The power of silence

We learn more when we stop talking and listen. We have two ears and one mouth; we should listen twice as much as we speak. I'm finding this to be so true. When I'm quiet, the person talking is either discussing something I can learn, or they are just filling a void, and I'm learning about their insecurities. But there is so much more to learn when we are quiet.

"We have two ears and one mouth; therefore, we should listen twice as much as we speak." - Zeno

Why talk to someone when that person isn't even listening? Why respond to something that is a statement? The person talking is clearly talking just to brag about how smart they are; they don't want to learn anything from you. They just want to convey facts and information they know. This can be a good thing if you are learning something from them and they are generally interesting. This can also be a waste of your time because the subject matter they are regurgitating is useless, googable. We can't help but switch off.

"The less you say, the more intimidating and powerful you are." - Robert Greene

On the flip side of this, if a question arises, then you can choose to answer it; they might generally be interested or want to know some information you have. Be careful here, as some people are just being polite and are merely waiting for their turn to speak. If this is the case, then they aren't listening, just merely waiting their turn. This is a hard one to figure out, but the answer to this query is how much more they ask questions or deep-dive into the subject you are talking about. If this is the case then they are interesting in what you have to say.

"When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control… The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish." - Robert Greene

Here, Greene is making the statement that the less you say, the more mysterious you become. This is only the case if you have other desirable traits that the party is interested in. Being a hermit in the corner doesn't make you appealing at a gathering. But saying only one or two powerful points on a subject shows you are listening and well-informed. Or even smarter because you are not wasting their time with banal facts and innuendos.

You learn more when you stop talking because when you are talking, all you are doing is repeating facts you already know. When you stop talking and start listening, you can now have the ability to access knowledge you haven't already obtained.