6 Sloppy Speech Habits to Avoid

February 10, 2011 2:00 pm     Posted in College, Reality  Candy -- NYU g+ page


By Candy

Whether you’re graduating this spring or you’re hunting for a summer internship, you’re probably stressed about acing your interviews. To help alleviate some of that stress, we reached out to the experts from Excelle and asked them for their tips on making a great first impression. Check back every Thursday for more helpful career tips and articles!

You may look good on paper or in your suit, but if you’re looking to nail your big interview, looks aren’t everything. How you sound is often more important. But many job seekers let careless speech habits sink their chances of landing that plum job.

The Bottom Line: You don’t have to study elocution to speak well. Simply slow down, take time to pronounce all the syllables, and leave slang at home.

Companies want job candidates who are well-spoken and articulate, and recruiters won’t represent a job candidate if they don’t match the client’s profile. According to Lori Zelman, vice president of human resources at Strategic Workforce Solutions in New York City, “The people most highly sought after are the ones who are succinct in the explanation of their work experience.”

Here are six common language mistakes and how to keep them from sabotaging your interview or meetings with clients.

1. Non-Words

Filler words such as “um,” “ah,” “you know,” “OK” or “like” tell the interviewer you’re not prepared and make you sound like a Valley Girl (or Boy). A better strategy is to think before you speak, taking pauses and breaths when you lose your train of thought. Everybody utters an occasional “um,” but don’t let it start every sentence.

2. Up-Talk

A singsong or rising inflection at the end of every sentence creates a tentative impression and makes it sound as though you’re asking a question instead of making a definitive statement. You need to speak with conviction when selling yourself in an meeting. Bring your intonation down when ending a sentence to avoid talking up.

3. Grammatical Errors

The interviewer may question your education when you use incorrect grammar or slang. Expressions such as “ain’t” “she don’t,” “me and my friend” and “so I goes to him” aren’t appropriate. Be sure you speak in complete sentences and that tenses agree. The interview is not the venue for regional expressions or informality.

4. Sloppy Speech

Slurring words together or dropping their endings impairs the clarity of your message. To avoid slurring and increase understanding, speak slowly during an interview. Make a list of commonly mispronounced words, and practice saying them into a tape recorder before the interview. Some common incorrect pronunciations include “aks” for “ask,” “ath a lete” for “athlete,” “wif” for “with” and “dree” for “three.”

5.  Speed Talking

While everybody is a bit anxious during an interview, you don’t want your information to fly by like a speeding bullet. A rapid speaking rate is difficult to follow, and speed talkers are seen as nervous. Slow down your racing heart by doing some breathing exercises before the interview.

To avoid rushing, listen to the question, and then count two beats in your head before answering. When you finish a sentence, count two beats again before continuing. Don’t be afraid of silence. Pausing is an effective communication technique. The interviewer needs a few seconds to process what you just said anyway.

6. Weak Speak

Wimpy words modify or water down your conviction and in the end your position.

When you pepper a conversation with “hopefully,” “perhaps,” “I feel,” “kind of” and “sort of,” the message you convey is a lack of confidence. Use power words such as “I’m confident that,” “my track record shows,” “I take the position that,” “I recommend” or “my goal is.” The language you use gives the listener an impression about your level of confidence and conviction.

This is a guest post from our friends at Excelle. Excelle is the premier online community for female professionals in the United States. Empower yourself with high-quality content relating to workplace issues and career advancement. Forge connections and network with other working women in our interactive forums. Join our community of intelligent, highly-motivated career women here: excelle.monster.com.


44 Comments on "6 Sloppy Speech Habits to Avoid"

  1. elizabeth says:
    Thu, 10th Feb 20113:28 pm 

    wtf? people really think readers can't pronounce simple works like ask or three?

  2. fifi says:
    Thu, 10th Feb 20115:05 pm 

    The mispronunciations you wrote about sound like ebonics…. I'm pretty sure I've never heard a white person say "dree."

