5 Ways to Use The Pause for Better Pitching and Better Q&A
Photo by Erin Alder on UnSplash
I talk fast. Really fast. With a little training, auctioneering could be a legitimate fallback career for me.
Despite this, I am a big believer in the power of the PAUSE. Not just in a pitch, but in a conversation, negotiation and especially the Q&A.
Pausing can be uncomfortable. That’s why we don’t do it. But in our attention-starved world, you’ll find just taking a moment to say nothing can guide and change what’s happening in any room.
Here are some of the whens and hows to employ it to best advantage.
1 - PAUSE to let the hook set.
We want our openers and stories to connect on an emotional level.
Flying through everything at warp speed? There’s no room for the audience to access their memories, their feelings, their nostalgia.
And remember – their emotions and memories are what matter. Not ours! Despite what many want to believe, all decisions are somewhat emotional. Implanting facts in the brain is still not scientifically possible. Even if we could do it probably wouldn’t work.
HOW TO PAUSE IT:
Establish the scene. Take a beat of silence. Give them a moment to remember their own experiences. Or to feel the pain of your users. You can lead the witness with a few ideas starters to jog specific scenarios you want to conjure up. Drop the seed, half beat, next seed, continue.
2 - PAUSE to emphasize one of your key takeaways.
Everything has led up to this, one of the three most critical points of your entire pitch. Maybe even your entire business.
Yet it’s paced like everything else. You keep plowing forward to the next point, barely pausing to take a breath.
Why?
You’re afraid there’s not enough time to get through everything.
The room’s giving you nothing back. It feels uncomfortable.
This is obviously so huge. You know they’ll get it.
You don’t want to risk any pushback on it.
Uh, no. You want to give your big aha the proper breathing room to sink in. And yes, to allow a moment for them to ask questions. If you fear questions, you are not ready to be in the room.
HOW TO PAUSE IT:
Be sure any slide or visual clearly reflects what you’ve just said. If you are dropping big truth, the slide should not be about something else. Pause a beat or two, making eye contact with the key members of the room before moving on.
3 - PAUSE for dramatic (or comedic) effect
You nailed it. The comment killed, the punchline landed, the powerful visual or video has the room all in.
HOW TO PAUSE IT:
Bask in the nanoglory of this moment. Do not immediately rush in to fill the gap. Let the laughs crescendo (not silence) before you move on. This pause can be a shorter half-beat. Acknowledge the emotion shared with a nod, a smile, some sort of energy exchange with the room. Then move on.
4 - PAUSE when you lose the room or your place
If a side conversation won’t stop, if half the people are on their phones, if you’ve asked a room to engage in some activity and they won’t stop. You stop.
If you happen to lose your train of thought, don’t fumble. Stop talking. Reset. No one will notice the silence. They will be derailed by apologies, asides or you narrating how awkward and confused it all feels.
Silence in these circumstances is a power move that re-establishes the flow far better than talking through it or over people.
HOW TO PAUSE IT:
Stop talking, keep your facial expression in a pleasant neutral and establish eye contact with the most powerful or disruptive person in the room. If you are flustered, look at the most encouraging person in the room. Start where you were, without acknowledging the blip.
5 - PAUSE before answering. Always.
One of the first presentation trainings I attended dropped this golden nugget: NEVER respond to any question right away. Even if you know the answer. Even if you can’t wait to respond.
If you always pause before any response, you appear:
thoughtful
confident
in control.
And when you’re anything but those things, secretly freaking out because you have no clue what to say, you have established yourself as a pauser. There’s no tell. You collect your thoughts and stay composed.
HOW TO PAUSE IT:
So obvious but not easy. Admittedly, I don’t always follow this. I also don’t do push-ups every day. But in both cases, I should.
Looking for more actionable ways to stay in control? Sign up for our newsletter or get in touch for a consultation.