Why are proper grammar and pronunciation important? When we speak to others, we want to be understood. Many times, we also wish to persuade them to our point of view. When we mis-pronounce or mis-use words, our message occasionally becomes lost. One reason is because some people can only hear one voice at a time. When these people hear mis-pronounced or mis-used word, they hear their own voice inside their heads correcting your grammar, instead of hearing the next thing you have to say. Another reason is you lose some credibility. If your listener begins to doubt your command of the language, this sometimes translates to doubt of your command of the facts as well. Rightly or wrongly, you lose some of your audience if your language skills are lacking.

"uh," "um," "ah," etcetera: These are "placeholder" sounds we make in casual conversation. They serve to let the person or people we're talking to know that we are not finished speaking -- that we are just trying to come up with the right words to continue. The sounds serve the purpose of letting the other party know it is not their turn to talk yet. However, when we have the floor during a prepared speech, when others are not permitted to speak, it only lets people know we don't know exactly what we want to say. That is the wrong message to send during a prepared speech -- or any time we have the floor. Your words are given more impact, and remembered longer, if you replace your uhs and ums with a pause. The audience doesn't know whether the pause was intentional (as if done to make us think about the last bit of information given), or we are just grasping for words. Look confident and we'll assume you are pausing intentionally for effect.

double-clutches: Repeating a word or a short string of words such as "I ... I want you to know ...." has the same effect as the uhs and ums above. They keep us making sounds so that others cannot interrupt, and are just as out of place in a prepared speech as the above.

"and": (connecting sentences): "And" is correctly used to indicate the last of a list of two or more items or thoughts. It should never be used to string one sentence after another together into one long sentence.

"whether ...": (without "or"): "Whether" may never be used correctly without an "or". It is not a synonym for "if". The sentence "I don't know if I agree with that." is correct English. Substituting "whether" for "if" as in "I don't know whether I agree with that." is bad English because it does not contain the second part of the phrase "or ...". Rewording it as "I don't know whether I agree with that or not." or "I don't know whether I agree with what you say or what George said." would be both be correct English.

"as far as ...": (without "is concerned" or "goes" etc.) As with "whether," "as far as ..." is incomplete without a second part to the phrase such as "goes," or "is concerned." "As far as ... goes," or "As far as ... is concerned," are correct uses of the phrase. If you have difficulty remembering to conclude the phrase properly, try substituting "As for ..." for "As far as ...". "As for ..." does not need a phrase closure like "... goes" or "... is concerned."

"(people) that/who": Any time humans are referred to, specifically or generically, we should use "who" or "whom" instead of "that." For example: "I know people that use 'that' in place of 'who' all of the time." is incorrect. It should be worded: "I know people who use 'that' ..."

"podium/lectern": If you watch the news, you'll think a lectern is a podium, because nearly all reporters think it is. The root "pod" means "foot." As in "podiatrist." It is something that one stands upon, such as a stage or a platform. The object a speaker stands behind is a "lectern."

"I/me": are often transposed incorrectly. When you are the subject of the sentence, (the one who is doing or being something, and generally placed before the verb) use "I" as in "I am the subject of this sentence." When you are the object of the sentence (the one to whom something is being done, and usually placed after the verb) use "me", such as "The subject of this sentence is me"). These words have been immortalized incorrectly in songs most of us know. Think of the duet with the line "just you and I". The quickest way, if you don't know subjects from objects, to know which should be used when it is someone else and you, is mentally drop the someone else and see if it sounds right. For example, if you don't know whether or not the phrase "the prize was given to Tom and I," is correct, drop "Tom and" to mentally hear if "the prize was given to I," or "the prize was given to me" sounds correct to you.

"like/as": Use "like" as a preposition to compare nouns and pronouns. It requires an object: Jim blocks like a pro. The conjunction as is the correct word to introduce clauses: Jim blocks the linebacker as he should.