Effective tips for using pauses in

speeches
Pausing adds power, drama, to your speech. Used well your silences
will literally speak LOUDER than your words. Learning when to pause
and how long for is a skill and like all skills improves with practice. The
technique outlined below (along with 3 practice pieces) is effective and
easily mastered.

99Guardar

The benefits of using pauses in speeches

 If you're the speaker

A pause in the right place at the right time gives YOU:

 time to breathe
 time to consider what it is you're going to say next
 time to receive, and digest the feedback you're getting from your
audience
 control over the pace of your speech
 the means to convey emotion, emphasize or herald important
information, play up a punch line, wait for laughter to settle, signal an
aside, indicate how you intend the audience to interpret what you're going
to say next, or have just said

If you're the listener

A pause in the right place at the right time gives YOUR AUDIENCE:

 time to breathe
 time to let the images or ideas you've given them 'flower' in their
minds
 time to summarize what's been said (particularly important for
complex sequential ideas)
 time to prepare for what maybe coming next
 indications of your intent - how you want them to interpret your
message

Good Pauses  &  Bad Pauses

There are differing types of pauses or silence.

Let's get straight about what sort I'm meaning here.

Panic pauses

What I'm NOT talking about are the panic pauses.

These are the unplanned 'Oh, My Goodness!' variety.

They come like thieves and whip our words away. They leave us gulping and
grasping for a way to get back to the safety of what we thought we had
prepared. And worse still, they seem to last for ever.

Panic pauses NEED eradication. They have no place in your speech! Click the
link for tips to manage their cause: acute anxiety.

Planned pauses

Planned pauses are a different story. They are your friend. Used with care,
the silences of your speech will be golden. And what's more they add rhythm
or a beat to your words.