THE PAUSE IS THE POINT

Conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla led the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1.

Critics praised her command of silence – how she used long pauses to heighten the impact of what came next.

Reviewers focused on the music and the tension in the quiet moments.

They described how her use of pauses shaped the performance – how even the rests felt alive.

When you pause during a talk, it feels uncomfortable.

A two-second silence might seem endless.

So you rush to fill it.

But silence gives your words space.

It gives your audience time to absorb the message.

This is the comfort paradox: what feels comfortable for you might overwhelm your audience.

What feels uncomfortable – like silence – often creates clarity.

Let the silence work.