The "um," "uh," "like," "you know," and "sort of" that appear when speakers are thinking out loud or buying time. Filler words are universal across languages and speakers — even professional broadcasters use them, just less audibly — and they serve a real purpose: they signal "I'm still talking, don't interrupt" while the speaker assembles the next sentence. In moderation, fillers are invisible. In excess, they undermine perceived confidence and authority. Coaching guidance for executive presence often focuses on replacing fillers with deliberate pauses, which feel uncomfortable to the speaker but signal command of the material to the listener. Meeting copilots can surface filler-word frequency in post-call analytics, giving speakers a private feedback loop without the awkwardness of asking a colleague to tally their "ums."