The Power Of Pausing
Written by: Laura Janzen / Communication / May 2020
Silence is an uncomfortable experience for many speakers in today’s fast paced world. We often feel pressure to fill these moments with meaningless words such as “um” and “uh” instead of recognizing the important and impactful role that silence can play in our daily interactions. So, how can you learn to slow down and harness the quiet power of pausing?
How to harness the power of pausing
When used correctly, short moments of silence can actually amplify the impact of your message both in one-on-one and public speaking situations. Whether you are presenting on stage to a large audience, practicing open communication with your partner or explaining previous work experience at a job interview, it is critical that your message can be easily processed and understood. Speaking at an accelerated rate not only makes your speech more difficult to comprehend, it also gives your audience the impression that you are nervous and lacking confidence. Listeners need these quiet moments in order to take in and extract meaning from the words you say. Strategically incorporating pauses of varying lengths into your speech can vastly improve the effectiveness of your communication and will also convey a sense of assertiveness and confidence to the listener.
Speakers can use pauses for a variety of purposes including:
To give themselves time to breath, relax and, in spontaneous speech, come up with their next statement without using distracting filler words
To highlight the significance of the statement preceding the pause
To gain the listener’s attention using a silence that communicates, “I’m about to say something important, listen up”
What is the ideal rate of speech?
Many of today’s most renowned public speakers have extremely slow speaking rates, especially when presenting to a crowd. Former US president, Barack Obama is a fantastic example of this style of delivery. When addressing New Hampshire after losing the primary to Hilary Clinton, Obama spoke at 110 words per minute during his “Yes we can” speech, using frequent pauses lasting up to 3 seconds. This is in stark contrast to the typical speed of conversations which is between 170 and 180 words per minute. Other famous speeches were delivered at an even more glacial pace, with Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech coming in at 90 words per minute. Even our current Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has exemplified the importance of slowing down when addressing the public during the COVID-19 crisis,
“Enough is enough [pause] go home [pause] and stay home” is a line that struck many Canadians as it was delivered with a deliberateness that communicated how critical this message was.
Although in anxiety provoking situations, such as public speaking or job interviews, it is tempting to rush and get your words out as quickly as possible, these impactful activists and politicians teach us that in fact, slowing down is the key to winning the race.
Pacing in spontaneous conversation - Keeping it casual
The typical speaker is not addressing millions of people, rather they are more interested in communicating with clarity and confidence in casual conversation. So what is the ideal rate of speech when interacting with someone face-to-face? Typically, 150 words per minute is a good target when communicating in spontaneous conversation. Going above 170 will lead to intelligibility issues and slowing down below 120 could make your audience impatient or uninterested. The importance of choosing the right speaking rate is even more critical in online interactions. For effective virtual conversations, allow enough space between ideas to maximize impact without waiting so long that your conversation partner unknowingly interrupts you. It is also important to vary the pace of your speaking to keep your listener interested and engaged.
Engaging listeners through emphasis and variety
Engaging and fluent speech is the result of two main factors: the content of your speech and the delivery of your message, or, more simply put, what you say and how you say it. To keep your listener interested, it is key to have variety in your communication style. A speaker can achieve vocal variety in the following ways:
Pitch or Inflection: Energize your speaking by varying your pitch to communicate enthusiasm. Choose key words and phrases to emphasize that will convey their importance and add interest. Additionally, be sure to use statement intonation (dropping your pitch at the end of the sentence) to convey confidence and authority.
Volume: By varying the loudness of your speech, you can draw the listener in and keep them engaged while delivering your message.
PAUSING and PACING: As has already been outlined in this article, pauses are a secret weapon underused by most speakers. To engage the listener, vary your pace and the length of your pauses to keep your speech interesting.
If you are a fast talker or find yourself constantly occupying silences with meaningless filler words that detract from your message, a Speech-Language Pathologist can help. Through habit reversal techniques, awareness training and other strategies, clients can gain the skills required to slow down, remove fillers and become more effective, engaging communicators.
To speak with one of the speech-language pathologists at Well Said: Toronto Speech Therapy, schedule an initial consultation by clicking the link below or calling (647) 795-5277.
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