That’s because only confident people tend to carry an energy of “un-hurriedness.”

They don’t hurry because they don’t feel rushed — because they have developed the confidence to take their time under pressure.

When we are put on the spot, our nervous energy tends to make us rush through our speaking.

So, when you pause, you give off the opposite impression – a sense of being calm, collected, and in control.

Learning to be comfortable with pauses is the fastest way to look (and feel) more confident. And it’s fundamental to how you perform under pressure.

Pausing is a gift to your listeners.

Pausing allows your audience an opportunity to relax, connect with you, and find meaning in what you’re saying.

Picture a snow globe. When you’re speaking, you’re shaking up the snow globe. The more you speak, the more chaotic the snowstorm.

But every time you stop speaking, the snowstorm calms. The snow settles and a clear landscape begins to emerge from behind.

That’s what happens when you pause. Yours words settle and a deeper meaning begins to emerge.

That’s why the longer you pause, the more important your words become.

Pausing is truly the most powerful tool in speaking.