Practice Pausing (So You Sound More Confident Presenting)

What top speakers know: Pauses aren’t “dead air.” They’re a tool. Professionals calls them “power pauses” because they slow your pace, give the audience time to absorb, and make key points hit harder.

A better approach: pause on purpose. 

Here are the most useful pause moves professionals use:

• Pause before your key line: Build a beat of anticipation, then deliver the point.
• Pause after a key point: Say the sentence you want remembered… then stop. The silence is where it sinks in. 
• Use pauses to control speed (and nerves): If you tend to speak fast, pausing is the simplest brake. It also gives you a breath and resets your brain.
• Pause after a question: Ask it, then give people space to think. It instantly increases engagement (and stops you from answering your own question too quickly).
• Start with a pause: Many coaches recommend beginning with one calm beat before you speak. It signals presence and helps you take control of the room from the first second. 

If you want to go deeper with your team, we recommend the full toolkit, which includes a workshop on Soft Skills. You can purchase one for $249 here.