How pauses can boost performance in media interviews
These five tips can help you think before you speak and avoid that ‘gulp!’ moment when a journalist catches you with an aggressive question.
“The pause is as important as the note.”—Truman Fisher, composer
That wisdom applies not just to music, but also to media interviews.
Pauses offer tremendous benefits for speaker and audience alike, but only a handful of speakers take full advantage of them.
Unfortunately, our culture tends to stigmatize pauses, viewing silences as “dead air” that can lead people to wonder whether we’re a bit dimwitted.
For recorded formats—print interviews and edited radio and television interviews—your pause usually won’t be used or mentioned in the story. (I’ve noted a few exceptions below.) Even if you think you know the answer to the question right away, pause for the following five reasons:
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