The Power of Silence

I have a task, a reminder to keep my mouth shut in many situations. This is because I have a bad habit of speaking in situations where it is not beneficial. Here are some examples:

Defensiveness: sometimes the only reason I want to speak is because I’m concerned that someone might think less of me. That is a bad reason to speak.

Fill the silence: one of the tricks I learned as an auditor was to allow silence to fill the room, and then people will talk themselves into revealing where they are breaking the rules. Filling the silence can sometimes cause problems in itself.

Trying to lighten the mood: this can sometimes be helpful but sometimes can make people question your character depending on what you might say. Many jokes are inappropriate but may not seem like it.

Always evaluate if silence is the best solution in any situation. There are definitely times to speak, but only if it benefits the situation.