One of the most important things to consider when you’re thinking about how you use your voice is, of course, when not to use it.

The deliberate use of silence is widely recognized as a great negotiation technique but what place does it have when you are making a presentation?

Well…for a start…

It allows the audience to consider the question you have just asked

It gives you thinking time

Its good for underlining important points providing a kind of verbal highlighter

It allows people to digest information

And it lets other people have a chance to speak

It’s a really good idea to take a few seconds before you start to speak to take in your audience and look them in the eye. It’s amazing how this can help you look and feel more in control and more confident.

Watch out for the ums and ahs…

A lot of people worry about the ums and ahs and ‘you knows’ that tend to pepper our speech.

We use them as fillers for thinking time. And no one really notices until we repeat them too often. So try putting your attention on replacing some of them with a deliberate pause.

The more you do it the easier it will get. And your audience will appreciate the space to take in what you’re saying.