If you have ever critically examined a politician speak you have noticed how slowly and deliberately they work. In his bid for candidacy in 2008, Barack Obama used some of the most eloquent speech patterns of anyone in recent times. He spoke very slowly and used pauses often to show his dominance. He wasn’t afraid to pause and leave his audience wanting which made his presence much more powerful and placed much more emphasis on the fewer words he used. People that are awkward will speak much more quickly and rush their thoughts. Very few speakers can think as fast as their mouth can run. Inevitably speed talkers end up chucking a foot in their mouth on their way to the finish line. Use words more sparingly and choose your words more carefully. When listening, note the speed with which people speak to effectively measure their perceived or real level of dominance.
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The Power Of The Pause
by Chris Site Author • March 5, 2013 • 0 Comments
Using fillers such as “umms” and “ahhhs” or “You know what I’m talking about.” weaken speech. The simple solution is to inject more pauses. Instead of filling your language with junk, punctuating the point with a pause can be so much more effective. The mind can only work so fast and a tongue stuck in overdrive can lead to disaster. Our perception of time also changes while under pressure. As our heart races, four to fives seconds can feel like an eternity! For some, even speaking to a small group of three or four can seem like a large audience, applying even more pressure. However, pauses in speech can increase our credibility significantly as people are given more time to process the information we have given them.
The best speakers know that they won’t be cut off and this lack of fear (if this is the reason for the filler sounds) is notably absent. Filling the silence with words indicates to others that you are tentative, unsure and less dominant and in control. The only function filler words serve, is to dilute the words we do say, and make the entire collection of words less powerful. Don’t be afraid to leave an audience with silence as you collect your thoughts. Be sure to take time to breath, and therefore think, and use dialogue in short bursts followed by pauses and reflection. Alpha men and women are never afraid of silence, it is their ally and speaking at a half rate is not a terrible strategy either. It gives them twice as much time to think and also builds a huge amount of credibility.
Listening to someone who uses good speech rate, tone, and pitch, on the other hand, can be inspiring. Politicians are especially adept at the pause. Senator Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic race used pause more effectively than any other U.S. presidential candidate in recent time. His speech so much resembled a priest addressing his congregation, that it was startling and even frightening. He paused frequently to allow the crowd to cheer or stir beckoning for more.