In whatever way you may have experienced it, I’m willing to bet that you have also experienced just the opposite more often than you would like. Particularly in a business situation when the desire to move quickly is paramount for the speaker. In those moments, you’ve probably wished the speaker would pause to give you a chance to process what they have just shared. Yet, they speed through.

The power of pause invites your audience to experience what you already know. It gives them a stake in the action.

Here are the Benefits of Perfecting the Pause:

1. Allow your audience to think about what has just been shared before a new point is made.
2. Let the speaker gather their thoughts and think about their next point.
3. Gives the speaker the opportunity to catch their breath. Deep breathing calms the nerves and the fresh oxygen to the brain maintains the speaker’s focus.
4. Let the audience take that same deep breath and maintain their focus on the information they are processing.
5. Creates a connection between the audience and the speaker.
6. The speaker can read their audience to create that connection and build understanding of the material.
7. Allowing the audience and speaker to interact with each other regarding the material.