Automatic speech, also known as an embolism, is the verbalization of words or phrases without conscious effort. Simple fillers like “uhm” are universal, while others are rooted in specific cultures. However, some forms of automatic speech, such as profanity, can be offensive. Speech coaches can help individuals eliminate overuse of automatic speech.
Also known as an embolism, automatic speech is the verbalization of several words or phrases that occur without the individual’s conscious effort. This type of speech component often serves as a verbal filler during a presentation or conversation. In many cases, these fillers indicate to listeners that the speaker isn’t finished yet, and more will be available soon. However, speech may sometimes be present due to other factors and not really indicate that further comment is forthcoming.
There are several types of automatic speech. One type is relatively universal, often transcending differences of language and to some extent of culture. Simple fillers like “uhm”, “uh” or “er” are used by many different people in many different contexts. For the most part, these types of fillers are considered harmless and are often overlooked by listeners, as long as they aren’t used so often that they overshadow the rest of the conversation.
Other forms of automatic speech are rooted within specific cultures, and in fact are sometimes considered an identifying characteristic of people who share a particular religion or live in a specific geographic region. Along with accents, automatic speech of this type is sometimes considered colorful and somewhat entertaining. Writers often make use of this type of speech to give characters in their writings additional personality, helping to make them unique.
However, not all forms of automatic speech are considered appropriate or harmless. There are examples that lean more towards the offensive. An example would be the use of anything considered vulgar within a given culture.
In this form, speech is usually the insertion of profanity within the sentence structure used to convey various ideas. Sometimes, this use of automatic speech occurs because the individual is very distressed or angry. However, there are situations where bad words are inserted unconsciously even if the individual is extremely happy. When the use of profanity is brought to the individual’s attention, they may not even have been aware of the use.
While the automatic speech can serve as a useful cue as to what else is to come, some people develop an unconscious addiction to these filler words. When this is the case, steps should be taken to become aware of the use and make a conscious effort to avoid them. Speech coaches can often help an individual reprogram their fluency to eliminate overuse of automatic speech, often by training the person to make more efficient use of other verbal strategies. As the individual gains confidence and is less inclined to need filler words, the predilection for automatic speech often wanes.
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