Silence as an expressive meditation technique
Here’s a riddle for you:
I can bring lucidity or misinterpretation.
I can be adjacent or remote.
I’m intangible, but I can touch you.
What am I?
Today, I’m inviting you to explore the art of silence as an expressive meditation technique with me. I love silence as a tool for enhancing the power of public speaking and building confdence. Let’s dive in.
Expressive meditation: mindfulness techniques for presentations
I’ve always loved public speaking. I love the drama behind it and the time spent connecting with the audience. But I’m also fascinated by the psychological side of performance.
So, when I turned my passions into my own business, I began to explore new ways of improving my skills and creating a deeper connection with audiences and clients. This is when I developed Expressive Meditation, a unique presentation technique based on drama and mindfulness.
Expressive Meditation uses ten tools to improve your public speaking and confidence. You can find out more about Expressive Meditation here, as today, we’re focusing on just one tool: silence.
Are we hearing each other?
‘Why are people barking their thoughts out here?’
This thought comes to me all the time when I’m eating dinner at a restaurant or in a busy shop.
Everyone is jostling to be heard, shouting their thoughts out the moment they come to mind.
In conversations, sometimes I feel everyone is in a queue, just waiting to jump on an opportunity to say something — anything. So often, I haven’t even fnished my sentence before someone else has cut me of.
In these moments, the weight of the words is overwhelming, drawing out the essence of communication itself. It leaves me wondering, are we really hearing each other? Are we even listening or just waiting for our turn to talk?
The power of silence
Talking is an important part of communication, yes. However, too much verbal communication can be overwhelming.
Do you know that we speak around 16,000 words a day?
It’s impossible that 100% of those words are valuable. It’s also impossible to process and understand that much information, meaning we’ll forget important details our friends or bosses tell us or misunderstand critical moments.
Words carry meaning, but it is often the silences — the pauses — that speak volumes. When wielded purposefully, silence holds a lot of power. Silence can be captivating. Silence can be a way of expressing hurt. Silence can represent disapproval. Or it can just mean we’re listening.
By embracing moments of silence, we are able to truly listen, hearing not just the words we speak but the intentions and emotions that drive them. I once sat in silence for days, and I gained more lucidity. Now, I make silence an integral part of my meditative practice and public speaking techniques.
How to connect with an audience with silence
Silence can't be touched, but as a public speaker, you can use it to touch your audience. It provides space for self-refection and allows you to listen to people’s feelings rather than rushing to provide an answer.
Here are a few ways you can incorporate silence into your expressive meditation practice:
Staring at the audience. Convey confdence and command attention by making eye contact without speaking a word.
Mime. Also known as silence role play, mime is a drama technique that gets you making dramatic gestures and facial expressions as an alternative to verbal communication. The goal is to help you communicate thoughts and feelings without words.
Walking in silence. Instead of flling every silent moment with noisy distractions like music and phone calls, enjoy a walk in contemplative silence, allowing your thoughts to fow freely.
Assertive listening. Are you listening to your friend or just waiting your turn to talk? Practice actively listening without interjecting, and you’ll enjoy deeper conversations.
Smiling in silence. Find a sense of calm by smiling without saying a word.
Receiving compliments in silence. When someone gives you a compliment, ask them to repeat it and take a moment to absorb it before responding.
Staring into their eyes for one minute. Create a connection with another by engaging in a silent gaze, where you hold eye contact for a full minute without blinking.
70% to 93% of all communication is nonverbal. That means our body language and facial expressions tend to communicate more efectively than our words. By practising these mindfulness techniques, you’ll fnd more power in silence and get comfortable providing space for your audiences to refect on your words.
I’ll leave you with this quote from Elbert Hubbard, which summarises the importance of silence in building human connections: “He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.”
