Using Pauses to Improve Your English Speaking

A profound American writer, Mark Twain, rightly said that the right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.

For example, in this sentence: Let’s eat, Grandma, and Let’s eat, Grandma, can you check out the difference between the two sentences by just a comma, which notifies you were to pause to convey the correct emotion?

As we all agree, the red light is an effective way to pause people when driving a vehicle at a fast speed. Similarly, your English-speaking skills also need a halt to convey your objective of communication with any individual. These are not vague empty pauses, but just like KitKat breaks, they indicate a specific thought that has to be expressed correctly. It can be any kind of thought, like a musical phrase that is part of a larger melody and provides rhythm, pace, and a piece of music. Pauses have the same effect on public speaking as rhythm does on music.

Fortunately, with the emergence of the latest technology, there are many resources, such as online spoken English classes and tutors, to help you understand the roleplay of these pauses in your eloquence.  Pause is a vital component for identifying areas where you have to emphasize and imply intonation in your conversations, speeches, and presentations.

In this blog, we'll examine the usage of well-paced pauses in English speaking skills.

The Importance of Pauses:

1. Pauses help the listeners

Each pause stimulates the response of the listener to think, and it captivates the thought process. However, you need to avoid rapid speech to help prevent misunderstandings and make your message more accessible.  Online English-speaking classes will give you a deeper understanding of the pauses in distinctive speeches. Moreover, your conversations with people around you will become more meaningful and memorable.

2. Building Connections with Audience

It’s crucial to form a bond with the audience and captivate them with your English-speaking skills. Pauses create a rhythm in speech, fostering a connection with your audience. It provides an opportunity for listeners to engage with your words and stay attentive.

3. Bring out the Key Points

We tend to communicate in bits of idea or significance rather than in extended phrases. Try breaking down a huge concept or statement into smaller ones like your tutor does for you. It's not about coming to a complete halt, but about keeping the listener's attention at each step of your conversation. The more complex the ideas, the more important it is to give them enough time to be understood. The forceful pause is frequently seen in politics; watch a Barack Obama address to understand what he means in his speeches.

Mistakes that you should avoid while speaking on stage:

Monotonous Speech:

Speaking in a continuous, monotonous flow can lead to information overload for the listener. The online English-speaking classes help you to switch to compelling ideas which can help you vary your pace and incorporate pauses to maintain engagement with the audience which spares time to listen to you.

Over Usage of Filler Words:

Replacing pauses with filler words like "uh" and "um" diminishes the impact of your speech. Practice replacing fillers with purposeful pauses for a more polished delivery.

How to practice pauses in real life:

Record your voice:

Record yourself speaking and assess where pauses could be incorporated for better flow and impact. Check where you tend to speak fast and insert appropriate pauses. Also, include a re-record option to see the variation in your speech.

Punctuation the Master key:

Practise your speeches with your English tutors and focus on the punctuation marks for fluent pauses. This technique tells us a sense of timing to where to pause perfectly.

Indulge in captivating dramas:

You can also participate in different genres of dramas and theatres where through dialogues you’ll learn the art of pauses aptly.

Conclusion:

Including pauses into public speaking enhances your clarity and comprehension. Also, it improves your tone of voice, helps you intonate with unwavering confidence, and caters to your language with better quality. Ralph Richardson who is a stage actor once stated that the most precious and powerful part of speech is pauses.

Like there is an old saying Practice makes a man perfect, so use these techniques every day. Soon you'll find a drastic transformation in your English speaking skills, it will become more engaging and impactful with magical pauses. These days structured online English-speaking classes provide great exposure to kids to boost confidence and cultivate effective public speaking skills.

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