A discussion about business and marketing communications (or marcom).

In professional speech we were taught not to use certain words because they signified our inability to communicate effectively, but turns out all of that has changed.  In addition to not using words like “Uh” and “Um”, “You know” was also a phrase that was unacceptable, previously it signaled laziness or lack of focus by the speaker.  Now “You know” is acceptable and using it performs a useful purpose.  In the Journal of Pragmatics, authors say it softens the position of the speaker, to make it more acceptable to the listener.  They said that former president; Bill Clinton was a master at using the phrase to draw listeners into the conversation, and to appear to be speaking spontaneously.   I use the phrase because it allows me to get on a more personal level with my audience.