You cannot cook a tasty dish without the right ingredients. Similarly, a stellar presentation also requires many ingredients, like captivating visuals, relevant content, engaging beginnings and closings, etc. One factor often overlooked but worth considering is knowing when to take a ‘Pause.’ Adding pauses to the presentation is an important skill to master. Yet very few presenters perform it well.
Pauses punctuate your words. It is a very versatile tool in the public speaking toolbox. If used appropriately, it can create something of real value.
Mark Twain, a famous American writer, said, “The right word may be effective, but nothing is as effective as a well-timed pause.”
People don’t remember your words, but the way you delivered them will remain in their memory forever. Learning how to use pause in a presentation can add more clarity to the content and allow effortless processing of shared information.
In this article, you will learn the impacts of using pauses in the presentation. Read on!
1. Calm Your Nerves
Sometimes, despite practicing well, you break out in a cold sweat during the speech. Nothing can be more stressful than losing track in the middle of the presentation. Such moments can make any presenter anxious.
So, how will you cope with that awkward moment without sabotaging your business presentation?
Silence is the savior.
Yes, you can calm your nerves with a simple pause. Appropriate silence and pauses can assist in controlled breathing and help release your stress. So, why not give it a shot?
2. Eliminates Filler Words
Most people use filler words in casual conversations. But when it comes to public speaking, it’s a big NO. When you use a bunch of crutch words (“umm,” “uh,” “you know,” “so,” etc.) in a formal setting, it makes you sound unsure, unprepared, and unconfident. Filler words indicate nervousness and show you’re trying to remember your content. It adversely affects your credibility, resulting in a less effective speech.
No worries. Here is the best replacement for your “umms,” the “Pauses.”
It seems easy-peasy to replace a filler word with your silence. You need to plan your pauses strategically while rehearsing your content.
3. Hook and Engage the Audience
Have you ever watched a horror movie? You just hold your seats and wait eagerly to see what will come next.
In the same way, adding pauses while delivering the presentation helps drag all the eyes and ears on the presenter.
One strategy that works well is placing pauses before and after you share essential information or critical points. A pause encourages active listening and signals the listeners that something important is being communicated to which they should pay attention.
A perfectly timed pause allows the audience to absorb and understand what you have said. This way, people will feel connected, remain engaged in the conversation, and remember the key takeaways.
4. Simplify Complex Information
How do we make a child spell a difficult word? You break it down and simplify it. Right? The same rule applies to presentations, too.
When you have to explain a complex concept through your presentation without sounding monotone and boring, break it down into separate sections. These sections of information give a perfect opportunity to add a ‘PAUSE.’
When you split/divide the complicated content into short sections and grace it with pauses, it becomes easy for the audience to understand.
5. Indicate Transition Between Points
A non-stop speech filled with words and a number of slides feels like a runaway train. Such presentations are very exhausting and confusing. All the time you put in to prepare for the presentation goes in vain because your audience doesn’t resonate with your words.
Not rushing your content (like a tape recorder) is one of the rules to deliver a mindblowing presentation. A pause is a perfect way to show a shift between points. It indicates the transition to a different point or aspect of the same heading so the audience can easily distinguish. A brief pause gives time to process information and develop a better understanding of it.
Go slow, maintain the pace, make eye contact, modulate your voice, and, most importantly, harness the power of pause in your presentation to leave a lasting impact.
6. Better Answering of Questions
Q&A sessions give you an amazing opportunity to pause. The whole process seems like, “Listen. Pause. Respond.” You listen to the question, understand it, and finally respond to it. Using a planned pause improves the quality of responses.
Suppose you ask, “What questions do you have about (Topic)?” Then, space your words (pause for a few seconds and look around for queries). A pause after asking the question enables the audience to understand the question.
When you place a pause before answering, it can capture the audience’s attention, create anticipation, and generate curiosity. It also gives you time to think/prepare the answer.
Now, you must be clear about how placing the pause and timing during questioning can have varying impacts.
7. Control Your Pace
Pauses play a very critical role in controlling the overall pace of your delivery. Using a pause that looks more natural can serve as a valuable tool for public speakers.
Humans have certain cognitive limitations, and our minds cannot absorb information if shared beyond a certain pace. Speaking too quickly can overwhelm the audience’s mind. A slow pace, on the other hand, can bore them and make it difficult for them to keep up with the content. Therefore, you need to change your pace as per the content and add pauses to emphasize your message.
A Point to Remember
A perfectly-planned pause can emphasize the critical points while pausing too long or too often can negatively affect communication. It can distract your audience so, don’t overdo it. Use micro-pauses, which last for one or two seconds, to encourage active listening.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes, silence is more powerful than words. It works like a highlighter pen, drawing attention to your presentation’s key takeaways. Whether giving a presentation in front of hundreds of people or sharing ideas with a small team, pausing can add drama and variety to any speech.
Learning how to harness the power of pause can enhance your communication skills and make presentations highly effective. So, master this aspect of public speaking!
