Why Silence Is Powerful - 5 Secret Advantages of Being Silent ByThe 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
Law
#4 always say less than necessary. If you read Robert Greene’s 48 laws of
power, you most likely heard of this. This Article go in depth about the 5
advantages of being silent.
Quick
disclaimer - there are times where it is unwise to be silent as it can arouse
suspicion but when done right, it is highly beneficial.
You
appear more powerful. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The
more you say the higher chance you have of looking like a fool. If you hear
someone constantly talking about how great they are, you would think they are a
narcissist or full of crap. Louis the 14th would always have his courtiers
tremble in fear when delivering bad news. He would always say I shall see and
follow it with intimidating silence. This was a very powerful man and his
silence was one of the foundations of his power. Although you might not be a
king, you can still use silence to appear more powerful. What you say will mean
more and carry more weight when you say something if you are often silent. People
will often find you unpredictable and hard to read and thus be more drawn to
you.
You
will learn to read people. If you are often silent, you will often be listening
and observing others. You can spot liars and see through people’s true
intentions because they might slip up trying to fill the silence. When you are
silent, you have the opportunity to read someones body language and see if it
matches the words they are saying. Over time, you can start to notice trends
and can start reading people based on a few observations. The power to read
someone is a powerful skill you can learn by being silent. The information you
can get from reading someone is powerful and you can use it to make someone more
or less uncomfortable depending on your intentions.
Once
words are out, you can’t take them back. You don’t want to say something you
will regret. Silence is a great way to help with self-control. Sometimes, your
superiors might mistreat you and you want to lash out in the moment. You might
feel satisfied in the moment after lashing out but it is not worth the price to
pay in the future. Serving your ego only takes you further away from the things
you want in life. Hold your tongue, calm down, and then respectfully hold your
ground. Make sure you have a strategic response rather than just vent your
emotions. Even if your superior is in the wrong, venting your emotions can make
the situation worse. Address the situation properly and make sure they make it
up to you. If you are often mistreated though, you should leave.
You
will be a great listener and people will love talking to you. If you read Dale
Carnegie’s how to win friends and influence people, you might remember the story
of dale talking to a florist at a dinner party. Dale was mostly listening the
whole time while the florist would talk on and on. At the end of the party, the
florist would go on to tell the host dale was one of the best conversationalists
he ever spoke to. Dale got praised for being silent most of the time and you
can replicate the same situation. People want to be heard and understood. By
being silent and listening, you will make the other person feel good as they
are speaking. If you are comfortable talking less and listening more, you will
appear more charismatic.
Silence is a great negotiation tool. In negotiations,
both parties want something from the other. Long drawn out pauses are awkward
and uncomfortable for both parties. If you can be comfortable with the silence,
you will have the upper hand in negotiating. It is human nature to fill the
void of silence so the other side will get nervous and can cave in to what you
want. The silence will make it appear that the other party needs you more than
you need them. You can also use the silence to plan out what you want to say
next. If you end up talking a lot instead, the other side can see that you
might be nervous and they will have the upper hand in negotiations. You don’t
want to be giving too much information away because it can and will be used
against you. Are you someone who talks a lot or someone that is more silent?
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