Picture this:

You’re presenting your keynote at an important seminar or conference, and can’t remember what comes next. You freeze. You look at your notes and they’re not numbered. You make a mental note to embrace pagination.

You haven’t lost the audience yet. You haven’t lost face yet. You haven’t lost the deal or your job or your career. Yet.

You need time. Maybe just a few seconds.

Use any one of these ‘filler’ words to buy you that time, to gather your thoughts and to save the situation:

  1. furthermore
  2. furthermost
  3. hence
  4. henceforth
  5. heretofore
  6. however
  7. howsoever
  8. moreover
  9. nevertheless
  10. nonetheless
  11. notwithstanding
  12. oftentimes
  13. otherwise
  14. thence
  15. thereabouts
  16. thereafter
  17. therefore
  18. thereupon
  19. thus
  20. whatever
  21. whatsoever
  22. whenever
  23. whichever
  24. whoever
  25. whomever
  26. whomsoever
  27. whosever
  28. whosoever

You still have the audience in the palm of your hand. You can probably last another 10 seconds. If things are really desperate, try a second word. But that’s the limit. Good luck with this secret tool.

…   …   …   …   …   …

Rodney Marks

I’m an Australian comedian, hoax speaker and corporate impostor. I mainly present comic hoaxes at business events. If you like these blogs, you’ll like my live comedy. If you don’t like these blogs, you still might like my live comedy.

Add comedian.com.au to your bookmarks, and one day: book Marks. I don’t do cheap jokes, and I’m freer than you think. I’m comical not anatomical, economical not astronomical.

For more info – and to contact me directly – see my LinkedIn profile, and website: www.comedian.com.au. I’m based in Sydney and travel widely.