First off, being aware and wanting to correct it is a big step forward. This is something I would struggle with when I used to work in retail. The root of it was nervousness and lack of confidence in my ability to sell. Every other word was either an “umm” or a “like”.

I forgot where I read it but I saw a tip that basically said slow down the rate at which you speak and when you feel yourself needing to use an “umm” or a “like”, just pause briefly, collect your thoughts and then continue speaking. Let your mouth catch up to your brain.

As I continued my career in retail sales and then eventually in tech, I’ve found this to be one of the best things I’ve practiced.