この記事では、プレゼンにおけるポーズ（沈黙、間）の効果をご紹介しています。 記事は英語です。 どうぞお役立てください！
I’ll never forget my first presentation skills training as a participant. We each had to give a short presentation in front of the group. I was so nervous. I spoke my first few sentences. Then my mind when blank. I stopped talking. Couldn’t remember what to say next. Panic!
After what seemed like many minutes of standing there frozen in front of a wide-eyed audience, I managed to find some words and start speaking again.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the whole episode had been videoed. And we had to watch the replay as a group. It was going to be bad. I knew it.
But what I saw really surprised me. There I was talking. Then I paused. And started talking again. I actually looked quite confident from the outside even though I was dying inside.
Wow, what a huge lesson and a big boost to my confidence! Maybe I could do this presentation thing after all?
Now, maybe you’re thinking, “Ah, that works for Helen, but not for me.” Well, if you have a smartphone, video yourself praticing your presentation. When you pause, notice the difference between how it felt when you were speaking and how it looks on the video. We do this in my presentation skills classes and everyone agrees that what they feel on the inside is different from what people see on the outside. This gives them confidence.
Next time you’re presenting, why not give it a go? Embrace the power of the pause!