The power of silence: 3 lessons on capturing an audience from a world-renowned auctioneer

Whenever I tell people I’m an auctioneer, there are inevitably two follow up questions:

First: “Do you talk really fast like those guys on TV?” followed by a cartoonish imitation, complete with an imaginary microphone and a pseudo Southern accent.

Second: “What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever sold?” After two decades of auctioneering, the answer is usually “something in the many millions.” I typically just name the last item I sold for over a million dollars.

Whether someone pictures a fast talking cattle auction or a refined British gentleman selling Picassos in black tie, auctioneers are assumed to do one thing: talk. A lot.

Which is why most people are shocked to learn that the most powerful tool I like to use on stage isn’t my voice at all.

It’s silence.

When I’m onstage in front of 500 people, yes, fast, energetic bidding can electrify a room. But in auctioneering, as in negotiation, the person who is comfortable with silence holds the advantage. Think about the last time you negotiated anything. The one who jumps to fill every uncomfortable silence often reveals the most. The one who sits in the quiet controls the pace.

Lessons learned

After years in the boardroom and on stage, here are the top three lessons I’ve learned about how silence can capture the attention of any room:

1. When a room is talking, don’t talk over it. Own the moment.

If a crowd won’t quiet down, talking louder rarely works. Instead, I smile and say, “I’ll wait until the room is quiet enough to hear me.” The shift is immediate. People realize they’re missing something or they are being rude, and they stop. Once they’ve realized I’m willing to wait for them to stop talking before I’ll start again the dynamic is shifted, and now they are paying attention.

2. Make your point, then stop talking.

Many times when I am onstage with a new crowd I will ask the audience where I should start the bidding. Instead of throwing out a number that could intimidate half the room, I will say to the audience “who wants to start the bidding?” When the person raises their hand I’ll ask “where are we starting the bidding tonight?” and then I simply wait . . . 9 out of 10 times the person will come in at a higher level simply because they don’t know where I plan to start and want to be sure they don’t announce a low bid. You’ll be amazed how often the other side rushes to fill the space, usually revealing exactly what you need to know.

3. Silence raises more money than any speech ever could.

During the paddle raise portion of a charity auction paddle raise, I’m not offering a vacation home or a puppy. I’m simply asking for donations. When I begin at the highest level, say, $25,000 the room gets very still. People shift in their chairs. They look at each other. They wait. But more importantly, I wait. And sometimes I’ll throw in a joke to show them how at ease I am in the silence “I’ll wait just long enough until it starts to get really uncomfortable” and then I smile and wait a little longer. Inevitably someone will raise their hand simply to break the tension. It’s no concern for me; I will wait all night.

That’s the power of silence: It moves people to act.

The next time you are in an important meeting, giving a speech, or presenting on stage, remember the power of silence and use it to your advantage.

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