The power of Pause

In the "Speak like Churchill, stand like Lincoln" James Humes, in 21 short but powerful chapters, gives us 21 power tips for public speaking.

While his examples, great ones, are more from political speeches, there are valid for every speech in public.

The first is the Power of Pause.

One would not think, when we begin, how important the Pause is, and how many kind of pause we can make, and its great impact. With a pause, we somehow "hold the audience in our hands", they pause with us, look at us, wait for us.

And with a lot more patience then we think.

A pause, after an important statement, lets it sink in better. A pause, before something important gives it more impact. Short pause, long pause, we can even pause when we do not find any more what to say, to recover, and no one would notice that it was not a pause for effect!

The second speech in Toastmasters Manual is about Organizing our speech with beginning, transitions and end.

Humes' book second chapter is about Power Opener, its 20 Power Closer. There is also the Power Gesture and the Power Point, and so on.

The Power Opener, I did apply, it works as well or together with the power pause, but, then one has to follow it, so often, even a power gesture brings the audience to me.

But my favorite chapter, other then the Power Pause, which I apply now every time, is the Power line. He gives great exemples and it is true, that some lines stick in our mind, we associate them always with the one who told it and his speech.

This is wonderful, but has also a downside. All the rest of the speech fades, and sometimes there are wonderful parts and a great point, which is not all in the power line. So as much as the power line give the audience something strong to remember, it also subtracts something from all the rest of the speech, at least in my opinion.

If it were only two books to buy or to read, to study, this book, easy to read and to understand would be the second one.

21 power tips, to try out, one by one!

Because, of course, speaking in public cannot be learned without practicing it!