Why Silence Is the Most Underrated Speaking Skill
Why Silence Is the Most Underrated Speaking Skill
When most people think about public speaking, they focus on the words. The script. The delivery. The content.
And yet, one of the most powerful tools you have as a speaker isn’t your voice. It’s your silence.
Why we fear silence
Silence makes people uncomfortable.
When we’re nervous, we tend to rush. We fill every gap with words, “ums,” or nervous laughter. We think if we stop speaking, we’ll lose the audience.
The truth is the opposite. Pauses don’t lose people. They hold people. They create space for your message to land.
The power of the pause
Silence does three things for you as a speaker:
It signals confidence. When you pause, you look calm and in control. You’re showing that you don’t need to rush or cram. You own the space.
It gives weight to your words. The pause is what lets people absorb what you’ve said. Without it, your ideas rush past before they can sink in.
It draws people in. A well-placed pause creates anticipation. It makes people lean forward, waiting for what comes next.
Think about your favourite speakers or storytellers. Chances are, they’re masters of the pause. They know silence isn’t empty. It’s charged.
My own discovery
I used to hate silence. I’d rush through my words like a freight train, thinking speed would hide my nerves.
But over time, I learned that the moments that landed the hardest with audiences weren’t the lines I rehearsed over and over. They were the pauses.
The moments where I stopped, looked at the audience, let the silence stretch… and then spoke.
Those were the moments people came up afterwards and said, “That line really stayed with me.” And the truth? It wasn’t the line. It was the pause that gave it power.
How to use silence well
Here’s how to start weaving silence into your speaking:
Pause before you start. Take a breath. Own the room before a word leaves your mouth.
Pause after key points. Let your audience digest the idea. Don’t rush to the next one.
Pause instead of filling. Next time you feel an “um” or “ah” bubbling up, replace it with silence. It feels cleaner and more intentional.
The takeaway
Silence isn’t weakness. It’s strength. It’s not empty space. It’s what gives your words weight.
If you want to sound instantly more confident, don’t just focus on what you say. Focus on the spaces in between.
Because sometimes, the most powerful thing you can say… is nothing at all.
