The Value Of Silence In A Meeting

THE VALUE OF SILENCE IN A MEETING

So how can we apply this to the corporate or board meeting?

This same C level executive from yesterday’s blog who spoke about the value of silence in a negotiation, told me that he also practices the art of silence in
corporate and board meetings to his great advantage.

LISTEN VERY CAREFULLY

He listens very carefully to what everyone is saying and how they look while they are saying it. He has trained himself for many years to resist the normal compulsion to chime in and comment himself, until all have spoken.

YOU GET MORE IMPORTANT INFORMATION

This practice of silence allows him
to take in much more information about not only about the information and message
that people are delivering in the meeting, but also a lot of information about the person speaking
themselves.

He told me that by watching how the person delivers their opinion or data, that he can really spot insecurity, lack of confidence and politics.

PEOPLE “OVER TALK” TO GET NOTICED AND MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION

A lot of time is wasted in meetings where everyone jockeys for visibility. We all want to be valued for our contributions in meetings. But sometimes, the urge to get noticed can compel us to try too hard, talk too long or too often.

This compulsion to talk as much as possible can be very counterproductive to your original objective which most likely was to both make a good impression and deliver your information in the clearest and most strategic way possible.

TRY LISTENING FOR A CHANGE

There is an old saying that goes something like this: “God gave us two eyes, two ears and ONE mouth and we should use them in that proportion.”

So next time you feel the rise to speak, stop yourself for a moment and ask yourself these three questions:

• Why am I feeling compelled to talk at this moment? Do I truly have something of value to add at this moment?
• Is my comment really relevant to the discussion currently on the table?
• Does my comment truly add value to this discussion or is my comment about me getting noticed?

KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT IF YOU ARE NOT ADDING VALUE

If ANY answer to the above three questions is “No,” then try this for a change. Shut your mouth and open your eyes and ears. I assure you that you will learn something by truly focusing on the speaker, what and how they are saying it and be better able to take in their message.

Wait to see if you truly have a comment or idea that will add value to the current discussion. If you don’t, then keep silent until you do.

PEOPLE WILL LISTEN TO YOU MORE RATHER THAN LESS

You will be amazed at how much MORE people will pay attention and listen to you, if you always wait until you truly have something of value to say.