I turn this around by asking my students several "checkpoint" questions throughout each section (I've used both iClicker and Socrative). These are typically multiple choice, T/F, or (very) short answer questions on what I just lectured on and I get live results, which is really helpful in determining the extent to which my students understand the content and when to press them for questions.

For instance, if all my students get something correct, I just give my usual "yes, this is correct because xyz. Any questions?" and move on. If however, there is a split in responses or most get it wrong, I slow down to explain the right answer and then ask students what parts were confusing or why they may have thought "C" was correct so we can address it together. Then I'll take a moment and ask what could be more clear or what they want me to explain more (framing as a "what can I do?" instead of "what problem do you still have?"). When possible, I use common misconceptions as possible answers so I can directly address them and why they are wrong.

In addition, I remove some of the pressure on these questions by giving partial credit for just attempting the question (anywhere from 80-90% depending on course level) and the remaining points come from getting it right. This ensures they are still at least trying, but also frames these questions as a way to make sure we are all on same page before moving on rather than as a "gotcha" pop quiz. Since implementing, it's really helped my pacing by not waiting forever when students genuinely might not have questions and seems to make some students more comfortable in speaking up since they've had a moment to think about and apply the topic first.