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Back to this week's issue ...
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Ever panicked when faced with that awkward silence between two words or two sentences when communicating?
Ever gotten scared of taking pauses when presenting or giving updates in a meeting?
Does it feel like eternity whenever pause even for 2 second?
Well, lemme tell you this ...
You are not alone!
But what if I told you, it's not as bad as we might think it is?
Yeah, there are a dozen good reasons why you should embrace that awkward silence—I mean pausing—when presenting or giving updates in a meeting.
Today, I'm gonna give you top 5 reasons why taking pauses can be a game-changer to leveling up your public speaking skills.
Are you ready?
Ok, let's go!
1 - Pausing for Emphasis
The most powerful usage of taking a pause is to emphasize the key sentences and key phrases in your talk.
For instance ...
Imagine you are delivering a talk to share the big secret behind building a profitable online business.
Right before you are about to share that secret ...
Take a pause.
Let them wait.
Let them pay all of their attention to what is going to come next.
Once you've got everyone's attention, slow down your pace and then tell them the secret(s).
Once you've shared the secret, take another pause for them to process it.
If needed, repeat the key sentence one more time.
Similarly, pauses can also be used to emphasize the key phrases in a sentence.
2 - Pausing to Calm Your Nerves
When we are about to start our talk or presentation, our nervousness spikes to the max level.
But don't panic ...
This happens to every human on planet earth, even to seasoned public speakers.
Some admit to this, some don't, and those who don't are liars.
What I have learned from my experience as a public speaker is that pausing for a few seconds in the beginning goes a long way to calming those nerves.
So, here is what you may want to do:
Don't jump right into your talk after stepping up on stage.
Instead ...
Take your time.
Pause.
Breathe.
And then open your talk.
This is what helps me 👇:
I ground myself on stage in a neutral position—where I would spend most of my time during my talk.
Then, I pause for a few seconds and look at my audience with a smiling face from left to right (or from right to left).
And then I take a few deep breaths.
These 3 simple steps help me lower the initial spike of nervousness and set me up for a great public speaking experience.
Try it out.
3 - Pausing to Remove Fillers
Do you feel the urge to fill the gap between two words or two sentences with ...
UH's
UMM's
SO's
ANDDD's
YOU KNOW's?
If yes, you are not alone.
Naturally, we don't make friends with that awkward silence.
We feel this intense urge to fill every single gap with a meaningless filler word.
But let me tell you this:
If you want to remove those fillers ...
Take a pause.
Make friends with that awkward silence and replace every single filler with a pause.
There's no other way to get rid of those fillers ... at least to my knowledge.
4 - Pausing for Them to Digest Your Content
Oftentimes we don't realize this, but we speak way faster than we think.
I am guilty of this too.
But it comes with a cost.
Our audience does not get enough time to digest.
They might feel like they have been bombarded with a ton of information, facts, and figures in a very short time.
How do you think we can resolve this?
By taking a pause after every thought group.
Whenever you make a point, give your audience enough time to digest it before you move on to the next point in your presentation
... also before switching to the next slide in your presentation.
It not only helps them, but it also helps you to organize your thoughts before your next sentence.
It's a WIN-WIN.
5 - Pausing Before Answering to Their Questions
I should make this my default mode before answering a question.
And you should too.
Whenever asked a question during or after a presentation ...
Take your time to fully understand the question.
Pause for a second.
Organize your thoughts and then answer.
Don't feel this urgency to answer them instantly.
Allow yourself some time to think and answer coherently.
If you don't have the exact answer, tell them gracefully that you'll do your research and get back to them.
Ask them to follow up with you on that question via email or socials.
Reader, can you do me a favor? ​
​If you found this newsletter helpful, would you send its subscription link to at least one person (friend, family, or colleague) in your circle who can also benefit from it?
BRINGING IT HOME
TL; DR
5 good reasons why you must embrace "awkward silence" in your public speaking:
- Pausing for emphasis
- Pausing to calm your nerves
- Pausing to remove fillers
- Pausing for them to digest your content
- Pausing before answering to their questions
Got questions? Ask by replying to this email.
ONE MORE WAY I CAN HELP YOU
FREE Guide - Want to speak confidently without feeling overwhelmed by nerves? Grab this free step-by-step guide which has the essence of my hard-earned lessons and insights. Click here to download and uncover surprise bonuses too.
​
Best,
Waqas - Founder & Speaking Anxiety Coach
​Website Link​
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