Last time we built your physical foundation with power stance and open gestures. Now let's master the rhythm of your voice.
Controlled pacing is your secret weapon for sounding confident and keeping people engaged. Fast speakers often sound nervous or overwhelmed.
Engagement Message
In one word, how do you feel when someone speaks too quickly?
Think of controlled pace as driving at a steady speed rather than racing. You want to speak slow enough for people to follow along.
Most nervous speakers rush through their words, making it hard for listeners to absorb the message. Controlled pace shows you're in command.
Engagement Message
When you're excited about something, do you tend to speed up or slow down?
Here's where strategic pauses become your superpower. A pause is intentional silence - not an awkward gap, but a purposeful beat.
Think of pauses like punctuation marks in your speech. They give structure and meaning to your words.
Engagement Message
What happens when you read a sentence without any punctuation marks?
Strategic pauses let your important ideas sink in. When you share something significant, pause for 2-3 seconds afterward.
This silence gives your listener time to process and shows them this point matters. It's like highlighting text in a book.
Engagement Message
Try saying "This is important" and pausing for 3 seconds - how does that feel?
Pauses also give you time to think. Instead of filling silence with "um" or "like," embrace the quiet moment to gather your thoughts.
Your listeners will respect this thoughtfulness. They'd rather wait for your next good idea than hear filler words.
Engagement Message
What filler words do you catch yourself using most often?
