The power of pauses

On 31 Dec 2008, ST (The Associated Press) published that Caroline Kennedy uttered 142 times “you know” during a recent interview with the New York Times. These pause fillers are faux pas to well known politicians and celebrities; more so to the people vying for office.
Pauses are an effective tool to get your point across if you know how to do it. Many speakers don’t know how to apply the power of pauses to their advantage. Just like public speaking, you need to learn, understand and practise before you can master the power of pauses.
Pause fillers come in various forms, such as “um, oh, la, ng, err, you know, I see, OK, alright, so… and others.” To eradicate these unproductive sound; you have to be mindful of the common pause fillers that you are likely to utter. Using self-belief and auto-suggestion methods, telling yourself that that these pause fillers would not be uttered during your speech or interview.
As a listener, I often felt irritated when a person uttered a whole mouthful of pause fillers during the interview. The public would perceive that speaker as unsure and not confident.
It is a breeze listening and watching a segment of interview where the interviewer and interviewee are so professional where a single pause filler is not even heard.
Being a public speaking coach, I have succeeded in helping many speakers eradicate these pause fillers. To speak confidently and succinctly without pause fillers is a shining example of an eloquent speaker.

Ernest Chen