ACM Interactions

Authors:
Liz Danzico

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We tend to think of the pause as awkward. In speech, pregnant pauses connote uncomfortable silence; we veil silence with fillers. As professional communicators, we're trained to deliver smooth speech, censoring out "um" and "ah." Public-speaking groups, such as the well-known Toastmasters, fine every member who utters an "uh" or "um" during a speech. This distaste for the pause—and the inverse, seeking an always-on state—is a battle we face at school, at work, and in industry at large. I propose that we're too impatient with the pause, and as a result, we're missing out on a great deal. What…

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