Everybody says "um". In a conversation nobody notices, because the other person is busy listening. On video it's different. The viewer has nothing else to do but watch, and every "um" and every long pause is a moment where nothing happens. A few of those in a row, and people start reaching for the skip button.

The good news: you can say fewer of them while you record, and the ones you still say can be cut afterwards.

Why ums stand out on video

When you talk to someone in person, a pause is filled with your face, your hands and the moment you're sharing. On a screen, the same pause feels longer. Viewers also know they can skip ahead, so a video that hesitates loses them faster than a person would.

An "um" isn't a sign that you don't know your subject. It's your brain holding your place while it finds the next words. The fix is to give it something else to do.

Say fewer while you record

  • Pause instead. When you feel an "um" coming, close your mouth and stay quiet for a moment. A silent pause is easy to cut. An "um" in the middle of a sentence is harder.
  • Know your next point. Write three to five short notes and keep them next to the camera. You don't need a script, just a list of what comes next.
  • Use shorter sentences. Long sentences need more thinking in the middle, and that's where ums appear.
  • Slow down a little. Talking fast leaves no time to think, so the ums fill the gaps.

Don't try to stop every single one. Worrying about ums while you talk makes you stiff, and stiff is worse than a few ums.

Leave the rest to the edit

Cutting ums well is not the same as cutting every pause. A video with every breath removed sounds rushed and robotic. A good edit takes out the "um" and the pause it made, and keeps the short, natural breaths between sentences.

Doing that by hand in editing software means finding each "um" on a timeline, cutting it out and closing the gap, then listening back to check that no word was clipped. In a long video that can take longer than recording it.

Getting them cut without editing software

Videoteca listens for "um" and "uh" (and "äh", "euh" and "eh" in German, French and Spanish) and cuts each one with the pause it made. It never cuts more than half a second past the sound, so the words on either side stay whole. It also cuts the first copy of a short word you tripped over and said twice ("it's it's"), and the lines you started, stopped and said again, keeping your last take.

The picture moves in a little at some of the cuts, so the edit doesn't jump. If you'd rather keep your ums, you can ask for that when you review your video, in your own words, like "keep my ums".

To try it, upload a video of yourself talking. Your first one is free.

Questions people ask

Should I cut every um?

Cut the ones that make a sentence stumble, and keep the natural rhythm of how you talk. A video with every pause removed sounds rushed. The goal is a video that flows, not one with no breaths in it.

Will cutting ums make my video look jumpy?

It can, if the picture stays exactly the same across every cut. Moving the picture in a little at some cuts, so the shot changes when the sound does, makes the cuts feel natural. Videoteca does this automatically, aimed at your face.

What about "like" and "you know"?

Those are real words, so they're left alone unless you ask. If there's a phrase you say too often, you can ask for it to be taken out everywhere in the video when you review your edit.

Is it better to write a script so I don't say um?

A script helps some people, but reading it often sounds flat. A short list of the points you want to make usually works better: you sound natural, and you always know what comes next.