The concept is simple: speak – stop – speak again. It looks powerful, and it allows you time to think, to breathe, and to ‘read’ the audience.
But here’s the catch: using pauses in front of a live audience is profoundly difficult. It requires extreme confidence. Why? Because in that silence, you are required to stare into a sea of eyes, all of which are… well… staring right back at you! The pressure to quickly continue speaking is almost unbearable and it takes a seasoned speaker to resist rushing on. This is, in fact, the reason unseasoned speakers tend to speed up as they go along. But used well, a pause can draw emphasis to a great point, and it can give you an air of mastery and confidence. In fact, it can revolutionise your speaking entirely. Even a relatively mediocre speaker can dramatically improve the impression he makes simply by learning to pause well.
Begin by determining consciously to use pauses.
You have to make the decision that this is a technique you will use,and use liberally. If you are unaccustomed to doing it, decide which are the most important points or ‘conclusions’ in your speech, and pause directly after them. Speak often enough, and you will develop an instinctive sense of which lines warrant a good pause. You may even grow confident enough to walk from one place in the room, or on the stage, to another, while leaving a profound silence.
The technique is simple enough.
Build up your pace, pitch and volume as you deliver a key sentence. Once you’ve reached the ‘point,’ stop, and hold eye contact with your audience. You may even indulge in a ‘knowing’ look around the room, depending on the point you’re trying to make. When a few moments of silence have elapsed, launch into your next line.
Practice your timing.
As a rule of thumb, the longer your pause,the more profound your point will seem. If you really want the audience to take in something important, take a longer pause. You can even use pauses mid-sentence if you want to emphasise a specific word.
Don’t rush it.
Nervous speakers tend to rush their thoughts, as if to get their talk over quickly. They speak as if apologising for being there, and their breathing is shallow and rapid as a result. The irony is that the more they rush, the less they breathe, and the worse their anxiety becomes. So use pauses confidently, liberally, and strategically. They will enhance your audience’s experience of you, and give you an air of mastery.
