IMPROMPTU SPEAKING - I DARE YOU - Part 2 - Pause

In the last posting, I talked about the process of becoming successful at impromptu (off-the-cuff) speaking. This process is:

  Listen-Pause-Confirm-Tell-End

In this post I am going to talk about PAUSE.

In the general context of public speaking - "Pause" is an extremely effective method of keeping an audience's attention and focus on the speech. It is also very effective at keeping your nerves under control. When someone is suffering from a bit of nerves or stage fright, their diaphragm tends to tighten up, they tend to breath from the top of their lungs instead of from their diaphragm and they constantly run short of breath and tend to gallop along on their speech just to get it over and done with.

This is NOT good speech making - the masterly use of the pause slows things down and focusses attention on the speaker and the speech. When you first begin using pauses, it seems as if a two second pause is 15 minutes long but once you become adept at using pause a two to five second pause feels quite natural. It allows you to take a deep breath and let it out to relieve nervous tension and get ready for what is coming next.

I have found that a pause of five seconds works very well... as most people rush to fill in silences and when this doesn't happen, the audience becomes alert and focussed, wondering what is going to happen next.

A big No-No is to rush and fill any pauses with speech fillers... those sounds and words we make that are like a tap dripping loudly in a nearby sink. Sentences beginning with words (often drawn out so that 'and' becomes 'aaaaaand') such as:- and; so; now; but; and phrases such as 'and so'; (plus many others) and vocalisations or sounds we make such as um; ah; er; plus others such as a 'tsk' sound or a clicking sound made by your  tongue against teeth or a sucking sound made by lips and teeth.

Once mastered - the pause becomes a very useful tool in public speaking.

HOWEVER

This is the not the use of 'pause' I want to talk about briefly. This other form is an action when you are faced with a question or called upon to speak without any prior notice being given.

First you listen - really heed what the question is and then you PAUSE. This does a number of things - some of which are:

• Gives your brain a chance to refresh
• Adds drama 
• Gives time to think about the question 

 Never underestimate the importance of pausing to reflect, consider and formulate the answer. Silence truly can be golden - albeit for up to about 5 seconds. Never allow yourself to feel rushed into an answer. Impromptu may mean 'without preparation', but it doesn't mean 'without thought'.

Next post: Confirm

IMPROMPTU SPEAKING - I DARE YOU Part 1 - Listen

Impromptu speaking is what everyone of us does when someone asks us a question and we answer. It's impromptu in that it hasn't been studied for, researched nor pre-prepared.

This is impromptu speaking in it's simplest form. Then it becomes more complicated. Let's have a look at the workplace...

Your boss calls you into his office and asks you for an off-the-cuff report on a current project. Take a deep breath, think for a moment to marshall your thoughts, let the breath out slowly and.....  begin.

Your supervisor at work let's you know as you go into a meeting that she will be calling upon you to explain a project.  Doesn't give you much time to prepare... 

Here are a few tips for you on how to handle Impromptu Speaking:

• The basics

• Listen carefully to the question
• Pause a moment to think about what was asked
• Confirm that what you heard is what was asked by repeating the question back
• Tell the story (report, answer the question, give the report etc)
• End by summing up but don't add any new material into this summary.

This time we will cover the first part - Listen

Listening is a skill and comes with both responsibilities and advantages.

• The Responsibilities of Listening:

• Don’t just hear, be attentive
• Use what you listened to as part of your response:

-          Resist speaking until ready

-          Focus on what was said

-          Agree/disagree with question

• The Advantages of Listening

• According respect:
• Give respect by listening
• Gain respect in return
• Provides you with ready-made dialog:
• Use what you heard in replying
• Directly comment on question

Listening attentively is the first skill to be developed in developing a good strategy for dealing with impromptu speaking. It is a skill that few people are born with but one which can be developed consciously until it becomes second nature.

All too often we don't LISTEN because we are busy thinking about what we are going to say next. This often leads to our getting it wrong and jumping in with an ill-considered answer which is completely off base. We also often speak over the top of the other person, interrupting them. 

This is really quite disrespectful of the person who was talking and who asked the question and will certainly NOT gain you respect in return.

Next post will deal with the second of the basics - Pause