In our communication, be it formal or informal, an intentional pause can help us communicate better in many ways.
Suppose you are meeting your client or interviewing someone and you have asked him a question. He provides you a good thoughtful answer. Once he completes his answer, generally, we would proceed to ask a related question or provide a comment on his answer or ask a different question. But what if we take a 2-3 second (at least) pause as a transition.
Most of the times, the other person will expand on what he has already said or he will go in a different direction. Either way, he is expanding on his response which is good for you to have an engaging conversation, providing more information and building a deeper connection.
This may be particularly useful in tense situations like a salary negotiation or a client shouting on you! That just might provide you some breathing space to think, some more thoughts of other person, and may be, some positive reactions.
Try it out now.