filler could make a sharp idea feel more accessible. It’s controlled improvisation, and yes, that’s a skill.
The sweet spot lies in intention without over-polishing. If you rehearse your entire talk and find it’s too stiff, that’s a sign you might need to re-inject natural cadence. And sometimes, that means welcoming a filler or two on purpose. But don’t memorize them. Feel them. Identify moments where your audience might need breathing space, where you might need half a second to pivot, or where something needs to land less like a bullet and more like a nod. That’s where strategic fillers do their best work. Spontaneous? Maybe. But never unintentional.
Why Hire Us to Build your Presentation?
If you're reading this, you're probably working on a presentation right now. You could do it all yourself. But the reality is - that’s not going to give you the high-impact presentation you need. It’s a lot of guesswork, a lot of trial and error. And at the end of the day, you’ll be left with a presentation that’s “good enough,” not one that gets results. On the other hand, we’ve spent years crafting thousands of presentations, mastering both storytelling and design. Let us handle this for you, so you can focus on what you do best.