extent that the audience start feeling sleepy and lose interest in the speech. Moreover, too
slow a rate suggests lack of preparedness on the part of the speaker.
Pauses
Pauses are an essential part of all human interactions. We pause between different thought
units in our day-to-day interactions with others. Therefore, if we do not pause while we speak
in professional situations, it only makes our speech appear unnatural and hasty. Pauses lend
credibility to the text of the speech. The speakers who pause suggest that they are quite
accomplished, poised, and composed, and are not really worried about not being able to
locate an idea once they have paused. Thus, if we pause, we display a sense of security and
feeling of assurance that we know how to go further in our speech after a pause. On the
contrary, those who do not pause seem to be in a hurry. Moreover, those who rush through
their speeches and presentations are nervous about using pauses, as once they stop, they feel
they would not know how to resume or reconnect. But then, such speakers are far from being
impressive and accomplished. By all means, we must use pause while speaking in
professional situations. They make our speech sound natural. Moreover, pauses are also
required for the audiences to comprehend what you say, relate it to your earlier statement,
and critically participate in the act of communication.
The most crucial thing about pause is their timing. A rightly timed pause is as important as a
rightly placed word. Since a pause has to indicate either the emphasis or the conclusion of a
thought unit, it is important not to put them at wrong places. Therefore, whenever you pause,
pause at the conclusion of a certain thought unit and not in between. Remember, a timed
pause adds to the value of what you say and makes it adequately natural and emphatic. A
wrongly placed pause, however, distracts the audience. Also remember that though a pause is
always a natural breather, both to the speaker and the listeners, silence—a longer pause—
makes the audience fell impatient.
Volume
A speaker’s volume often decides how he/she is likely to be received by the audience. The
speaker who speaks at a low volume is likely to be seen as someone who lacks his/her lack of
conviction of ideas. Such a speaker can never appear or emerge to be the master of the
situation. Low volume is essentially associated with diffidence, and once you reveal that you
lack confidence, you cannot gain control of your audience or command their respect as a
speaker. At the other extreme is the speaker who speaks so loudly that the people in the front
rows start dreading him/her. A speaker of this type is also likely to be rejected by the
audience, simply because it suggests his/her arrogance.
Pitch/Intonation/Voice Modulation
Pitch refers to the rise and fall in human voice. Just like the other aspects of voice, pitch too
plays a crucial role in communicating your ideas to others. In fact, it is the pitch—the rise and
fall—in your voice which can express all the emotions that are to be conveyed. So that do not
confuse volume and pitch, let us understand the difference between the two. Since pitch can
express and convey all our moods, emotions, and sentiments, it becomes really important for
us to carefully employ the desired pitch patterns. Quite often, we find the speech of a person
quite boring because he/she does not use the variety of pitch patterns as per the requirement
of the situation. In order to understand this, listen carefully to those songs in which the singer
keeps singing in a solemn way until he/she reaches the climax. The change in the initial note
and the later part is the change in the pitch patterns. The changes and varieties of pitch
patterns can be observed even while we continue to listen to the song at the same volume. It
is, therefore, suggested that you employ the variegated pitch patterns quite judiciously in
order to keep your listeners engaged and interested in your expression.