If You Say 'Um' You'll Hear a 'Ding'
Angie Davis, a first-year graduate student at the University of Arizona's College of Pharmacy, spends most of her time at the lab bench investigating new compounds that might someday be turned into therapeutic drugs. On Monday morning, however, she took on the role of "Ah Counter" at the Women of Biosciences Toastmasters Club meeting.
About 15 members gathered to practice their public speaking skills in the Thomas W. Keating Bioresearch Building, which houses UA's BIO5 Institute. During the meeting, Davis' job was to count the number of times each speaker used unnecessary filler words – those "ahs" and "ums" and "uhs" most of us tend to drop when speaking in front of a crowd – instead of a stately pause. read more »
