Page 166 - The New Articulate Executive_ Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader

THE POWER OF SILENCE 157

here, a problem big enough in some cases to affect our work, our
sense of self-worth, and sometimes even our careers.
But silence and pauses—the biggest perceived demons in public
speaking—need never be our enemies. In fact, they can be our very
good friends. Actors understand the value of silence better than the
rest of us; they know that pauses can make the difference between
a mediocre performance and a great one. What separates the players
from the amateurs, so to speak, is what I call the perception-of-time
gap. More on that shortly.
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The strongest start of all is silence.
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First, going back to strong starts, the best way to begin strongly
is to begin with nothing. That is, look around the room at your
audience, look into their eyes, let the seconds tick by until they are
convinced you are going to tip over and have a stroke. Stand in utter

silence for four, five, or six seconds, and your silence will fi ll the
room and focus the attention of all the people on you. Where others
might begin to prattle nervously, you just stand and say nothing.
The sense of anticipation builds through a seeming eternity of pass-
ing seconds until at last you say something. And what you say, as you
saw in the POWER formula, will further grab their attention. You
will begin strongly. You will deliver something of value to them
right off the bat.
So silence should occur even before you speak. All the above
should happen within our guideline eight seconds.

THE PERCEPTION-OF-TIME GAP

When I videotape clients speaking, often they cannot believe that
the pauses that felt like ages actually appear comfortable, conversa-