You do it when you talk to your friends, your family, your colleagues, and even the clerk in the grocery store; however, you may not be doing it in public speaking. What am I talking about? The pause. That moment in time when you stop speaking ever so briefly, categorize your thoughts, and take a quick supplemental breath.
The pause is something you should not time nor plan. The pause is something which should not occur every 4 - 5 words. (This is known as sing-song and is one of the best means of putting your audience to sleep.) And the pause is something the audience should not anticipate.
Recently, I held a voice and presentation skills workshop. In discussing public speaking, one of the participants said the words, "3 seconds." I knew right then and there that he was a member of Toastmasters because this organization has a delivery format which they urge their members to follow. Pauses should not be timed nor scripted. The pause is natural, normal, and invaluable when talking.
You may be under the mistaken impression that you are not allowed to pause when addressing an audience because of that old adage you learned as a child: do not take a breath until you come to some form of punctuation. That is not true. You can breathe almost anywhere in speaking.
[You were taught this lesson in the 2nd grade in order to read out loud smoothly. Wonderful. In the 2nd grade, there were only 6 words in your sentences! In the 12th grade, however, when you had 3 lines of sentence and no punctuation, you still believed you were not allowed to breathe.]
Because lack of air is something which is problematic when addressing an audience, the pause solves that dilemma. By supplementing your air supply before you run out of air - not when you are totally spent of oxygen - you will gain greater control over what is coming out of your mouth as well as your speed and your thought process. Pausing helps relax you.
The pause is also not just for you the speaker but also something necessary for your listeners. Whether you are in conversation or at the lectern, to be hit continually with non-stop verbiage is tiring for your listeners. They need the break just as you do.
