Kennedy’s ‘you knows’ become political fodder

By JENNIFER PELTZ – Dec 30, 2008

Such conversational fillers are, of course, as common as, like, speech itself. But the buzz about Kennedy’s “you knows” illustrates how problematic a few extraneous syllables can be for a public figure, especially in an era when today’s verbal foible is tomorrow’s viral video.

“It really did a huge disservice to her,” said communications training coach Matt Eventoff, a partner in Princeton Public Speaking in Princeton, N.J. Rather than focusing on Kennedy’s views, he said, “people are going to spend time deconstructing the ‘you knows.’”

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