Generally, I pace back and forth across the front of the room. Their postures change. Something unexpected has happened, which means that something else unexpected could happen, for which they don't want to be caught unaware. A variation of this experiment is one that most teachers have already used. If your students normally sit while they speak in class, ask one to stand up, or to move and stand in the front of the room while speaking.
Eyes turn to catch the movement and ears and minds open.
My teaching has been a torrent of words, sometimes written on handouts or on the blackboard, more often simply auditory, my own voice speaking to students as they listen and speak back to me, and sometimes to each other. I've experimented with many different forms of verbal communication, from free-flowing discussions to buzz groups to dyads and circles, all of which have contributed to my classrooms. Susan B. Apel is a professor of law and assistant director of the General Practice Program at Vermont Law School.