There’s a relatively new phenomenon that’s about to make me crazy. If you haven’t noticed it yourself already, just listen to anyone who is being interviewed. Radio, tv, print. It’s all the same. The interviewer asks the question and the interviewee reponds, “I mean…blah blah blah.”

What? The person hasn’t said one thing yet so why are they clarifying what they mean? Did they say something in their head? Do they think they said it out loud? This confuses me.

I think that “I mean” is the new “um” or “ah”. A delaying tactic that would be better taken care of by simply slowing down and taking a breath. A little regrouping before answering the question will allow the resultant answer to inform instead of confuse.

In my opinion, awareness of this habit is the first step in overcoming it. I’d be willing to bet that those who say this (and there are a lot of them) aren’t really even aware that they are doing it in the first place. Just becoming aware of the fact that they are using “I mean” for a crutch will be a huge step towards tossing the crutch away.

Be sure to be present when you are answering the question. If you are focused on what you are doing and saying right at that moment and not distracted with what you are going to do after the interview it will help you listen to yourself and help you to make your point more clearly.

Listen up. If you haven’t heard the “I mean” phenomenon, you will now and you will see just how prevalent it is. But an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and I would bet money that you will stop yourself before the next time “I mean” comes out of your mouth at the wrong time.