Silence

Without question, the single most effective interviewing tool I have is silence.

As a journalist, i get the best answers from people when I just sit there and stare at them after an answer.

Silence generally makes people fill awkward, and they try to fill it.

If there’s one major ingredient missing in my life right now, it just might be silence.

Why do we talk so much?  What’s wrong with sitting with someone and not saying anything?

Talking just to fill silence is usually wasting your breath.

I love noise as much as the next guy… I like studying and reading in coffee shops, listening to music with the volume up, and singing when no one is around.

But there’s something about silence that points us inward.  Makes us evaluate who we really are.

Maybe that’s why we try to avoid it.  Sometimes hearing your thoughts is uncomfortable.

But I find it helps me center myself.  It helps me stay focused.  It reminds me who I really am, when I’m not yelling jokes across the room.