Public Speaking Course:
Pauses
A true NO ZZZZZs presenter doesn't feel that he or she must constantly
keep talking to keep the audience awake. Skilled speakers use the technique
of silence to add to the overall effectiveness and polish of the program.
Actors have identified a whole bunch of different pauses
which I'm sure they have fun performing. I'm only going to address
some of the most obvious and important ones here.
Remember from your public speaking course, you too are on stage, so
below are some pauses for you to practice and then try out.
Short
The shortest pauses, which last anywhere from one-half to two seconds,
are for the simple purpose of gathering your thoughts.
All you have to remember is to slow down. Give the audience a chance to
understand what you are saying.
Change your voice inflection slightly at the end of each thought to
cue the audience the next thought is coming.
Also, use a short pause both before -- and after -- any phrase or word
you want to emphasize. (Refer to this website's
'How to Deliver a Punch Line' article, for reference.)
Spontaneity
Another cool pause is known as a "spontaneity pause".
This is a planned 'unplanned' pause used so that you don't look too
rehearsed, which incidentally, means it requires practice to pull off well.
You might apply this pause when you want to pretend to search for a
word or phrase that you already know.
Long
Long pauses of more than three seconds are very powerful! Again, long
or "pregnant pauses" are very powerful when used correctly.
They command the audience to ponder, to linger long, on what you just
said, that is if what you just said was worth thinking about.
Please - [pause] - [pause] - [pause] - don't be afraid to be quiet
once in a while. The silence can call the audience to attention.
Like in the theater, a pause can dramatically increase your impact,
and add an element of passion and power to your presentation.
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