Silence really is golden

Pausing in negotiations leads to better outcomes

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is that silence really is golden in tough conversations,
a little bit of quiet can lead to better outcomes

(00:25):
for everyone. So in any negotiation, there's always a lot
of back and forth. People ask tough questions. That's to
be expected. But our usual approach is to answer quickly
and maybe figure out what we want to say while
we are talking. Some new research suggests that we are
better off taking time to think. In a recent study

(00:49):
done by professors at the m I. T. Sloane School
of Management, participants were told to consciously insert short periods
of silence into negotiations. After towards they reported on outcomes.
The researchers found that when silence was used as a tactic,
the person deploying it was more likely to recognize opportunities

(01:10):
for both sides to get more of what they wanted.
In a companion test, the researchers analyzed naturally occurring pauses
in a negotiation. They found that breakthroughs were far more
likely to occur after periods of silence lasting at least
three seconds. Then at other points in the negotiation. Now,

(01:32):
there are a few reasons that this might be true.
If one person consciously leaves some open air space, the
other person might try to fill it, thus offering up
more information that can then be taken into account. This
is one reason that wise job seekers are often told
to leave some silence while talking about compensation. Asking could

(01:57):
you do a little better and then waiting for the
other person to feel awkward can sometimes cause them to
feel awkward enough to come up on the number. But
these studies weren't really about winning the negotiation per se.
They were more about looking at what allows for thoughtful outcomes.
More than anything else. Silence lets you think. When you

(02:22):
don't just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind,
you can take a step back and view the negotiation holistically.
This increases the chances of getting to a good outcome
for everyone. So the next time you are in a
challenging conversation, or when you are negotiating over something, try

(02:44):
a little more silence. Take a deep breath, count to
three before talking. Even a little quiet seems to go
a long way, and better outcomes are always productive. In
the meantime. This is Laura thanks for listening, and here's

(03:06):
to making the most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd
love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,
your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,
Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's B the

(03:28):
number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also
shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i
heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out
with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward
to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of

(03:50):
I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio,
visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
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