Silence. Inflection! Repetition. Repetition.

Do you want to be a better speaker, but don’t want to work too hard at training? Before the end of this blog, you’ll have learned three easy tools that can make you a more effective presenter. Use these tools and you will be a more successful speaker - what you say will be received better. Remember these three words:

· Silence

· Inflection

· Repetition

Now we’ll get started!

Silence is Golden

Claude DeBussy once said, “Music is the space between the notes.” The strategic use of silence is the most important thing a public speaker can master. I’ve listened to two presenters, side-by-side. Both were intelligent, both possessed great delivery, word sense, and content. One speaker was substantially superior to the other in his ability to get his message across. That speaker knew how to use silence; that pause for emphasis. John Kennedy was an expert with the silent pause; great actors know how to use silence as an ally.

“I’m going to tell you something that’s very important... [Pause.]”

That silent moment or two makes the audience give thought to what you’re going to say next. Pauses are important because our audience needs time to cue up, categorize, and synthesize the words, to make the connections in their brains. The rate at which people hear is slower than the rate at which most people speak – roughly seventy or eighty words a minute. People read at a few hundred words a minute, and often speak at a rate of several hundred or more. Remember to use that pause for emphasis, and give your audience the time they need to digest what you say: “I’m going to tell you something now that’s very important… [Pause.]”

Let that short pause fill the air and grab their attention before you go on to tell them, rather than just saying, “I’m going to tell you something that’s very important, and what’s important is this.” As you can see, it’s just not the same. Use that pause.

Variety is the Spice of Life

The second tool is inflection. Vary your tone and volume to get – and keep – your audience on the edge of their seats. Monotones bore; instead, use high points and low points. When you soften your voice, slow your speaking rate and use silence, the audience will lean forward to hear you, since they are no longer hearing you as well as they did only a moment ago. In other words, the ratio of the high part of your voice to the low is very important for effective presentation. The audience looks for inflection as a measure of importance.

I’ve now added the silent pause and inflection to your oratory tool box. One more, and the kit is complete.

I’ll Say it Again

The final tool for your repertoire is repetition. As your talk proceeds, and moves from one point to the next, summarize your previous points. For example: I’ve told you about using silence, I’ve told you about varying your voice inflection, and now I’m going to tell you about repetition. Repetition is important. Let me say it again: Repetition is important.

Did you get it?

Your audience is listening for clues. They know they won’t remember everything you say, but they will want to remember certain things. They look to you to provide them the clues they need to discern those important things. Use silence to communicate your message. Use inflection to engage your listeners. I’m going to tell you something again and again and again –. Repetition, repetition, repetition!

Practice Your Craft

Use these three simple tools – silence, inflection, and repetition – and you’ll find that you’re a better speaker the next time you deliver a talk. Don’t worry too much about working on your content - simple content is fine. If you find that you’re reading the material, stop occasionally for that pause. Vary your inflection from here to there. Use repetition occasionally and restate something you just said. You know these tools. You’ve probably heard them before. Now use them! Write them down and use them. Silence. Inflection. Repetition. Silence, inflection, and repetition.

As with anything else, practice makes you better. Find opportunities to apply these new tools, and see for yourself. Effective speaking is an important part of successful communication, and is important to cultivate. Become conscious of how you speak. Have someone catch you on video and watch yourself—you’ll be in for some surprises.

And remember: silence, inflection, repetition!