… and then I found myself unable to talk for a few days.
(I will not bore you with the details but it had something to do with laryngitis and damaged vocal chords.)
Anyway, here’s what I’m getting at: Even though I believe that I am a good listener and conversationalist – always making sure to engage others, ask questions, and be mindful of not taking over discussions – a strange thing happened when I lost my voice… Given my forced silence, people around me seemed to have a lot more to say all of a sudden.
When I would normally be offering the next topic of discussion or asking that one question that would, supposedly, light up the conversation, now I just stayed silent for a bit longer and then… MAGIC!
Even my otherwise shy, introverted, quiet counterparts appeared more than willing (and quite capable) of filling the gaps. Granted, not every interaction was an oratory masterpiece, but more often than not it was quite relevant and intriguing.
So, what is the lesson to be learned? There are plenty of great ideas to go around, so allow them to be heard. Don’t be so quick to fill the silence void with the sound of your voice… give it another second or two. Most likely, someone else will fill the gap with something exciting and new to say, perhaps something that most likely would have been lost forever had you been talking instead.
Ok, time to be quiet again… what say you?
Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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John Kypriotakis is the President of Lysis International,
a Tampa based Sales and Management consulting firm,
specializing in B2B Sales, Management and Leadership.
www.SalesAndManagement.com
813-792-8500
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Good post, John!
As you know, I do most of my sales work over the phone where because of the absence of body language and other visual cues it can be slightly more difficult to tell if someone is actually finished talking or if they are simply pausing.
A good way to deal with this is to count to 3 after they stop talking before you begin to talk to give them time to resume if that’s what they are going to do. Oh yeah, and be sure you count SILENTLY, not aloud. 🙂
Nick
@NickBianchi Great comments Nick, thanks for stopping by. “Counting Silently” priceless!!!
A good way to deal with this is to count to 3 after they stop talking before you begin to talk to give them time to resume if that’s what they are going to do.
Nice post. I do most of my sales work over the phone where because of the absence of body language and other visual cues it can be slightly more difficult to tell if someone is actually finished talking. Thanks for sharing.
I do most of my sales work over the phone where because of the absence of body language and other visual cues it can be slightly more difficult to tell if someone is actually finished talking or if they are simply pausing.