I had a meeting recently where someone had to deliver good news to me. But I didn’t expect the good news, so as soon as the meeting started, I went on a monologue about who-knows-what. I kept talking and talking, without giving the other side a chance to get a word in. It was embarrassing, especially when I learned about the good tithings.
I used to have a boss who was a complete fake. They rose very high up the corporate ladder with virtually no skills, not even people skills. But they were really good at one thing – shutting up. They would sit in meetings quietly, only speaking when addressed directly, and only to agree with what the other party said. Their whole career was build on shutting up and letting people think that they were the silent, thoughtful type.
Shut up at the right time, right place, and good things might happen. Speak at the wrong time, and you can knock your own self out. A good rule of thumb to follow is:
It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it. – Maurice Switzer*
*side note – my whole life I thought this was a Mark Twain quote. Turns out he never said it. It originated from a 1906 children’s book, Mrs Goose, Her Book. Before that, there was a similar biblical quote in Proverbs 17:28, “Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent…”