[fleddr]

You should always pause when receiving criticism, it's a great psychological trick. Responding immediately and fiercely rewards the critic.

By pausing, the critic becomes doubtful. Did I go too far? Is something really bad brewing?

[IAmGraydon]

Not everything has to be a manipulation tactic. I think he was just thinking about how he would respond.

[desiarnezjr]

I think the Japanese language has a pregnant pause that's part of the language. Or I think that's the intent (I barely understand Japanese). But in many a meeting someone will say a long "anooooo" which I always understood as a pregnant pause as the speaker was collecting their next words and thoughts.

Many times I wish I could pull off a long, awkward pause and gather my thoughts and response.

[xattt]

In this view, the pause was most hostile action taken by Jobs towards the person asking the question.

For people who answer like this: what goes through your mind during the pause? Are you counting in your head? Are you planning out your answer? Are you playing the question in your head?

[vrc]

When I pause it’s because I’m trying to compose a response and my emotions. Sometimes too fast a response sounds less credible and often times it is — I’ll ramble on a bit longer than I’d like or talk my way into my larger point, possibly losing my audience or saying half baked things. It also often prompts more details from the person I’m talking to to fill the void. This gives me more context so I don’t just answer the superficial question. But mostly it helps keep emotion out of my response.

As an aside, while I’m OK-to-uncomfortable on the receiving end of the pause, I get wildly enraged when people say, “I don’t understand” without trying to play back or suss out meaning, eg “I don’t understand, are you saying…?” I find it wildly dismissive. But that’s probably on me.

[agumonkey]

personally i try to appreciate the situation. rewind a bit and sense the context, what people said, what they might feel, what i might have miss or said wrong

basically slowing down before a tight curve