  3. Kelly says:
    Thu, 10th Feb 20115:39 pm 

    I'm pretty sure "me and my friend" isn't incorrect grammar. It depends on the sentence it's used in.

  4. unruinedplans says:
    Thu, 10th Feb 20118:18 pm 

    Elizabeth – you would be VERY surprised.

  5. Cassie says:
    Fri, 11th Feb 20111:10 am 

    Well, no matter whether you use "me" or "I," it's supposed to be said with the friend being the first individual mentioned.

  6. Suzy Pepper says:
    Wed, 16th Feb 201111:12 am 

    hahahahahaha "dree" made me laugh so so so much! that's hilarious

  7. Guest says:
    Sat, 19th Feb 20115:34 am 

    I don't think anyone can contend that the use of "like" has reached near-epidemic proportions. It is so distracting. And when a speaker argues "I feel …" about the subject at hand, I want to say to hell with your feelings, tell what you THINK. Contrary to popular opinion, the two words are not interchangeable. So as petty as some of the examples cited may be to some, they really can have a huge impact on how a speaker is perceived by their listeners.

  8. Miss O says:
    Sat, 19th Feb 201110:09 am 

    Yes, the use of "like" is distracting. I'll give you that.

    However, the use of "I feel…" vs. "I think…" is more indicative of personality style, learning style and how one conceptualizes the world. Many times they ARE interchangeable. According to the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, some people are "thinking" people and some people are "feeling" people and they both experience the world and are influenced by it in interesting ways. So while you may have a tendency to "think" and analyze the world around you, others tend to "feel" and experience it.

    To suggest that all the "feeling" people should become "thinking" people is like forcing all left-handed people to become right-handed. Neither is better or "more correct"…Just different.

  9. Suncatcher1 says:
    Sat, 19th Feb 20116:27 pm 

    My friend and I think it depends on the sentence in which it is used.

    Because English and Spelling are barely taught these days, we employers now have a generation of complete dolts when it comes to communications. I love my 20-something nieces but they cannot put a sentence together to save their lives. I would never hire them. I cannot understand one of them at all – she only mumbles and whispers words into one big, long sentence.

    Don't AKS me! I don't know why our school systems got away with this for as long as they did. They should all be fired!

  10. NotPerfectNotStupid says:
    Sun, 20th Feb 201112:53 pm 

    Really? No one caught the error "when selling yourself in an meeting" in the article about proper spoken grammar? I FEEL that I ceased paying attention after that point. However, now I'm listening to De La Soul's Me, Myself and I thanks to all the "me and my friend" discussion.

  11. FlyAbovetheIgnorace says:
    Sun, 20th Feb 20111:56 pm 

    That is a racist thing to say. Sometimes, people are nervous and tend to choke up, or not get the word out the right way.

  12. quest l says:
    Sun, 20th Feb 20113:55 pm 

    Definitely not defending the use of "aks or ax" but has anyone ever questioned JFK's use of the work ask. I can't even spell his pronounced version. Does he get a pass because he was a Bostonian.

  13. Kelly S. says:
    Sun, 20th Feb 20115:24 pm 

    You just made the author's point.

    1) I'm pretty sure, fails to convey confidence. A correct statement would have been "Me and my friend is correct grammar."
    2) me and my friend = bad grammar. It's actually "my friend and I"

  14. Krasna Ludec says:
    Mon, 21st Feb 20119:52 am 

    Don't schools teach the difference between lie and lay anymore?

  15. Krasna Ludec says:
    Mon, 21st Feb 20119:55 am 

    It depends on the position in the sentence. My friend and I went to the store. The bag was given to my friend and me.

  16. Gundar says:
    Mon, 21st Feb 20115:48 pm 

    I often hear well educated people pronounce across as "acrost" or "acrossed".

  17. Jenn Rose says:
    Wed, 23rd Feb 20119:10 am 

    this is not true, my ex boyfriend who is from the Bronx and is white say "dree". so nope it's not ebonics!

