> I've observed that saying "uh" and "um" is actually a good habit ... Without them, others interrupt or assume you're not listening. I have a little theory ab

> I've observed that saying "uh" and "um" is actually a good habit ... Without them, others interrupt or assume you're not listening. I have a little theory about interruptions. Humans are a social animal and people tend to listen very carefully to apes higher up on the social ladder. Grunts don't interrupt generals. Peasants don't interrupt the president. Hence, if you are being interrupted when silent, it is information to you that the person who interrupts you think you are lower on the social ladder than they are. More important, however, is that you, by ignoring interruptions, are saying to the listener that you are equal on the social ladder and expect to be listened to. There are many ways to handle interruptions. If you are presenting to a group, one way to do it is to simply back up a few seconds and keep talking where you were at the interruption. Search will give you more tools. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSWVAUqqQ6Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSWVAUqqQ6Q So, be silent, demand respect from the listener, and stand your ground.