Just shut up every now and then!

Okay, it sounds a bit harsh, but it's well-intentioned: when you're giving a presentation, keep your mouth shut every now and then.

Silences and pauses have a function, both for your audience and for yourself.

WHAT FUNCTION THEN?

For your audience:

 ✅ Pauses give your audience time to process what you just said. Just broadcasting, broadcasting, and broadcasting again leaves no room for a mental breather and exhausts your audience. 🧠💨

 ✅ Increase emotional impact. A silence after a powerful statement allows emotions to sink in better.

 ✅ Isolation creates impact. A word that falls between two silences gains meaning. Tip: pause before a word you want to emphasize and also pause briefly after that word.

For example:

 👉 "Our plan has... changed... forever."

 👉 “This... changes... everything.”

 👉 “We're waiting for... now... the right moment.”

For yourself:

 ✅ Time to organize your thoughts.

 ✅ A moment to give your vocal cords a rest.

 ✅ Regain attention – If you notice people drifting off, a break can bring them back to alertness.

But the funny thing is... being silent during a presentation often feels uncomfortable.

⏳ Seconds suddenly seem like minutes while the audience looks at you and says nothing. 👀

Would you like to turn it around now?

Think about:

🎤 A powerful TED Talk you've seen

🎭 Comedians or stand-up comedians

🎙️ Great speakers like Barack Obama

I bet you as a listener don't experience their pauses as endless at all. In fact, the pauses often reinforce the message. 💥

🔎 How to make silences less awkward?

 The simplest trick: take a sip of water.

Taking a sip of water is a natural action. Keep a glass of water nearby and just take a sip every now and then. No one will find it strange.

You can plan it strategically for the moments when you want to have a silence, but still find it exciting.

Just notice how others use silence and ask yourself:

🧐 "Do I find this weird?"

 ⏱️ If necessary, grab a stopwatch and time the length of those silences or count along. Then apply those lengths yourself when you practice. It may feel long to you, but it is just right for the listener. ✅

Silence has... a function. So you can even use it to radiate self-confidence. Because whoever dares to pause... comes across as powerful and self-confident.

And now you know how to use it without... feeling uncomfortable. 😉