A method and system for allowing a user to interface to an interactive voice response system via natural language commands. The system plays a prompt that initiates user interaction. In certain embodiments, the system detects initial user speech, wherein the initial user speech begins during the prompt or during a silence after the prompt. Then, the system determines whether the user speech restarts (second user speech) within a predetermined time period, wherein the predetermined time period is dependent upon whether the initial user speech began during the prompt or during the silence. If the user speech does restart, then the system uses the second user speech for recognition purposes. If the user speech does not restart, then the system uses the initial user speech for recognition purposes.