Use the power of the pause in your media interviews and presentations

The words you say are crucial in media interviews and presentations.

But, sometimes, a brief silence can be almost just as impactful.

In fact, the pause is a media interview tool that offers lots of benefits for spokespeople.

Being quiet in a media interview or presentation - even for just a few seconds - can feel alien and unnatural. And we find on our media training courses and presentations skills courses that people can understandably be reluctant to embrace the power of the pause.

But there are several reasons why spokespeople should overcome these reservations.

One of the crucial benefits of a natural pause is it builds anticipation and grabs attention.

In a world of constant chatter, audiences do not expect brief moments of silence – we are typically talking about just a few seconds - and they are fascinated to find out what will happen next.

It has a dramatic effect. And is a way of adding impact and emphasis to a message.

American writer Mark Twain once said: “The pause - that impressive silence, that eloquent silence, that geometrically progressive silence which often achieves a desired effect where no combination of words, howsoever felicitous, could accomplish it.”

While this approach works naturally in face-to-face interviews, it needs some extra care in broadcast and telephone ones. Unless it is clear to the journalist or producer that the pause is deliberate, they may fear you have dried up and look to move the conversation on. In an interview carried out on Zoom or Teams, they may worry the connection is failing.

But done well, staying briefly silent after a message or crucial point can remove the risk of what has been said being misunderstood.  It enables the audience to absorb the message. If the interview is a pre-recorded one, then this approach also creates natural edit points.

A natural pause can also impact the way people view a spokesperson. It can help show that you are thoughtful and are carefully considering your responses.

And it can add to the impression of being confident, calm and in control. It shows poise. Barack Obama is considered one of the world's best speakers, and he regularly uses pauses in his speeches and interviews.

Rushing through an answer, on the other hand, can make spokespeople appear nervous, anxious, and desperate to bring the interview to a close.

Another benefit of pausing, which we stress on our media training courses, is it enables spokespeople to collect their thoughts and briefly plan what they want to say before they launch into an answer. It is particularly beneficial when dealing with unexpected and challenging questions.

Some spokespeople will say something like ‘that’s a good question’, to do this, but that approach can become a distraction if it is used excessively.

Similarly, pausing reduces the ‘errs’ and ‘ums’ (as well as worse versions such as ‘basically’, ‘so’, ‘look’ and like) that irritate audiences and make spokespeople appear unsure of what they are saying when they are said repeatedly.

Avoiding rushing into an answer reduces the chances of saying something you may later regret – silence can’t be quoted or turned into a sound bite. It can also prevent you from getting halfway through your response and realising you could have provided a better response to the question.

Occasionally in an interview, your mind might suddenly go blank. Brain fade is every spokesperson’s worst nightmare. But briefly pausing can help avoid a panic reaction, enable you to quickly gather your thoughts and composure and get your response back on track. If it is done calmly, the audience may not realise and will probably think you are just considering your response. 

It is also vital spokespeople embrace the pause when it is used by a journalist.

Sometimes they will leave a long gap at the end of a response before asking the next question. This could be because they are catching up on their notes or are thinking about what to ask next.

But it can also be a deliberate ploy to draw out more information, as the silence causes many spokespeople to feel uneasy and they are often compelled to fill it.

Wall Street Journal reporter and editor Fred L Zimmerman once advised journalists to use the pause in an interview because it makes spokespeople ‘uneasy’ and that they may ‘blurt out something crucial’.

In media interviews, a brief moment of silence really can be golden and can help those you are talking to hear more clearly.

Media First are media and communications training specialists with over 35 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers. 

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