Module 1 · Speaking without freezing Lesson 2 of 15

Filler words, pace and pausing on purpose

Worked example

Reading a paragraph aloud at your normal pace and then at a deliberately slower one makes the difference obvious in about a minute. The slower version is the one interviewers can follow.

Your practice task

Read one page of any article aloud twice — normal, then slow — and note which version you could still understand as a listener.

Do this before moving on. Reading a solution teaches the shape of it; typing it teaches you.

Key takeaway

A pause reads as thinking; "um" reads as lost. Slowing down by twenty percent is the single fastest fix for an accent or a nervous rush, and most candidates have never tried it.

Almost there

15 lessons left of 15

Finish every lesson to unlock the certificate. Each one ends in a practice task — do them and the final project brief writes itself.