Page 167 - The New Articulate Executive_ Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader

158 DELIVERY

tional, and normal on the video replay. There is a large gap between
the perception and the reality, which we will call perception-of-time
gap, a faceless, elusive enemy that we have to tame into submission—
or it will rise up to threaten us every time.
I remember having a motorcycle accident some years ago. The
time I was actually in the air seemed like eight to ten seconds, yet the
real time could not have been more than a second. In a sense, public
speaking for some people is a little like a controlled motorcycle acci-
dent. The higher the anxiety, the more time seems to stretch.
In moments of crisis, time can appear to almost stand still. Actu-
ally, the mind is trying to give the body time to save its own life.
Some people call this altered state a heightened sense of “fl ight or

fight.” In extreme cases, there may even be enough time to see your
life pass before your eyes.
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Understanding that the perception-of-time gap lurks within
is essential in mastering the art of public speaking and
coming across as a leader.
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Don’t let discomfort with silence dictate your performance. Fight
back the need to race on. Cool it. Slow down. Learn to love those
weird and wonderful pauses. If you say something important, for
example, just stop. Count to three. Look at the people. You’ll be
surprised how well pauses actually work:
We have got to take action now. Pause.

Each of us is essential to the success of this company. Pause.

We will never surrender! Pause.
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Control time and you can control your audience.
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