Masterful speakers have myriad ways to make an impact.
They shift the tone of their voice, and the volume too. Sometimes a whisper can seem stronger than a shout. They vary the rhythm of their words and the pace of their speech to capture attention and convey emotion.
And then there’s this. Whether you’re speaking in an auditorium or a conference room or online, one of the most meaningful things you can say is…nothing.
Thanks to Women Belong for this clip is from their Virtual Speaker Session.
If you find those moments of white space challenging—and many people do—tell me about it in the comments below.
Fabulous golden nugget of information, Catherine! The “pause” is so… powerful. Loosing the ah, um, an, hmm is frosting on the cake. Perfect.
Thanks, Jared. This is a big area of opportunity for most of my coaching clients–getting comfortable with those little moments of silence.
This was such a wonderful piece of information for me, I still am not sure how to exactly do the pause, maybe in one of your amazing video newsletters you could give a example of a powerful pause. I’m hanging on your every word!
Another analogy that you can use is music! The silence or space between the notes is what allows use to figure out the music.
And, it’s really interesting to see the reaction to a pause .. in speaking, in music, etc.
You’re right, Janice – the space between the notes is enormously important. I sometimes quote Miles Davis, who’s supposed to have said, “It’s not what you play, Baby, it’s what you don’t play.”
Masters of the pause included Larry Lujack and Paul Harvey. I wince but must also add… Rush Limbaugh.
You’re right about all three of them, Patrick. It was such a great experience for me, working with Larry. There’s a lot to learn from him. https://catherinejohns.com/learn-from-the-superjock/
Useful stuff. Two more reasons to pause
To allow the audience to exhaust a laugh after you’ve said something funny.
To allow the audience to absorb something thought provoking you’ve said.
Funny, Stan, just last night I wrapped up a gig thinking I’ve FINALLY learned to pause long enough for the laughs. That took a lot of practice for some reason; my impulse was to keep talking. It’s good to just stand there and appreciate that the participants are having a good time.