Disfluencies are a hallmark of spontaneous speech and play an important role in conversation, yet have been shown to negatively impact judgments about speakers. We explored the role of disfluencies in the perception of competence, sincerity and confidence in public speaking contexts, using synthesized spontaneous speech. In one experiment, listeners rated 30-40-second clips which varied in terms of whether they contained filled pauses, as well as the number and types of repetition. Both the overall number of disfluencies and the repetition type had an impact on competence and confidence, and disfluent speech was also rated as less sincere. In the second experiment, the negative effects of repetition type on competence were attenuated when participants attributed disfluency to anxiety.