  18. Elspeth says:
    Fri, 25th Feb 20119:58 am 

    I think the majority of this is crap…Sorry,but whoever wrote this is an idiot.I will admit that my husband does watch RAW/Wrestling…which I find completely fake,dumb…yadda ,yadda. I do see,however , that after his heavier than lead day ,he needs a simple ,no-brainer escape,& this is it…Ok,I allow this one dumb boob tube situation…I ,however do NOT watch soaps? Never have.The beard thing I just do not get @ all?He has grown a full beard & I actually married him without ever having seen him w/out it.He shaved it off one christmas & stuck a bow on bhis sexy chin…I did not even notive ! lol After I did,I saw that he has a very handsome cleft chin & I wondered why he covered it w/all that beard ?Only reason he grew a beard,was so he did not have to shave that "cute" cleft(very deep,therefore ,hard to shave).Unicorns?He thinks horses are dumber than dirt,so I know he does not fantasize about them…

  19. Elspeth says:
    Fri, 25th Feb 201110:26 am 

    Sorry,I do agree that speech ,spelling,& elocution are all important.My post was in reference to Friday Faves…Things Your Dude Secretly Loves,.so please ignore…

  20. erin says:
    Sat, 26th Feb 20118:36 am 

    Elizabeth.: Not only does your grammar need help, your spelling is close behind! And I'm at a loss with the horses…

  21. Gwen says:
    Sat, 26th Feb 20116:35 pm 

    You almost got it right. Leave our my friend and then see what the correct word is, me or I. You wouldn't say Me went to the store or the bag was given to I, would you? I hope not.

  22. Gwen says:
    Sat, 26th Feb 20116:37 pm 

    Sorry = typo. It should be Leave out my friend….

  23. Westdude says:
    Sun, 27th Feb 20111:19 pm 

    It is not polite to shake hands while seated.

  24. JAY says:
    Sun, 27th Feb 20114:36 pm 

    Suncatcher, It's not the schools, it's the students! One can teach a kid the correct way a million times over, and if they do not want to do it, it's like leading a horse to water! Are you seriously telling me that your kid is taught this AT SCHOOL? No, moron, the kids come to school speaking incorrectly! Where do they learn that? They learn it AT HOME! Individual teachers are with the kids for a mere 45 minutes A DAY, at maximum (At the HS level)! Of course, that's when the kids actually show up! They are with idiots, such as yourself, for the other 23 hours a day. I already know what you will say in response to this, the same thing that most of the "general" public say to this, "Well, then the teachers should just fail the students who do it incorrectly!" To which, I reply, WE DO!!!! Do you understand just how many times teachers are over-ruled by adminstrators worried about ANGRY PARENTS bitching because their little cherubs are "failing"? It happens every day, in every school; I can assure you.

  25. JAY says:
    Sun, 27th Feb 20114:39 pm 

    In addition, now you are blaming mumbling/whispering/mush-mouthed kids on the schools also? Christ, you have no clue what teachers are expected to do today, all while dealing with brainless idiots such as yourself. Teachers are not only asked to do the ONE job they were trained to do, TEACH, but are now also asked to be a child psychologist, police officer, guidance counselor, grief counselor, baby-sitter, parole officer, surrogate parent, coach and to provide a shoulder to cry on whenever each and every one of them needs it. Now you want us all to be speech pathologists for kids who seem to have a voice every time we don't want them to, but lose it every time they need it? I could pick apart your brainlessly written comment for days, but I have to get back to grading papers for kids who will be passed through the system regardless of whether they pass my class or not. News flash: They won't be passed through by the TEACHER either! Before you place all the blame for society's ills on the schools, take a walk in a teacher's shoes for one year! That's if you want to get the educational attainment to become a teacher, for a minumum wage salary.

