Strategic pause
Definition
A deliberate silence used to emphasize, transition, or let a point land — and a stand-in for filler words as your 'thinking time.'
In depth
A short pause around a key sentence gives the audience time to absorb it and adds weight. Awkwardly long or randomly placed pauses, by contrast, read as nervous. With pauses, where you place them is everything.
Tip
Practice a 0.5-1 second pause the moment an 'um' is coming, and your fillers drop on their own.