With media full of Obama speech analysis, it’s not a good time for would-be politicians to come up short in the oratory department.

JFK’s daughter Caroline Kennedy has withdrawn her candidacy for Hillary Clinton’s old Senate seat, citing ‘personal reasons’.

Helping her decision was a firestorm of media ridicule for a interview in which she said “y’know” 139 times. It made the average teenage girl sound like JFK by comparison.

It’s tough on her. She’s a well-educated, intelligent person, but she’s just not used to the spotlight, just like many presenters.

And when you’re nervous, there’s a natural tendency to fall back on a favourite phrase: going forward, like, anyway and other favorites. You don’t even know you’re saying them.

The only way to weed them out is to rehearse.

Start with informal rehearsals, just you  in the office or wherever you feel comfortable. Videotape yourself. You won’t just pick up the “y’knows”, you’ll also notice physical mannerisms like touching your face or jingling coins in your pocket.

Then plan for an on-site rehearsal for the actual presentation, particularly if it’s in a staged environment. Everything feels different with a dark room and lights in your face.

Spend the time to get comfortable on the stage. Meet the AV techs and do a voice check. So when you hit the stage, you’re concentrating on a powerful opening and creating a link with the audience, not worrying if the microphone’s working properly.

Learn more in video form here.