For most individuals, there are few things as unsettling as a prolonged silence. We’ll do anything to break the silence, to remove ourselves from the awkwardness. Silence exposes our insecurities, transforms the usual state of egocentric self-absorption into introspection and a yearning to re-establish conversational equality. When the opposing party ceases to speak, our minds seek to fill the space.
And when we fill the space—especially when we have no prompt or explicit questions to answer—we have a natural tendency to seek harmony. We don’t know why. Silence is dissonant to the communal mind; we’re compelled to get back in tune with our counter-party.
Great orators and speakers understand and wield the power of silence to great and terrible effect. Before massive, roiling crowds, Hitler used an unnerving pattern of piercing rhetoric with potent silence, and we all know the damage that was done when the crowds sought harmony out of the silence. He didn’t ask questions; he issued declarations of shockingly frank, challenging non-truths. In the silence, they harmonized their conscience with unthinkable rationalizations. His control from the podium was complete.
At the other end of the spectrum, Nelson Mandela, too, exhibited the power of conviction that is necessary to employ stark silence from the stage. He used silence to underscore the moral purity of his message, and to allow the audience to fully absorb the context and intent behind his words.
When what we say is truly challenging, truly important, and truly groundbreaking, we cannot afford for audiences to misunderstand us. We cannot even afford for them to miss the opportunity to ruminate and harmonize their thinking with ours. We have a responsibility, with messages that count, to combine our most powerful statements with the kind of pregnant pauses that elicit an introspective and self-critical response from those we seek to mobilize, motivate, and convict.
As a presenter, don’t be afraid of the silence. Indeed, your faith in your message is revealed when you demonstrate a willingness to allow the audience to think. Identify the most challenging parts of your presentation and plan, in advance, the poignant moments where you will temporarily suspend your role as narrator of the “conversation” and instead allow them to engage their minds and seek alignment with your message. The psychology of silence is a powerful weapon; use it for good and you will increase the mobilizing power of your next presentation.
Question: When have you seen the power of silence used to great effect?
