Before your interview, record your voice while you answer some of these questions. Don't write down your answers and read them, but answer them live. Then play it back and write down all of your speech crutches and how many times you used them. Words such as, "Like," "um," "you know," "so on and so forth," "and," "well," "but," "so," "ah," "er," "literally," "actually," and "basically." Once you've identified the speech-crutch words, you use the most. Practice answering without using those words. Whenever you find yourself struggling against them, just pause instead. This will present you as a clearer communicator and more of a professional.

"I adapt. Often, the most important thing in those situations is simply to establish a mutual understanding. If they can adapt their communication to yours, or at least meet you halfway, that's great! But don't expect that to happen. So I ask questions and clarify as much as possible. I'm an over communicator, which can be frustrating for those who aren't great communicators. But when communication is poor, someone's got to pick up the slack. When I identify the need, I do what I can."