One Speech Coach answers: WHAT MAKES A GREAT SPEECH Installment 6 of 15

6.    Be generous with pauses - it may sound counterintuitive but that's when the connecting happens, that's when they'll digest what you present. Think of pauses as your presentation taking a breath. Rushing headlong through your presentation is merely pandering to your nervousness. Instead, be like a contemplative monk: make silence your friend - get comfortable with it!