Public
Speaking Techniques: How To Use
Pausing For Maximum Effect
Learning
how to pause
is a public speaking technique that
will set you apart as a professional
speaker.
Inexperienced
speakers often allow their anxiety
to get the better of them, resulting
in a hurried presentation in which
all the main points seem to roll
into one.
Use
these public speaking techniques
below and unleash the amazing
power of effective pausing:
Pause
For Impact
When
you want a word or phrase to really
stand out use pausing skillfully.
For
maximum effect, pause before
you say the key word/phrase, and
pause after
you have said it.
Increasing
your volume
at the same time will make it very
clear to the audience that this
word/phrase is important.
They
are far more likely to remember
it as a result
Pause
When Changing Direction
When
going from one main point to another
in your presentation, be sure to
pause. Just continuing in the same
pace fails to let the audience know
you are now starting a new
angle, or a new main point.
Just
as a car driver will slow down to
take a turn, the speaker needs to
indicate by a fairly long pause
that a new aspect of the subject
is about to be developed. Otherwise
the audience can feel similar to
a passenger in a car that is careering
around corners leaving them breathless
and tense.
A
long pause, perhaps 3-5
seconds
in length, indicates you the speaker
are in control and reflects well
on your stage presence.
Sharp
Transitions
On
the other hand, you can keep an
audience interested by making sharp
transitions at times. Of
course, you still use skillful pausing
but:
will
break
the regular pattern
and keep the audience excited and
full of anticipation about what
comes next.
Using
Stress
Another
highly effective public speaking
technique is to add more power to
pausing by using stress.
In addition to pausing before and
after the key word or phrase, stress
the thought by using slow, deliberate
expression along with a gesture
or more intense facial expression.
This
can also indicate how you as a speaker
feel about the subject adding even
more force to the key words or phrases.
Finally,
a note about humor:
Don't
try to force humor. The
best humor is natural.
Be yourself. Don't feel your presentation
failed if you did not get laughs.
If
you want to introduce some humor
into your presentation play
it safe. Stay away from
anything that draws negative attention
to race, sex, ethnicity, political
or religious affiliations.
Tell
amusing
anecdotes
about yourself or your family, or
go online and get some one liners
or funny stories from the professionals.
(Just search for 'one liners', 'funny
stories' or 'humorous quotes' in
your favorite search engine.)
These
public speaking techniques take
practice of course. Once you have
paced yourself,
and learned how to control your
anxiety, you can concentrate on
such effective public speaking techniques
used by the professionals. Your
audience is far more likely to remember
your presentation when you use pausing
and stress skillfully.
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Next:
Effective
Public Speaking: How To Create A
Great Plan
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