Have you ever watched a world class athlete or performer, singer, actor, and thought, โWow, they make it look so easy?โ
Thereโs an obvious reason theyโre able to do this. Theyโve prepared and rehearsed over and over again. But thereโs one specific impact of the rehearsal that makes it look easy.
Itโs called muscle memory. Watch a golfer swing a golf club, a basketball player shoot a jump shot, or a baseball player swing a bat. Theyโve practiced so many times they donโt have to think about the movements. They just do it.
Theyโve done it so often itโs second nature to them.
How Can This Help You As A Presenter?ย
Thereโs one particular aspect of speech delivery that is critical if you want to leave an impact. Itโs your use of silence.
Itโs been said, โThe sale comes in the silence.โ
When you make a point, or you ask a question, itโs not what you say that impacts your listener.
Itโs that time after you make your point or ask a question. Thatโs when they consider the implications to their lives of what youโve said.
If we donโt give them that time, we donโt have impact.
For most people, this is the hardest part of speech delivery. They struggle to be comfortable in the silence.
How Can You Develop Muscle Memory For Silence?
I and my clients practice pauses that are longer than we use in real speaking situations. Hereโs an example:
In my presentations about storytelling, I make the point that after I learned how to effectively tell stories, I tripled the the number of prospective clients I attracted to my business.
I then ask the audience, โHow much would you benefit if you could triple the number of prospective clients you talk to every week?
I then pause for many seconds.
I donโt immediately jump right in.
What most people do is ask the question, pause to take a breath, and then rush through to their next point. Thatโs a huge mistake. Their listeners donโt have time to feel the implications of the question.
They need silence.
How Can You Get Comfortable In The Silence?
Iโm able to do this because I was taught to practice in a specific manner.
Some coaches suggest you should count off in your head:
One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand.
Others suggest counting heartbeats.
I donโt like either of those because they get you stuck in your head. Youโre thinking about what youโre going to say next and not on the reactions of your listeners.
The key is to stretch your silence longer than you will use when speaking to audiences. 7- to 10-seconds has worked best for me.
I know what you may be thinking: โ7- to 10-seconds! Are you out of your mind? I can never do that! Itโs an eternity.โ
Itโs a valid response. Itโs what I told the person who recommended I do it.
Why that long? Youโre never going to pause that long in front of people, are you?
The reason to practice longer than youโll actually use is that when you speak to a โliveโ audience, your adrenaline is pumping, your heart is beating faster and youโre likely to speak faster. In this state, silence feels longer to you than it is.
You may feel as if you’re being silent for several seconds when itโs only a split-second.
Long rehearsal times are meant to make you feel comfortable with silence. Being OK with standing in front of others, not saying a word, and seeing them look back at you.
With practice youโll develop a feel for audience reactions to your questions and statements. Youโll know when to move to the next part of your presentation.
The Ultimate Benefit To Silence
When you master this skill, your focus is totally on the audience. Youโll be able to read their eyes, their faces and their body language to know when theyโve been impacted by your message.
Thatโs the power of practicing and developing muscle memory.
Master this delivery skill and and watch your impact and influence grow with every presentation you give.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
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Michaelโs mission is to help leaders, managers and sales professionals communicate with more confidence, impact, and influence. This passion is born from his own communication difficulties early in his career.
Fortunately, he discovered that public speaking is like riding a bike, swimming or driving a car - itโs a learnable skill. Once he discovered this โsecretโ he became a voracious student of the craft. He took courses, studied some of the worldโs best speakers and storytellers and continues to study presentation and business storytelling skills.
He is hired by companies and organizations, leaders, managers and sales professionals, and TEDx speakers to help them become more confident, impactful and influential communicators.
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