The Power Pause
Napoleon
Bonaparte would
often wait forty to
fifty seconds to
begin a battle
address to his
troops.
Adolph Hitler would
fuss with his
moustache, mop his
forehead, and fidget
with his notes for
five minutes as he
faced thousands of
people waiting for
his speech.
Queen Elizabeth II, who
often needed to stand
on a step stool to be
seen over a podium,
would always pause
before beginning her
speeches to show she
was in control of the
crowd.
A pause in the right place at the right time
gives YOU:
Time to breathe
Time to consider what it is you’re going to
say next
Time to receive, and digest the feedback
you’re getting from your audience
A pause in the right place at the right time
gives YOUR AUDIENCE:
Time to breathe
Time to let the images or ideas you’ve
given them “flower” in their minds
Time to summarize what’s been said
Time to prepare for what may be coming
next
Stand, Stare, and Command your Audience:
Before you speak:
Lock your eyes on each of your would-be
listeners
Force yourself before you begin your
presentation to say in your own mind
each word of your opening sentence.
Every second you wait will strengthen the
impact of your opening words.
Let Punctuation Be Your Guide:
For a period in your speech, wait 2 seconds
before continuing.
For a comma, wait 1 second before continuing.
For a semi-colon, wait 1 second before
continuing.
For a colon, wait 2 seconds before continuing.
Between the end of one paragraph and the start
of the next, wait 3 seconds before
continuing.
Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” Speech
‘This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a
new meaning, “My country, ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every
mountainside, let freedom ring.” And if America is to be a great nation, this
must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New
Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let
freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let
freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring
from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring
from the Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout
Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill
of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.’