(Go straight to the exercise.)

Why Would You Want to Pause Mid-Idea??

In a recent post, I showed you how to pause BETWEEN ideas.*

One advantage of pausing between ideas is that people can finish taking in what you just said BEFORE they hear your next point.

But the advantages of pausing don’t stop there. You also get great benefits from pausing MID-IDEA (in the middle of a thought). These benefits include:

• Letting you breathe more naturally (your body may not want to wait until the end of a thought before getting more air);
• Letting you catch up to your thoughts (if they tend to run ahead of your words); and
• Helping you build anticipation (because your audience has to …WAIT to get the full benefit of your thinking).

You can even add non-verbal reactions during a pause (as I did in the video below).

Mid-Idea is a Great Time to Pause!

It used to be, in a slower world, that speakers naturally paused in unexpected places.

They would pause… to collect themselves, to formulate the rest of their idea, or just because…they felt like it.

But in today’s anxious, overwhelming and time-challenged world, pausing—let alone pausing mid-idea—doesn’t come as… naturally as it used to.

So use this “25 x 25 in ’25” public speaking practice exercise to experience the benefits of pausing…to catch up with your thoughts, if they’re running ahead…and to add some…anticipation to the mix!

(And here’s a complete list of “25 x 25 in ’25” exercises that you can practice in just 25 seconds a day!)