cheryl
Administrator
Staff member
Intelligent Minds Like Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos Embrace the Rule of Awkward Silence. You Should Too - Inc.
The rule of awkward silence has always been valuable. But in a world of instant gratification, it's more useful than ever.
Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos run two of the most valuable companies in the world. From the outside, they seem to exhibit very different personalities. But within their companies, both men are known for a fascinating practice:
They each embrace the rule of awkward silence.
As I've described previously, the rule of awkward silence is simple: When faced with a challenging question, instead of answering, you pause and think deeply about how you want to answer. This is no short pause; rather, it involves taking several seconds (10, 20, or longer) to think things through before responding.
If you're on the receiving end--and not used to this type of communication style--it can seem very awkward.
The rule of awkward silence has always been valuable. But in a world of instant gratification, it's more useful than ever.
Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos run two of the most valuable companies in the world. From the outside, they seem to exhibit very different personalities. But within their companies, both men are known for a fascinating practice:
They each embrace the rule of awkward silence.
As I've described previously, the rule of awkward silence is simple: When faced with a challenging question, instead of answering, you pause and think deeply about how you want to answer. This is no short pause; rather, it involves taking several seconds (10, 20, or longer) to think things through before responding.
If you're on the receiving end--and not used to this type of communication style--it can seem very awkward.