[dharmab]

HS Debate cured both my "umming" habit and my relucance to speak in about a weekend.

A game we played in debate was where a person had to talk about something in front of a group without saying any "ums". If you said "um", your friends got to throw soft items (wadded up paper, plush toys) at you. It cures "umming" in seconds.

[bckr]

Great idea. It's hard to just be silent for a couple of seconds, it feels like the world is dying.

But great speakers

Use many significant pauses.