Filler words drop when the next phrase is ready, not when you clench. The drills below assume you will record twice and look at the list between the takes. They assume you will not try to sound like a different person. You are removing the sounds that do not change the story.
Drill: clean the first sentence
Say the answer once. Look only at the opening line in the transcript. If it has um, uh, you know, or basically, write that sentence the way you wish it had sounded, in ordinary words. Say just that sentence three times, then the full answer once. Score the full answer. You win the drill when the opening is clean. Later fillers can wait for the next day.
Drill: second take, one rule
On the second take you may not start a sentence with so, well, or yeah. You may pause. You may not add like in their place. This rule is small enough to remember while you are talking. People who try to monitor fifteen banned words stop thinking about the story and the filler count gets worse.
Drill: the pause swap
Pick the loudest filler from the list. Say the answer and, every time that word wants to appear, stop for about one second. Watch the longest pause. You want it to move, and you want it under two and a half seconds. If it stretches past four, you do not know the next line yet. Add a bridge: “What I did was.” Practice the bridge, not a new speech pattern.
What “done” looks like
Clear fillers under two a minute. No um in the first sentence. like and so only where they mean something, which you can check because the list shows them. Length still inside the range for the question. When that is true, stop drilling fillers and go practice a story you have not touched. Endless filler work on one paragraph makes a stiff answer you will abandon as soon as you are nervous.
The microphone audio used for the transcript and the pause never leaves the browser. If speech recognition is missing, paste what you said. The drills use the list either way.
FAQ
How long does it take to cut fillers?
One sitting will clean a single story’s opening. The habit across stories takes several sessions, because the filler returns on the question you did not rehearse.
Will I sound robotic if I remove every so?
Not if you only remove the ones that do not mean therefore. The counter marks those words so you can leave the real ones.
Should I practice with a friend who taps the table?
A tap helps you notice. It does not give you the count or the length. Use the timer for the number, and a person if you want the flinch in real time.