Effective Communications
Sometimes You Have To Stop And Think
Using the effectiveness of a pregnant pause.
I love that Illumination has diversity as one of its foundational beliefs. It enables the writers to express themselves with a variety of viewpoints.
I started speaking in public in 1966. That was more than half a century ago, and I was only 12 years old then. Over the years, I’ve learned a thing or two about effective public speaking, which is a form of communication. So is writing.
For the past week I have been somewhat aloof in the sense that I wanted to say something, I didn’t know what or how.
Several of my dear Illumination friends and fellow writers had tagged me to weigh in on social issues and current events they wrote about. I am honored that they value my input, and I want to add to the conversation. However, I have yet to respond to any of them.
They asked me to weigh in on and contribute about dealing with lockdown by several people. Henery X (long) tagged me on Wake Up! And Sherry McGuinn tagged me on Breaking Point. I was feeling bad that I had not responded to any of them, as much as I wanted to.
Then, last night, I came across a story by Tim Denning about Keanu Reeves, and it put everything in perspective.
There is a powerful tool in public speaking that very few people can master. I was fortunate to have World Champion of Public Speaking Darren Lacroix mentor me when I first joined Toastmasters. He taught me how to use what is known as the pregnant pause, effectively.
Darren taught me that when you have something important or poignant to say, pause, and count three heartbeats before delivering the message. Members of my club and other Toastmasters who have heard me speak tell me I am very effective in using the pregnant pause in my speeches.
What the pregnant pause does is that commands attention. It interrupts the listeners’ thoughts and draws them in. Tim Denning said the Keanu Reeves uses silence to think, plan a response, and edit his thoughts before answering a question, and when he says what he wants to say, it is powerful.
As much as I wanted to respond to the invitations to weigh in, and I am not shy about expressing my opinions, I wasn’t able to write anything cohesive, or something that would add to the conversation. I still didn’t have a response, but I realized that I wasn’t avoiding it, I was just in the middle of a pause. Three heartbeats in writing seems to take much longer than it does in speaking.
Then, this morning, after attending my Toastmasters club meeting, I got online and came across this story by the unmistakable Desiree Driesenaar.
It tied up all the loose ends. It put things in proper perspective for me. And now after pausing and looking at the bigger picture I am ready to compose my response; ready to express my thoughts. But it will have to be a story in itself and a continuation of this. But I feel relieved. I had to first see my inability to respond with a fresh perspective.
“When you change the way you see things, the things you see change.” ~Wayne Dyer.
Story Update:
Here it is, the piece I wrote after much thinking and pondering. I am not completely satisfied with the way it turned out, but I needed to get it done, and get it shipped.
As always, thank you for reading and responding.
More about me:
Rasheed Hooda is a published author and a regular contributor to ILLUMINATION, a writers’ community on Medium where writers support each other.
He is a self-proclaimed weirdo who lives a Freedom Lifestyle and writes about related topics — Travel (a top writer), Personal Growth, Freedom, and entrepreneurship. (Get the Newsletter)
“You can let others tell you what it means to be successful, or you can decide it for yourself.”
