← Back to context

Comment by toast0

3 days ago

Having heard radio interviews with and without 'internal editing' to remove ums and ahs, most of the time I'd rather the edited version. It's more concise and focused, and I find it easier to comprehend. Too many ums and ahs and my mind wanders, and if it's radio, I can't go easily go back to try again. When I've listened to podcasts or audiobooks, I could never easily go back a little to try again either, and I gave up on them (even though I have some content I really want to listen to, it's too frustrating, so it's not happening). But I'm sure other people have different preferences.

I also don't care for writing that could have been made a lot more concise. It's a lot of work to make things shorter, but I think it's worthwhile.

9 comments

toast0

Reply
venzaspa  3 days ago

It just goes to show that people have very different views. I think when I hear people thinking out loud (ums and ahs) it's a marker that they are actually engaging with the question, thinking through an answer and not bullshitting without thinking.

  • td6  3 days ago

    I agree to you, when it's in person. I think what your describing is mostly the beginning of an answer.

    Just randoms "um" inbetween because your struggling to build sentences can get annoying both in person and online

    • doubled112  3 days ago

      "Ummm, I think I agree with this description" vs "I, think, umm, I agree with, umm, this description"

      The first one indicates something along the lines of "thinking, please stand by". The second one is a struggle.

  • fasterik  2 days ago

    I think speaking fluidly while thinking out loud is a completely separate skill. Some people are really good at it, usually the ones who get a lot of practice at public speaking. I also suspect extroverts have an easier time with it than introverts. "Ums" and "ahs" aren't necessarily evidence that a person is thinking, but it's also true that a lot of very smart people are "inarticulate" in the conventional sense.