Have you ever listened back to a recording of your voice and cringed at the amount of 'um's' 'uh's' and 'like's' you use? In this episode, Valerie Fridland, linguist, researcher, and author of the book, 'Like, Literally, Dude' delves into the intricacies of speech habits and argues for the inherent value of these often-demonised words. We explore why women are linguistic trend-setters, why some words carry deep-seated prejudices and what can we learn from the social function of language. 

You can get more out of this conversation, plus Valerie's take on words like: 'um' and 'ur' in the Blinkist app with our tailored Guide for this episode. You'll learn how to embrace your unique communication style and receive extra book recommendations and additional insights from Caitlin and Ben around getting to know yourself and what you want to say. 

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode or just say hello on Twitter! Find Caitlin at:[1] @caitlinschiller https://twitter.com/caitlinschiller 2]Ben at @bsto https://twitter.com/bsto 3] Alternatively, you can reach us at podcast@blinkist.com 

This episode of Simplify was brought to you by Caitlin Schiller, Ben Schuman-Stoler, Phoebe McIndoe & Ben Jackson at Blinkist.