Comment by 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.
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
Just sit there in silence whilst you cogitate.
this is the move
1 reply →
"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.
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.