<i>...looking to improve your day-to-day communication...</i><p>Is there evidence that saying &#x27;umm&#x27; and &#x27;ahh&#x27; reduces your ability to communicate effectively? <i>Why</i> are they bad? In conversation phonemes tell the listener than you haven&#x27;t finished speaking but you&#x27;re thinking about the next thing to say. Without them people would constantly interrupt one another, which would be horrible.