5 Ways Silence Helps You Deliver Persuasive Presentations
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Want to communicate your ideas effectively to key stakeholders or engage your audience during an important presentation?
💡Tip: Silence could be the most underutilized tool in your leadership communication toolbox. Embrace the power of the 5-second pause.
The 5-second pause serves five purposes:
💡1) It lets your message land with impact.
💡2) It helps you read the room to tailor your message to your audience and context, especially when speaking to or working across cultures with global audiences or teams.
According to INSEAD Professor and Author of the Culture Map, Erin Meyer states that "the Japanese use silence to 'read the air' and understand the context of what is said."
💡3) It makes your audience feel seen, heard, and understood when you let go of the pressure to respond and choose to listen with intention.
💡4) It enhances your executive presence because it gives more power to your message. The less you speak, the more people want to listen.
💡5) It allows you time to think, breathe, and speak with composure, if you forget your lines or are asked to speak on the spot.
Here's a Pro tip:
PRO TIP
“Embrace the 5-second pause. In the silence lies your gravitas - your power to influence the room for good.”
- Precious Ile
The 5-second pause might be uncomfortable at first. However, you gain 10x the impact of speaking with intention. Leaders and executives who have participated in my Speak to Lead workshop say that the power of the pause is one of the impactful moments for them, 6 months after the workshop, and they still use it today.
So, embrace the awkward silence to nail your next presentation.
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