Silence is golden
What does a talk or speech consist of? Words, of course, built up into phrases and sentences.
And that’s all? Absolutely not! I think you’ve forgotten pauses. When you’re silent. And pauses often have the same value and power as words.
There are different types of pause that can be used in a variety of ways and to achieve different ends.
First, there are short pauses that we use as punctuation. You can use them to breathe.
They signal to the audience the beginning and end of a phrase or sentence.
Then there are longer pauses. Used before we begin a new sentence, they give the impression that what’s coming next is important. Longer pauses might also mean that you have finished a section of your talk. Or that you want your audience to reflect on what you have just said. Actors use longer pauses to increase the dramatic or comic effect of what they are about to say. In other words these longer pauses are used to emphasize what you’ve just said or what you’re about to say.
And remember! Deliver your talk without pauses and your audience will give up after a few minutes.
