People who fall victim to nervous listening feel compelled to talk through silences because they’re uncomfortable with conversational lapses or pauses. If an interview subject takes a long time to answer a question, a nervous listener might blurt out more questions and comments, stopping the interview subject from answering fully and leading to incomplete research. As a speaker, imagine giving a speech introduction in which you ask a provocative question in an attempt to engage the audience. If no one in the room responds to your question, you might get thrown off and feel compelled to say something—anything—to get the speech moving again. You might fill in the silence with an awkward comment (“Tough crowd!”), only to see confused or annoyed looks on your listeners’ faces.

Nervous listening—in any context—can damage your ability to gather and interpret information you need to deliver an effective speech. If you feel twinges of nervousness, collect yourself and wait a few beats before continuing. Remember that pauses are normal and can even be used to stress the importance of what you’re saying through a thoughtful choice of words (see Chapter 13).

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