One of the best things I’ve done over the past few years (though it’s still a work in progress) is to be more quiet during meetings. If I want to open my mouth, I always try to have the thought of “why am I talking?” before I start.
A while back, Pete and Jen talked about this in an episode of their podcast with this statement as the acronym W.A.I.T. (“Why Am I Talking?”). It was a great episode and I encourage you to give it a listen.
More recently, this came to mind while reading Charles Duhigg’s book “Supercommunicators“, where he said:
“The most effective communicators pause before they speak and ask themselves: Why am I opening my mouth? Unless we know what kind of discussion we’re hoping for—and what type of discussion our companions want—we’re at a disadvantage.”
Being careful with your words is an excellent thing, but it also gives space for others to share their thoughts instead. The trap that I can fall into, though, is to be too focused on whether I should speak up or not and then I’m not as focused as I should be on the person who is currently speaking.
It’s a fine line, and it’s one that I’m continuing to dance upon, but hopefully I’ll continue to get a little better every day.
