Effective Speaking: Pace and Pausing Techniques

Mastering pace and pausing in speech delivery enhances message impact and audience engagement, vital for effective public speaking.

### Mastering Pace and Pausing in Public Speaking
* 🗣 Finding your natural speaking pace is crucial, but **consciously slowing down** can ensure your message is **clearly understood by the audience**.
* 🔄 Changing pace throughout your speech can help maintain audience attention and **emphasize key points**.
* 🤝 Nervousness can often lead to speaking too quickly, so **taking a deep breath and smiling confidently before starting** can help calm nerves.
* ⏸ Strategic pausing is a powerful tool used by great speakers to **emphasize points** and allow the audience **time to process information**.
* 📝 Pausing can also help eliminate filler words like "**umms**" and "**aahs**" while giving the speaker time to **gather their thoughts**.
* 💬 Combining pausing with confident body language, such as **nodding while looking at notes**, can create the impression of **control and deliberation**.
* 🌟 Experimenting with pace and pausing can elevate a speech from **good to excellent**, capturing the audience's **full attention** and ensuring every word is **absorbed**.

We're going to be going over pace and pausing, and how using these two speaking techniques can effectively amplify the impact of what we're going to be saying. Whoa, slow down, I didn't understand a word you just said. Oh, I'm sorry Alex. I was just demonstrating to our audience what happens when you go too fast during a speech, which is why in this video we're going to be talking about how we can make sure our message is very clearly understood. Hey everyone, my name is Alyssa. And my name is Alex. Welcome back to Speaking School Australasia's Speak to Inspire Series. So you definitely don't want to copy Alyssa's fast-paced example. Some people speak fast, some people speak slowly, and that's great - finding your own speaking speed is essential. However, if you are one of those people who speak naturally a little bit too fast, you do want to make sure you consciously slow down.

You can't let people miss out on the essence of 
your speech, now can you? Pace is not just about the natural speaking speed; it's also about switching 
and changing your speed in order to grab and keep your audience's attention, and also give greater 
impact onto your points. For example, speaking slowly is an incredible way to highlight crucial 
points in your speech. Speaking fast, on the other hand, is a great tool when plowing through large 
amounts of information or taking your audience on a journey by connecting a bunch of ideas.
It is especially useful if you finish slowly with a sentence that encapsulates the main idea of 
your journey or the main point of view you want to get across. So many times I've heard our students 
rush unknowingly through their speeches because they're so nervous. And honestly, this happens to 
everybody. The best way to get around these jitters is to take a deep breath before you start your speech 
and shoot a confident smile to your audience.

Now, let's look at pausing. If you watch speeches 
from great leaders throughout history, you will often notice that they use pausing as a way to 
emphasise, allowing the audience time to really think about what was just said. Pausing is also 
a very effective technique if you need to take a breath in your speech and replace unnecessary 
umms and aahs. I have often used pausing as a tool to make sure the audience thinks that I'm in 
control when really I'm taking my time to look at my notes or gather my thoughts. The trick here 
is to do it with confidence and conviction. I use the classic combination of pausing and nodding to 
myself while looking at my notes to make sure the audience thought it's what I wanted to do all 
along. At the end of the day, if you want to take your speech from good to excellent, try playing 
around with your pace, throw in a couple tactical

pauses and watch the audience lap up every 
single word. And if you enjoyed our video, press that like button and subscribe to our channel 
for more tips and tricks in public speaking. Bye!

Speak to Inspire - Pace and Pausing

Speaking Schools Australasia

The Impact of Pace and Pausing in Public Speaking

Using pace and pausing effectively can amplify the impact of a speech.

Finding the right speaking speed is essential, but consciously slowing down is important for those who naturally speak too fast.

Changing speed can help grab the audience's attention and emphasize crucial points in a speech.

Pausing in speeches is used by great leaders to emphasize points and give the audience time to process information.

It is also effective for replacing filler words and projecting confidence.

By combining pausing with nonverbal cues, a speaker can create the impression of being in control and thoughtful.

Overall, adjusting pace and using strategic pauses can elevate the quality of a speech from good to excellent.

The Importance of Audience Engagement in Public Speaking

Capturing the audience's attention is crucial for effective public speaking.

Engaging with the audience can be more impactful than the speech itself.

Building a connection with the audience can be achieved through various techniques, such as storytelling and interactive elements.