Course name: Period of Silence. Topic 3.

Course 2

Topic 3

PURPOSE AND BENEFIT OF SILENCE

1. Silence Helps You Concentrate

One of the major reasons why silence has become an important part of everyday life is the ability to focus as the modern world and its various noises enter your brain all at once. The ability to focus on different tasks is often accompanied by a little background noise.

Focus is almost always lost when a sound reaches around 80 decibels. A silent environment or one with just a little background noise will help you concentrate the best.

2. Silence and Creativity

Without a doubt, creativity is an important part of life, and silence is an important part of the creative process. Some studies have shown how important silence is to the success of individuals as they move through the creative process. An article on Medium explains that visionary scientists like Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton worked almost exclusively alone for the majority of their lives. Psychoanalyst Ester Buchholz has previously explained the best creative work is often completed in solitude or after a period of solitude.

Brainstorming with others offers its own set of benefits, but some of the best creative work happens when the outside world is shut out and your craft gets all the focus.

3. Awareness is Achieved Through Silence

Many distractions and noises flood our world. You may never discover how you can improve your life when your attention is always being drawn away. However, you can improve your awareness by practicing silence. Taking time to self-reflect will help you figure out if your life is working the way you’d like it to. Once you become aware of the changes you’d like to see, you’ll be able to make a conscious improvement to the patterns of your life.

4. Silence Provides You with a Sense of Calm

When struggling with the stresses and strains of life you may have difficulties with staying calm. Stress is one of the most difficult aspects of modern life. The American Institute of Stress reports around 77 percent of people in the U.S. show some physical signs of stress in their everyday life. A period of silence each day allows the chance to relax and reduce stress levels.

5. Noise Has Been Linked to a Lower Level of Learning

 A link between the level of noise a child is exposed to with their abilities as a student. The more noise a child is exposed to, the worse they perform at school and the harder they find the concentration levels to work with. In the 21st-century, the exposure of children to tablets, cell phones, and video games has increased the level of hearing impairment which affects their ability to learn and develop correctly.

6. Productivity and Silence

How do you measure productivity? If you are running on very little sleep and trying to complete as many tasks as possible in as short a time as possible, you may be missing out on the benefits of silence. research suggests that doing nothing and remaining silent has been reported to increase the production of new brain cells which could make you more productive in the future simply by doing nothing. Taking time to daydream may actually improve your productivity tenfold.

7. Silence Gives You More Patience

Constant noise from the media and our day-to-day lives causes many of us to miss out on the benefits of silence. In today’s fast-paced world, almost everyone has a short fuse for frustration. Learning to enjoy silence cultivates calmness and peacefulness. When regularly practiced, your tolerance levels for becoming impatient will likely grow too. When you learn to savor silent moments, you’ll have more patience in daily hassles like traffic jams and long lines at the stores.

8. Inner Calmness:

Silence provides a tranquil space that promotes a sense of peace, tranquility, and mental clarity.When struggling with the stresses and strains of life you may have difficulties with staying calm. Stress is one of the most difficult aspects of modern life. The American Institute of Stress reports around 77 percent of people in the U.S. show some physical signs of stress in their everyday life. A period of silence each day allows the chance to relax and reduce stress levels.

Others are as follow; 

Silence may help your health in several ways, including:

1.lowering blood pressure.

2.improving concentration and focus.

3.calming racing thoughts.

4.stimulating brain growth.

5.reducing cortisol.

6.stimulating creativity.

7.improving insomnia.

8.encouraging mindfulness.

 Usage of silence

The following are yes of silence 

1. Pause for emphasis

One of the most common ways to use silence in a speech is to pause for emphasis. This can help you highlight a key point, a surprising fact, a rhetorical question, or a dramatic statement. By pausing, you can draw attention to what you just said or what you are about to say, and make your audience more curious and attentive. For example, you can pause before or after delivering a punchline, revealing a statistic, or making a call to action.

2. Pause for transition

Another way to use silence in a speech is to pause for transition. This can help you signal a change of topic, a shift of perspective, or a move to the next stage of your argument. By pausing, you can create a clear structure for your speech, and make it easier for your audience to follow your logic and flow. For example, you can pause before or after introducing a new idea, summarizing a main point, or connecting to a previous or future point.

3. Pause for reflection

A third way to use silence in a speech is to pause for reflection. This can help you invite your audience to think about what you have said, to relate it to their own experiences, or to form their own opinions. By pausing, you can create a dialogue with your audience, and make them more engaged and involved in your speech. For example, you can pause after asking a question, sharing a story, or making a provocative statement.

4.Pause for effect

A fourth way to use silence in a speech is to pause for effect. This can help you create a mood, a tone, or an atmosphere for your speech, and make it more memorable and emotional. By pausing, you can convey a feeling, a mood, or a message without words, and make your audience more receptive and responsive to your speech. For example, you can pause to create suspense, humor, surprise, or drama.

5. How to pause effectively

To pause effectively in a speech, you need to consider three factors: duration, frequency, and timing. The duration of your pause depends on the purpose and the context of your speech. A longer pause can create more impact, but also more tension and expectation. A shorter pause can create more rhythm, but also more continuity and fluency. The frequency of your pause depends on the pace and the style of your speech. A more frequent pause can create more clarity, but also more fragmentation and interruption. A less frequent pause can create more coherence, but also more monotony and boredom. The timing of your pause depends on the structure and the flow of your speech. A well-timed pause can create more emphasis, transition, reflection, or effect, but also more anticipation and attention. A poorly-timed pause can create confusion, distraction, or misunderstanding.

6. Silence helps to relieve stress

Florence Nightingale wrote, “Unnecessary noise is the cruelest absence of care that can be inflicted on sick or well.” The nurse argued that every needless sound could cause alarm, distress, and sleep loss for recovering patients. Modern research supports her views: correlations have been discovered between high blood pressure and chronic noise - like roads and airports.

In Conclusion 

Noise can also result in elevated levels of stress hormones. It is thought that sound waves activate the amygdalae, which is associated with memory formation and emotion, causing a release of stress hormones. This process can occur even as we sleep.

Silence, however, has the opposite effect. It helps to release tension in the brain and body. A study published in Heart journal found that two minutes of silence can prove to be even more calming than listening to “relaxing” music. It’s time to turn those tunes down…