Silence says so much

Debbie Fay has a thought provoking post about silence being a speaker’s most valuable tool.  While I don’t agree that it is the most valuable tool, I do believe that it is incredible effective.

In fact, when you stop speaking for 5 seconds an amazing thing happens; you get the audience’s FULL attention. They look up because there’s a LACK of sound coming from you. Honest to Pete.

I have found that silence allows you to capture your thoughts and the audience assumes that the silence is for dramatic effect.  In other words, don’t worry about why you are silent!

And yes, it does seem like an eternity.  Just ask a contest Toastmaster how long the minute of silence seems to be.  When we are silent we are forced to be in the moment instead of thinking about what is coming next.  Allow yourself the luxury to take everything in and relax.  You will become a much better speaker because of it.