The Pause Effect!

I love speaking as much as I love listening to speeches and learning from other speakers. This interest of mine has triggered a never ending thirst for seeking new knowledge. As a direct result of the habit, I end up buying a lot of books (it’s a different story – I don’t get to complete most of them). The recent one that I laid my hands on “Speak like Churchill, Stand like Lincoln” seems to be the black book for mastering Public Speaking.

It's the title that enticed me to buy this book from flipkart.com – at an impressive 21% discount. After reading the initial introductions, forewords, afterwards, etc… the first chapter began! Hold your breath; it speaks about the importance and relevance of PAUSES. Drawing inspirations from Napoleon, Hitler, Churchill and many more – the chapter shares the relevance of the pause before beginning a speech! This ensures that the audience is all ears and you get to relax! It also has a mention of a great leader who had to pause for one full minute before he began his speech in front of a hostile audience. That is a very long pause.

I agree that it is important for a speaker to have pauses in his/her speech at the right moment. I have seen and heard great speakers who lose the punch for the lack of a pause. The pause creates a dynamic effect, if brought in at the right time, in the right manner!

Tip you can use!

At a Toastmasters meeting last week– A speaker had a content that was humorous – however the speaker did not pause, he jumped on to the next section! During my evaluations I said “Pauses are like Roses for a speaker” (feel free to use this and acknowledge me). The speaker also agreed that bringing in pause at the right time would have enhanced the effect of the situation. Not every situation demands a pause – understand the situation and then deliver. On the contrary, some people take the pause to the next level as their speeches are filled with nothing by pauses! Case in point - a veteran politician, a treasure trove of wisdom and with a poetic nature - mocked for his long pauses and short statements. As a speaker it is important for us to know the right moment to create the impact.

I have learned the importance of the pause – thanks to my mentor, Arvind who always insisted on using it to create the right effect. Having a mentor helps –critique at the right moment prevents failures. Through practice, practice and more practice, I now get my pauses right most of the times!

I use a simple technique to get the right effect – I write “<<pause here>> “at the specific part of my speech. This comes in handy when I am referring to notes during practices or simply glancing through when I have time. My mind reads the pauses and subconsciously during the actual delivery I pause!



At the right moment!



Taking one step further I key in <<small pause>> <<long pause>> as relevant to enhance the effect. After I started using this technique – I do not worry about pauses anymore. Writing it down where it counts, helps me focus on other aspects of the speech delivery – like voice modulation, body language etc… This technique doesn’t work for impromptu speaking J - we need to create a mental note when speaking impromptu!

  

When mentees seek reviews, to enhance their speech deliveries – I recommend a dose of “The Pause Effect”.