Glossary: the words the course uses

52 terms from Hold the Room, each in plain words. The linked ones have their own page, with where the term is taught and examples of it in use.

• AREAnchor, Reveal, Encourage: comment on something you both share right now, add something about you, then ask them a question.
• BaselineHow someone looks and sounds when they’re relaxed. You can only notice a change if you know their normal.
• Box breathingBreathe in for four counts, hold for four, out for four, hold for four. Easy to do silently in a meeting.
• BridgeA short phrase that buys you thinking time without “um”, like “The short answer is…” or “There are two parts to that”.
• Call to actionThe one thing you want people to do after your talk, said clearly at the end.
• Clean exitLeaving a conversation without an excuse or apology: say what you enjoyed, then what you’re doing next.
• ClustersSeveral signals at once, like crossed arms plus a turned body plus a neck rub. One signal on its own means little.
• ConsistencyOnce someone has said a small yes, they’re more likely to say a bigger one.
• ContemptA quick one-sided tightening at the corner of the mouth. It can mean someone looks down on what was just said.
• Cue cardThree short rules in your own words that you read before anything that matters, like “Two sighs. Conclusion first. Stop talking.”
• Entrance sequenceThe Day 1 routine for walking into a room: pause in the doorway for one breath, scan the room, then land on one person and smile. Keep your body open, greet them before you talk about yourself, and say your first sentence slowly.
• Executive presenceThe quality that makes someone come across as a leader. Executives in one survey said it’s mostly how you carry yourself under pressure, then how you communicate.
• Field missionA small real-world task: try one skill from the plan once, with real people, in your day.
• FillersSounds that fill a gap while you think: um, uh, like, you know. Try a short pause instead. Speak shows them as ums.
• Follow-up questionA question about what the person just told you. It proves you listened and keeps them talking.
• GravitasHow you carry yourself under pressure: calm and steady. It shows in not rushing.
• HedgesSoftening words like “just”, “maybe”, “sort of”, “I think”. A few are fine; lots make you sound unsure of your own point.
• HookAn opening that grabs attention in the first 20 seconds: a question, a surprising number or a one-line story.
• LabellingNaming the feeling you can see, like “It sounds like that was frustrating”. Then staying quiet so it can land.
• LighthouseIn a group, finish each thought looking at one person, then move to the next. Not a constant sweep of the room.
• Lip trillBlow air through loosely closed lips so they flutter, like a motorboat, while you hum. It warms up your breath and voice together.
• Mastery experienceDoing the thing slightly beyond your comfort and getting through it. It’s the strongest source of self-belief.
• MirroringRepeating the last one to three words someone said, as a gentle question, then waiting. They often say more.
• PaceHow fast you speak, in words per minute. Around 140 to 160 is easy to follow; slow down for the key points.
• PacifiersSmall self-soothing touches: rubbing your neck, touching your face, tugging your collar. People tend to read them as nerves.
• PausesSilences of a second or more while you talk. Deliberate pauses sound composed; very long ones can sound like you have lost your place.
• Physiological sighTwo breaths in through the nose (one big, one short top-up), then one long, slow breath out through the mouth. It can help you settle.
• PREPPoint, Reason, Example, Point: say your point, why, one concrete example, then the point again, shorter.
• ProsodyThe melody of your voice: how it rises and falls. A varied melody holds attention; a flat one loses it.
• ReciprocityPeople want to give back when you’ve given first.
• RegisterWhether you feel your voice more in your chest (deeper, fuller) or your head (lighter, higher).
• Rule of threePeople remember three things far more easily than seven. Group your points, reasons or examples in threes.
• Scan, then landLook across the room first, then let your eyes stop on one person and smile at them. It reads as calm and sure.
• ScarcityThings feel more valuable when they’re limited. Only use it when it’s true.
• Self-deprecationMaking fun of yourself. It’s charming when it’s about quirks or effort, but can backfire when it’s about whether you can do the job.
• Social proofPeople are more willing to do something when they see others like them already doing it.
• SparkA question that gets a better answer than “What do you do?”, like “Working on anything you’re excited about?”
• Story spineA simple story shape: Once upon a time… Every day… But one day… Because of that… Until finally… And ever since then.
• The boxThe space between your waist and shoulders, within the width of your body. Gestures there look natural and in control.
• The pyramidAnswer first, then reasons, then detail. It’s how consultants are trained to brief busy people.
• The triangleMoving your gaze between someone’s eyes and mouth, instead of staring at one fixed point.
• ThresholdThe doorway. Pausing at the threshold means stopping for one breath just before you walk in, so you arrive settled instead of rushed.
• TimbreThe colour of your voice: warm, bright, thin or rich.
• Two sighsTwo physiological sighs: a big breath in through the nose, a short top-up sniff, then a long, slow breath out through the mouth. Do it twice. It can help you settle.
• UmsSounds that fill a gap while you think: um, uh, er, like, you know. Speak counts the ones you tap and the ones in what you type. Try a short pause instead.
• UnityFraming it as “us”: people say yes more readily to those they see as part of their own group.
• UptalkEnding a statement with a rising tone, as if it were a question. It can make you sound unsure.
• Vocal fryA creaky, rattling sound at the end of sentences when the voice runs out of energy. It can make you sound less competent.
• Weekly loopTen minutes a week after the plan: one minute in Speak, one field mission, one story told.
• What? So what? Now what?A three-sentence answer for any surprise question: what the thing is, why it matters to them, and what happens next.
• wpmWords per minute: how fast you speak. Around 140 to 160 is easy to follow.
• Yes, andAccept what the other person said and add to it, instead of correcting them or topping their story.

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