Pauses are crucial and such a powerful tool for presenters. In comedy we call this beat. And as you know, timing is everything when it comes to delivering an awesome joke.

Often when we’re presenting we don’t pause enough because we’re focused on getting through our talk… or we’ve gone off on a tangent. But pauses are important. They add emotion…. and drama… and emphasis to our message. Plus pauses help you pace yourself, they give you control over your content and can help anchor you to ensure you don’t catapult into ramble mode.

Importantly, pausing gives your audience a chance to digest what you’re saying. If you’re speaking fast with no breaks, it’s a lot for an audience to take on.

Side bar: when you’re presenting, a pause will feel much longer to you, as the speaker, than it does to your audience. But don’t worry about that – because really, you’re just giving your audience… (phew)… time to breathe.

Today’s action step is: Insert pauses. They’re powerful.