Ditch the Fillers
In business, white space is where unmet and unarticulated needs are uncovered to create innovation opportunities.
In yoga (and this is my definition), white space is that space of time between poses, when the real yoga takes place, the place of infinite possibilities.
In public speaking, white space is a pause. It is what's left when we obliterate embolalia, those repetitions and filler words like "like, uhm, er, and uh". These fillers have an origin - they pop in when the speaker is groping for words or at a loss for the next thought. They buy time. They indicate a speaker's discomfort with the topic, a lack of knowledge, or nervousness at having to speak. And most often they are a habit.
Over to the audience. These days we all need more time. Our brains are going at warp speed to take in information and process it. White space in public speaking is like a white sandy beach to the mind. Time to relax, to absorb what has just been said; time to catch up and consider it, even for a few seconds. This is why the pause is so precious.
If you love your audience, ditch the fillers in favour of .....a pause.
Ahh, thank you.
