Yesterday I had the pleasure of coaching a young woman in a highly technical, male dominated field. She asked common questions about tools and techniques for presenting data dense materials to a room of decision makers. She had smart instincts and was self-aware of her own pitfalls. In this article, I will highlight our discussion about the Power of Pause, what I also refer to as the “underdog” of delivery that enhances our presence, helps us take up space and benefits both ourselves and our audience alike. For more delivery tips, check out this teaching demo where I overview the greatest hits on delivery skills for speaking with confidence and impact.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4GHAeB4Vtw
Question: How do I stop saying “like?!”
Answer: Pause instead
Reflection/Response: She always thought pause was a bad thing to do but commented that her senior leaders pause when they speak and they appear confident.
Take away: What feels unnatural and uncomfortable to us, doesn’t translate that way to the audience. Habits feel good to us, they feel natural, authentic even. New behaviors feel artificial, inauthentic, overly rehearsed, even forced. But not forever. Once the new behavior takes hold after dedicated practice, it begins to feel normal.
Insight: We discussed the Spotlight Effect which describes the phenomenon we have all experienced at one point or another. We think everyone is paying close attention to us, as if our internal thoughts, dialogue, worries, anxieties are on showcase for all to see. It’s the pimple on your face in high school or my untamed eyebrows, we think everyone is talking about. They’re not, cause they’re thinking about their lip that needs waxing.
How to pause: Add micropauses between thoughts, ideas and sentences. Your audience is hearing your content for the first and likely only time. They may only get one shot at tracking your content, digesting and reflecting on it so they can ask their questions and give feedback. Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) are native to their own content, and often they talk through it at a cadence / rate that is not digestible for their audience. Especially in technical presentations to mixed audiences with varying levels of knowledge or interest. Add adrenaline, too much coffee or high speaking anxiety on top, and the engineer speaking at breakneck speed exhausts the listener. If it becomes too much effort for the audience, we might check out and take a mental break or begin multitasking.
Add longer pauses for impact and let the main message land. After you ask, “What can I clarify about X, before we move onto Y?” pause for the length of your full name (first, middle, last) + nick name, as if you’re introducing yourself to someone for the first time.
Benefits: The value of a well-placed pause allows you a beat of self-care (hydrate, reference your notes, look up and around “Read the Room,” and formulate your next thought). Your audience benefits as well, they get time to absorb the material, take you in as a speaker, make notes, formulate their own questions or contributions to the discussion.
