Barack Obama does it during Q & A.  Condi Rice does it in press interviews.  Ted Turner does them all the time.  You might do it when you are unprepared.

Use those nasty filler words that make you sound ignorant, forgetful, unprepared or unsure of yourself.

What is the cure?  The pause.  It is the replacement for non words like um, ah, and, so, or well.

How do you get rid of them?  Practice. Stand in front of a mirror.  Sit at your desk and turn on the webcam.  Stand in your living room and face the sofa.  Begin speaking.  After every sentence, stop for two seconds. Think about what you are going to say.  Resist using any kind of a filler.  Begin speaking again.

Do not be intimidated by this silence.  It is not “dead” air, it’s “active” air.  That’s because the audience is taking notes, visualizing, or processing the information.

I’ve read that it takes three weeks to change a habit.  If that is so, you must practice this everyday, for 21 days, to see/hear a change. However, this hard work will pay off.  Once you get rid of these fillers, you will look – and sound – more comfortable and confident.