  26. JAY says:
    Sun, 27th Feb 20114:39 pm 

    Lest anyone claim, after reading my comment, that I am a "bitter teacher who should pack it in" with "my attitude", I've been teaching for 20 years and have loved every minute of it. My kids are, and were, all phenomenal! In 20 years, I've never had a "bad kid" and I expect that trend to continue for the next 30 years, until I can actually afford to retire. After 20 years, this is my one time of venting about just how clueless someone like "Suncatcher" actually is, regarding education today. Instead of "catching" the sun, maybe you should "catch" a clue, before you go spouting off about something you obviously know little about?

  27. Jane says:
    Mon, 28th Feb 20112:57 am 

    One thing that really grinds my beans more than the use of the word "like" used in every sentence about three times is hearing the words "ya know?" coming out of the mouths of everybody and their brother, especially during interviews after the "big game" and the multi-million dollar ath-a-letes (heh) that supposedly graduated (somehow) from college ….. "Yeah, he was ya know runnin' down the sideline ya know and i saw him there ya know and so ya know i threw it to him and he caught it, ya know? That was way cool, ya know?"

  28. Debbie says:
    Wed, 2nd Mar 20118:15 pm 

    Some mispronounced words to me are like running nails over a chalkboard! For instance…"That tree was 50 foot tall" It's FEET FEET FEET!!!!! And let's not forget "That candy bar only cost me 50 cent." OMG!!! I even hear these words mispronounced by news reporters!

    Thanks for letting me vent..I feel better now!

  29. Gnawjournal says:
    Thu, 3rd Mar 20118:32 pm 

    Proper(ly) spoken and written English fell by the wayside long ago, unfortunately. Aks, dese, dose, onced, acrossed, irregardless – a BIG pet peeve of mine – and other errors have become ingrained in the culture. As long as I'm on the soapbox: Kids are young goats; children are young humans. One raises crops and rears children.

  30. merr says:
    Thu, 3rd Mar 201111:31 pm 

    It has NOTHING to do with the particular sentence in which it is used. The rule is: Use the sentence with only one person i.e, Me is going to the store, My friend is going to the store. Me obviously is wrong. The sentence should read: My friend and I…. The rule being you never mention yourself first. I remember that from high school English class and that was over 50 years ago,

  31. Advit Reader says:
    Sat, 5th Mar 20116:50 am 

    Well English really is not a core subject any more. Soon all of these Teens who speak in slang will be the employers and leaders. hmmm Something to think about.

  32. Rob Smith says:
    Sat, 5th Mar 201110:20 am 

    The phrase "ya know" can be very difficult to abstain from once it becomes lodged in one's mind. I spent many years overcoming it, but was finally rewarded for my effort, ya know. Now I hardly ever relapse into using it ya…..oops. Never mind, I'm gettibg there.

  33. jef says:
    Sat, 5th Mar 201111:51 am 

    Oh and what about ending a sentence with a preposition…"that is where they are at" I cant' stand it!
    I hear Troy Aikman when announcing football on sunday say "where are you at" This is a UCLA grad!
    Anyway, my kids hear that on TV and say " see Dad everybody ends their sentences with at

  34. Carroll Barber says:
    Sat, 5th Mar 20111:42 pm 

    The above comment was not racist. You are an idiot, and your comment demonstrates that. The three examples used, are what blacks use on a routine basis. That's not a criticism, just fact! You need to get off the racist word. Its over used! Get a grip! Get a life! Get a j-o-b! enuf said!!!!

  35. Carroll Barber says:
    Sat, 5th Mar 20111:53 pm 

    One of my "favs", "50cent!"

  36. Taylor says:
    Sun, 6th Mar 20113:26 pm 

    wow that ain't right

  37. taylor says:
    Sun, 6th Mar 20113:27 pm 

    youre stupit

  38. taylor says:
    Sun, 6th Mar 20113:28 pm 

    true dat sista!

  39. taylor says:
    Sun, 6th Mar 20113:28 pm 

    hells yeah brah

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