Presentation Skills: The Power of the Pause

The pause is a powerful, though underutilized presentation tool.

There are several reasons why pauses are effective in presentations. First, pauses give your audience a chance to think about and absorb what you just said. Pausing also gives you a chance to breathe properly.

Pauses can also help you eliminate “ums” and “ahs” that tend to creep into your presentation when you are not sure what’s coming next. If you replace your “ums” and “ahs” with a pause while you think of what to say next, you will sound more confident and the audience won’t be distracted.

Additionally, pauses convey confidence – powerful people pause. They have so engaged the audience that people are waiting eagerly for their next words.

How long should you pause? Enough that you can catch your breath and the audience can absorb what you’ve just said, but not so long that they will think you’ve forgotten what to say next. Keep in mind that it will feel longer to you than it does to the audience – record yourself so you hear long it sounds.

And if you smile confidently when pausing for a few seconds, the audience will see that it’s just a pause and that you didn’t lose your place. If you do it well, they won’t even be conscious that you’re pausing and it will just be a natural part of your presentation.

The next time that you have to give a presentation, try pausing rather than rushing from one sentence to the next – you’ll become a more powerful and effective presenter.

The Gift, Is The Present

Just after publishing my first ebook, Dream Your Life Positively which dealt basically with the universal laws of attraction, a good friend asked me: Does it means that all disasters, diseases, or personal loss are a reflection of my thoughts?

The world we live in is our responsibility I said. We act and interact with the other inhabitants of this planet. By direct or indirect connection, these negative energy waves cross your path. It is not the ACT itself of this negative energy the important factor. You are not to be blamed for all the horrors happening in your life or around the world but your ACTION and reaction towards them is very much a direct cause of how these energies will decrease or increase. Your ability to accept the challenges thrown in your path and take responsibility for your actions will define and create the map of your life’s journey.

Deciding to approach your daily life in a positive way will attract things and people who are positive towards you. It is that simple. If you look at life as a blessing, the universe has an inexhaustible supply of riches reserved for you. On the other hand if you see it as a curse, it will become a curse. Read again Dream Your Life Positively to reconnect with this force inside you. A dear friend once sent me this story which I want to share with all of you. It is a simple letter that made the rounds of the web, and nobody knows its origin, but it exemplifies in a poignant way my view on the Law of Attraction.

I hope it will touch you as deeply it touched me. Do a positive action right now and send this link to all of your friends. “The Present” Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service , where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.

Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene. One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.

Although the other man could not hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days, weeks and months passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window.

The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”

Epilogue: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy. “Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present .”

How to Get an Audience to Be Wowed With Your Presentation

When speaking in front of an audience getting them to be remember you, your message, and your presentation is critical to making sales happen at the time of your event and after you have left the venue.

Each presentation needs to WOW an audience as it will generate additional speaking events for you should you desire and sales for your product or service.

Let’s cover a few ways to make sure your next presentation is one that the audience is talking about long after you have left the building.

· When you have passion for the subject you are speaking on your audience will feel the passion and excitement. Regardless of your product, service, or topic enthusiasm of it will spread through your audience and have them talking about your topic.

· Use the name of audience members when addressing their questions. Many speakers lecture audiences and while this works audiences remember these as “lectures” and don’t come away with a WOW feeling. Ask audience members their name before you answer their question and repeat their name back to them. This will directly involve them in your topic.

· Don’t stay fixated to a podium. Being behind a podium or table can separate you from your audience and won’t have them directly involved in your talk. Feel free to move about the stage or even move through the audience to connect with them.

Audiences want to be wowed by presentations. They are looking for how they can be get the most out of each presentation that they attend. The above methods can be easily added to any presentation. These skills will put you on the way to wowing your audiences and have them talking about it for days, weeks, and even months to come.

When you would like to discover how to maximize each presentation for your business, product, or service I would invite you to visit www.ToddBatesSystems.com.