Silence as a Strategy

Last year I was in a group with loud voices. Someone asked me a quiet question: "how am I being heard?"

It stopped me.

I'd apparently come across as a young, quiet, gentle voice – and yet when I spoke the boisterous group paused to listen.

There's something in the Tao te Ching about this. The idea that “The one who knows doesn't always speak”.

In that room, I'd been listening more than talking. So when I did speak, I had more to offer – and the people who'd been filling the air stopped for a moment to take it in.

I'm not saying silence is a strategy. But I think we consistently underestimate the people in the room who are absorbing rather than broadcasting.

Who is someone around you who might be quietly knowing and not yet speaking?

I'd invite you to ask for their thoughts. And then quietly listen.