The Art of Silence and Mastering Pauses in Speech
- Brainz Magazine
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Written by Ellie Smith, Yoga Instructor
Ellie Smith is an experienced yoga and breathwork teacher with a background in academia, teaching communication and cultural studies. She is the founder of Ellie Smith Yoga Ltd, a platform for new and returning professionals to learn how to apply practices from yoga to improve their public speaking presence.
Bored didn’t cover it. As I strained to suppress a yawn, something flitted by the window, catching my attention as it chattered and chirped happily in the watery yellows of the mid-Autumn sunset. I tried to subtly stretch my legs under the table, willing the minute hand of the clock to keep moving. “This will be over in ten minutes”, I thought. “Just ten more minutes”.
The group of eager, intelligent 20-somethings stood at the front of the classroom, speaking at great length about their ideas for Society 6.0. They were the last presentation I had to judge that day. Sixteen groups had stood before me, and each one had crammed as much information as humanly possible into their allotted 15 minutes.
They had all evidently worked extremely hard. Their slides were impeccable. Their delivery was well-rehearsed and hit all the targets I’d given them:
Eye contact and two-way interaction with the audience
Clarity of thought, simplicity of language
Appropriate variation in vocal tone
Body language that conveyed confidence.
But as the day wore on, and the coffee wore off, I realised I’d made a grave error. I’d omitted to teach them one crucial component of any successful presentation.
Silence.
My brain was starting to lose its already shaky grip on concentration. With too many words delivered in too short a time, my capacity to absorb any more information was reaching a dangerous threshold. The next yawn was threatening to spill out into the classroom, tainting that primrose-coloured sunset with the battle-ship grey shadow of guilty boredom. And it was all my fault.
Key takeaways
Mastering the art of pausing is crucial for enhancing public speaking.
Different types of pauses, short, medium, and long, serve distinct purposes in speech.
Strategic use of pauses can dramatically improve communication effectiveness.
The silent power within public speaking
A well-timed pause, it turns out, wields enough influence to transform a jam-packed speech into an engaging narrative. Leveraging the power of the pause not only gives your words weight but also gives your audience time to digest key points.
Types and timing of pauses
There are various pauses, short, medium, and long, each serving a unique purpose. Short pauses provide you, the speaker, a brief moment to gather your thoughts, while longer pauses emphasize essential points or create a dramatic effect.
Pauses are not just a break in speaking, but also a strategic tool. For instance:
A short pause after a rhetorical question gives the audience a moment to consider their response, creating an unspoken bond. Often following punctuation marks like commas, these short pauses create a brief break, allowing listeners to catch up. Although fleeting, these moments can significantly enhance understanding.
Medium pauses could signal the transition between topics, offering clarity. Strategically placed after key points, medium pauses offer the audience time to reflect. They serve as a verbal underline, signaling the importance of preceding sentences.
Finally, longer pauses convey depth, allowing the audience to reflect deeply on the spoken words. The most dramatic of all, long pauses are like full stops in speech. They can underscore a pivotal moment, create suspense, or signal a transition to a new segment.
Yet, finding the right balance between speaking and pausing can be challenging even for the most articulate speakers. Correctly timed, each pause type can elevate a presentation from mundane to memorable, making those silent moments just as compelling as spoken words.
Practical exercises for mastering pauses
Silence seems daunting at first. Yet, with focused exercises, you can learn to use pauses effectively. Let's dive into some practical methods to keep your audience's stifled yawns at bay.
Take some deep breaths: Before you speak, take a few deep breaths. This not only calms your nerves but also prepares you for a well-timed pause. Use this moment to gather your thoughts and choose your following words carefully.
Practice silent pauses: During rehearsals, consciously insert silent pauses at various points in your speech. Experiment with short, medium, and lengthy pauses to understand their impact on your delivery. This exercise will help you grasp the power of the pause and how it can add dramatic effect or clarity. For best results, record yourself speaking. Watch the video back to see how you sound. Then watch it on silent to see how you look during the pauses. Adjust accordingly.
Use punctuation as your guide: While reviewing your speech script, note the punctuation marks. A comma signals a brief pause; a full stop, a longer one. Question marks and exclamation points offer perfect moments for dramatic pauses. Practicing with these markers can help you improve your natural speech rhythm and emphasize important points.
Now here’s an unexpected twist.
All the tips above work just before or during your speech, which is excellent. But most of us are after something a little more long-term, something a little more sustainable than the tools we reach for when we’re already worried.
Enter yoga. Specifically meditation.
Before you roll your eyes and scroll away, hear me out.
You have a much better chance of getting comfortable with external silence when you’ve got intimately familiar with internal silence. Something many of us struggle with. In fact, in the world of yoga, silence is integral to the practice, which is all about introspection and developing a deeper connection with your inner and outer worlds.
A simple, consistent meditation practice can work wonders on clearing out the mental clutter. Here’s how to do it almost anywhere:
Sit in a comfortable position with your back supported.
Close your eyes if that feels safe for you.
Take a deep breath in through your nose, and relax your shoulders and legs as you exhale.
Take a slow, controlled breath in. Ask yourself, “Where am I feeling the breath? How do I feel?”
Exhale slowly, with control, and ask the same questions.
Rinse and repeat for 3 to 5 minutes.
Every time you notice your mind gets distracted, bring it back to the breath.
And that’s it. Over time, your mind will settle, and the noise will abate. And one day, seemingly out of nowhere, you’ll feel far more at ease with silence.
Harnessing silence for your next presentation
As the sun peacefully set on that last rushed presentation and the minute-hand stealthily measured the tenth minute, I quietly promised to devote a whole lesson to the power of silence.
The following week, 58 somewhat bemused students started class with ten minutes of yoga-inspired breathing techniques and five minutes of meditation, instead of the usual animated discussion. The week after that, we did the same. Each week, we started with a few moments of silence. And each week, as the sunsets slid into pearly winter hues, and our chirruping friend took flight for warmer lands, the silence and stillness got easier.
Five weeks later, the same groups presented again on a different topic. This time, instead of reciting encyclopedic levels of knowledge at breakneck speed, they strategically, yet naturally, embedded silence, moments of pause, in their presentations. Their message landed, and not a single stifled yawn was in sight.
If you'd like to know more about how yoga can impact your life on and off the mat, then perhaps you feel inspired to tiptoe quietly over to my weekly newsletter, Simply Yoga, where practitioners, brand new and seasoned, are welcome. You'll even get a handy free Home Yoga Prep guide on your way there.
Read more from Ellie Smith
Ellie Smith, Yoga Instructor
Ellie Smith is a yoga and breathwork teacher based in rural Japan. Her background is in tertiary education with a focus on communication and cultural studies. She now blends these two professions in her business, teaching clients how to get started with yoga, how to stick with it, and how to apply its principles and techniques off the mat to reduce public speaking anxiety and improve their public speaking presence.
