Emily Post on Charming Speech -- Otherwise entitled, "Why it's dangerous to for the Merry Rose to read books on etiquette"

"No speaker who searches for words is interesting. Beautiful speech is like a brook that ripples on and on. Irritating speech is like the pufing o a locomotive, each puff broken with er-er -- and-er, the listener in sharing in the search and also sharing in the effort which which each word is pronounced." EP

Mrs. Post has me on this one. When speaking in front of a group, I nervously add "er" or "uh" or "you know" between phrases. Perhaps, I even do this in one-on-one conversation.

I must change this. However, it seems that Mrs. Post is not merely chastising me for saying "er".

She is also giving me permission here to babble on and on like a brook! I have it in writing!!

Of course, I do know that's not what Mrs. Post intends to say. That's fortunate for my irl friends. They know that the last thing I need is encouragement to talk too much!

Quick to listen, slow to speak...Quick to listen, slow to speak...!

If I just keep reminding myself of that...

Enjoy!
Elizabeth