Erika Jones, CFO, CCTAProfit First Professionals · Certified Fractional CFO and Profit First Professional

The Power of the Pause in Speaking

1 Aug 2026 · 1 min

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In this short monologue, the speaker draws on their musical background to illustrate how pacing in public speaking can be likened to a metronome. They explain that a beat is not a note but the spacing between notes, and that silence between notes (or words) creates emphasis. Translating this to speech, the speaker argues that strategic pauses allow the audience to absorb information and that many speakers avoid pauses for fear of losing attention. The core message is that effective speakers use pauses naturally, staying authentic to their true self, which leads to consistency and impact.

Chapters

I do have some experience with music. If you're a performer, we'll often use a metronome, which puts you on beat. What I think I didn't understand as a layperson is every beat is not a note. You don't play 92 notes on your instrument per minute. A beat is simply the spacing between notes, or you can play a note or play silence. The more silence you have between notes, the more emphasis it puts on the prior or then the proceeding or preceding the next note. In speaking, I found that is a significant element, the power of the pause in the middle. And I think that's actually where most speakers slip up because they They think that they're losing the audience if they're not just speaking and keep going, but you're giving the audience the pause so they can breathe in what they've just heard from you. I think the power of the pause is significant, but in my final analysis is the best speakers are the most natural to their true self. They're the most consistent with who they are when you meet them otherwise.