The Power of the Pause

The best public speakers aren’t born. Confidence at the podium is built through preparation, practice, and purposeful coaching. When Delanie Baumgartner enrolled in one-on-one public speaking coaching through the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA), her goal was clear: become more confident speaking in front of groups.

As a member of the Downtown Denver Partnership’s Civic Engagement and Development team, Baumgartner regularly engages in public speaking. She connects with the organization’s 500 member companies, leads events and tours, and communicates complex initiatives to make downtown Denver a vibrant place to live, work, and visit.

“I run a lot of our member programming, speaking to 30 to 45 people all the time,” she shared. “Before these classes, my boss often told me I needed to speak louder so people could hear me.”

Through the DCPA’s corporate coaching program, Baumgartner was paired with Samuel Wood, DCPA’s Director of Education and Curriculum Development. Together, they embarked on a five-session coaching journey that ultimately became about much more than simply speaking louder.

“We didn’t start with her speech,” Wood explained. “We started with basic projection voice work, thinking about how to make her voice carry.” From hallways to parking lots, the pair practiced articulation, breath control, storytelling, and techniques for speaking in open-air environments.

This individualized approach reflects DCPA Education’s boutique approach to learning. They don’t rely on a standard curriculum. The team begins by understanding what success looks like for an individual or organization before designing sessions around their specific goals and strengths. The philosophy isn’t about correcting weaknesses as much as uncovering potential.

“Delanie is a great public speaker,” Wood said. “How do we use what she’s already doing really well and strengthen that?”

This strengths-based approach helped Baumgartner identify the root causes behind her nerves.

“Coming into it, I didn’t really know,” she said. “I just knew that I get kind of shaky when I stand in front of a group of people.” As the sessions progressed, she realized much of her anxiety stemmed from concerns that people couldn’t hear her or that she wasn’t communicating her ideas clearly.

What followed wasn’t just an improvement in technique; it was a change in confidence.

“I think those two things are really tied together: learning how to project and being prepared,” Baumgartner said. “That builds confidence.”

Along the way, she also became more aware of her communication habits. Her vocal energy would drop at the ends of sentences, she rushed to fill moments of silence, and often she relied on vague words when more specific language would serve her audience better.

“I feel more confident when I sit and think about what I’m going to say before rambling on,” she said. “If I don’t have the right thing to say, I don’t need to fill the silence.”

For Wood, that growth stands out as one of the most notable outcomes of Baumgartner’s journey.

“The biggest improvement I’ve noticed is that she pauses and thinks about what she wants to say before saying it,” he said.

That skill extends far beyond formal presentations.

At the Downtown Denver Partnership, effective communication is essential to advancing the organization’s mission. Whether discussing downtown development projects, member initiatives, or community events, the team regularly translates complex concepts into messages that resonate with diverse audiences.

For Baumgartner, the impact has already been significant. The skills she’s developed are showing up in conversations, member events, and the presentations she delivers throughout her workday. And with a major all-staff presentation on the horizon, she feels more prepared than ever.

Her biggest takeaway?

Confidence doesn’t come from eliminating nerves. It comes from building the skills to navigate them.

Or, as Wood’s coaching helped demonstrate, sometimes the most powerful thing a speaker can do is simply pause, take a breath, and trust their voice.

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