My clients often find that although they time their speeches when preparing for our classroom exercises, when they present them in the class, they finish too early. This is because nerves affect their delivery and they talk more quickly. Learn to slow down. Speak at half the speed you think is correct and you will be understood better. Your words will be clearer and you will feel more in control. You can add power to your talk by slowing down and using pauses to indicate a change of subject and for emphasis.
Pauses mean power
You should slow down between words and between ideas. Remember how difficult it is for the listener to follow the spoken word, so make it easier for them by pausing when you
are moving from one point to another. Novice speakers find pausing one of the most difficult techniques to acquire, but it is a very effective means of holding your audience’s attention.
Use the pause to add emphasis to your words: “We are facing a very dangerous period in the history of the company (pause) very dangerous (pause, and look around with good eye contact) but the solution is here in this room (pause) in your hands.”
Silent pauses
Pauses are powerful only if they are silent. Speakers who can’t bear silence fill it with the noise of their brain working as they search for the exact words. When their brain gets into gear, it emits the sound of er and um and mm — non-words which convey nothing and distract listeners. Learn to think silendy. In your everyday conversation, you may find that you are using other non-words such as “I mean,” “you know,” “actually” and “you know what I mean,” etc., so try to eliminate them completely as they are unnecessary and indicate a lack of concentration on your part. Sharpen up your conversation and eventually you will be sufficiently confident to pause when you are speaking in public.
Earlier in this book, I said that our brains process words at 500 words a minute and listeners can be easily distracted by their own thoughts because you are talking at only 150 words a minute. This difference between brain and speaking speeds works to your advantage when you are searching for a word. What you imagine to be a full half-minute’s silence in your talk is only a second or two and is totally unnoticed by your audience. Time and time again in our courses, clients see themselves on video and are amazed that “that terrible silence when I lost myself completely” turns out to be a passing moment. Remember, a pause is a compliment to the audience. You are showing you want to express yourself well and are taking time to choose the right words. No one expects you to be as word perfect as an actor — on the contrary, that might seem insincere but neither do they want to hear your brain crashing through its gears with ers and urns.