Silence Is Not A Void

Dari Mackenzie delivering her speech, “Silence”, on December 9, 2018. Her speech served as the inspiration for this blog post.

When you ask an outsider what they know about Toastmasters, often the first response they provide is: “Oh, isn’t that the place where you give speeches?”

And indeed that is correct. However, Toastmasters is also so much more than stumping on a soapbox. A speech is more than just the words that you utter.

Nineteenth-century composer Claude Debussy wrote that:

The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between them.

Classical music is full of well-placed rests that accentuate the musical ideas around it. Imagine the opening bars to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony!

The same applies to oral communication.:

• When you stand in front of the room to deliver your Table Topic, take a few moments to focus your thoughts before saying anything out loud. The timer will not begin until you actually say something.⁠

• When you regale the audience with a funny joke, pause to take in the laughter.⁠

• When you wow the audience with an interesting takeaway, pause before continuing so they can take it in.⁠

• When you want to signal hesitation, hurt or trepidation in your narrative, force a one-beat stop in your delivery. Your audience will feel the emotion with you.⁠

• When you want to convey agitation, speed up, raise your voice and then…crash into explosive silence.⁠

• Oftentimes, the most impactful moments of a great speech come not from what you say but from the space in between the words. And in those null spaces, the audience will be compelled to listen.⁠

Do not mistake a pause for a void. Silence is not a void. The “sound” of silence is an opportunity for your audience to catch up to you. To integrate what you’ve delivered. To react. To ponder. And to laugh.

Honor the pauses when you speak. You will really win over your audience.

This piece was inspired by club member Dari Mackenzie’s speech, “Silence”, which was delivered on December 9, 2018.