Claudia Raab's Blog

We all know these moments of uncomfortable silence. And yes, we don't like them. Some of us even feel the urge to break the silence, start a new topic to talk about or just comment on the silence and voila - it's gone. What a relief!

However, there are moments of comfortable silence, too. Yes, comfortable silence. Moments of silence that give you time to adjust to a new situation for example. Or moments of silence that allow time for you to contemplate or even just take a breath. We live in a fast-paced word, we need time to slow down, to catch up. In our daily routine as well as in a presentation we either give or listen to.

Pause! Take your time when presenting! Give your audience time! And give yourself time! Allow yourself to take a deep breath when presenting. It will not only calm down your nervousness. It will also give your audience a chance to think about what you've just said. The result: Your audience will remember your presentation much better after you've finished. Isn't that exactly what you want?

Don't rush! Remember: Great presenters plan for pauses. The faster you talk the more your audience will perceive you as nervous. Someone who appears nervous is perceived as unsure of himself and the topic he or she talks about. You want to be professional. Professionals are calm. They are confident and competent. Keep in mind: The speed of your presentation reflects your level of professionalism.

Pause during your presentation and you'll impress your audience even more. A pause might seem lasting like hours to you. Your audience will perceive it as just a fraction of a second, however, a very important one.

Pauses make all the difference! Make the most of them!