Aliens Quote by Scott Berkun
![“When I'm the speaker, I know that special moment [just before speaking] is the only time I will have the entire audience's full attention. Unless an alien spaceship crash-lands on stage midway through the talk, the silence before I begin is the most powerful moment I have. What defines how well…” quote by Scott Berkun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/426/scott-berkun-12409_aliens_when-i-m-the-speaker-i-know-that-special_210194.jpg)
“When I'm the speaker, I know that special moment [just before speaking] is the only time I will have the entire audience's full attention. Unless an alien spaceship crash-lands on stage midway through the talk, the silence before I begin is the most powerful moment I have. What defines how well I'll do starts with how I use the power of that moment.”
About This Quote
Source Talk: Presentation Skills, Scott Berkun, 2015
The brief silence before speaking is a rare chance to capture full audience focus; using it wisely determines the talk’s impact.
In simple terms: Silence before speaking gives full attention; use it well.
Key Takeaway
Leverage the quiet to set tone and engage.
Themes
communication
focus
presence
Mood
anticipatory
focused
Type
instructional
motivational
When to use this quote
- public speaking
- keynote
- teaching
- pitching
- debate
Key Concepts
attention
psychology
performance
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you prepare to maximize that quiet moment?
- What techniques keep the audience engaged after the silence?
A Different Perspective
If the audience is distracted, the silence loses power.
![“Human beings, who are almost unique [among animals] in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.” — Douglas Adams” quote by Scott Berkun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b7c/scott-berkun-12409_ability-to-learn_human-beings-who-are-almost-unique-among_74918.jpg)
![“History can’t give attention to what’s been lost, hidden, or deliberately buried; it is mostly a telling of success, not the partial failures that enabled success.[31] Without at least imagining the missing dimensions to the stories, our view of how to make things happen in the present is…” quote by Scott Berkun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/07f/scott-berkun-12409_failure_history-can-t-give-attention-to-what-s-b_625395.jpg)
