Say It with Presentations, Second Edition, Revised & Expanded, 2nd Edition

Listen to the Silence

In the chapter on handling questions, I spoke about being patient—about letting the whole question be heard before rushing with an answer. Similarly, throughout the presentation, it’s a good idea to listen to the silence.

It’s similar to what you do when you open up a bottle of fine wine. You let the wine breathe; you give it a few moments to adapt to room temperature before serving it. It’s the same with your ideas. Surround each idea with parentheses of silence. Give each idea a chance to breathe, to be absorbed, to be understood, to be reflected upon, to be appreciated by the members of your audience.

I asked Vera to ...