Pauses are useful when there is a change of topic, when you have announced a headline, or asked a rhetorical question, to give the audience time to consider what you have said and to think about what's coming up next. Avoid unnecessary words or phrases that don't contribute any meaning to a sentence. These are words used to connect sentences when a pause would have sufficed. Other superfluous words that you should eliminate are er , um , you know , and okay . Use your mouth and not just your voice.
Many people speak without much lip movement.
They tend to come across as unanimated, dull mumblers. Learn to speak with the full range of mouth movements using your jaw, mouth and lips to keep audience interest focused on your face as well as your subject. We forgive each other for the way we speak because the majority of Singaporeans are not native English speakers. Don't let this happen to you. Ask your friends to correct you when you mispronounce words.