Knowhere | Pause

I competed at national-level debating championships in high school and loved the sport so much that I spent time after school coaching it too. 

There are all sorts of oratory tricks-of-the-trade that you can learn to improve your confidence, clarity and perceived capability. 

Pauses, are one such trick that I am particularly enamored by.

So simple yet so effective. Employing the pause had an almost magical effect on every single student that I coached. I personally attributed some of my highest scoring speeches to my effective use of pauses. 

I found some old training notes that I had given my students back in 2016 and this is what I had to say about pauses.

I think pauses can be equally as powerful in life, as they are in speech-delivery. 

Taking a momentary step away from the chaotic humdrum of everyday existence to notice the world around you gives your self an opportunity to reset, recalibrate, and take the next step more intentionally.

Simply pausing to notice the rain and losing focus of the task at hand, reminds your brain that you are in control, not the seemingly overwhelming task in front of you. 

Life-pauses involve a shift in focus and a noticing of the mundane things around you. It can be stepping outside your office building to sit on a garden bench or moving to an unoccupied room in your house for a few minutes, or grabbing a coffee from a coffee shop. It’s just you and your present - a few uninterrupted moments where nothing external matters. The amount of time doesn’t matter, the mental detachment does.

Thanks for reading
Delano