I vividly remember seeing a speech some years ago that had a major impact on how I give my speeches.
It was a topic which required some thought, and I was completely buying into the message. I was struck by how the speaker used long pauses throughout his remarks, and I discovered that pauses can
- give you an air of scholarliness and authority.
- give the audience a chance to absorb key points (bonus tip: repeat a key phrase before the pause to really help the message sink in).
- give you a chance to collect your thoughts
- aid in transitions
- attract the audiences attention (the “anti-shout effect”). Imagine the effect that a really long pause would have… people whose minds and eyes might be elsewhere invariably would look up to see what was happening.
- help control nerves by aiding your pace and breathing.
- enable deeper audience connection. Pauses are a great time to make eye contact and “read the room”.
I’ve encouraged speakers to practice with some extremely long pauses in their speeches, just to get used to the idea that they don’t need to talk continuously. After doing this, brief pauses become much more natural.