1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:14,920 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: Today's tip is that silence really is golden in tough conversations, 4 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 1: a little bit of quiet can lead to better outcomes 5 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: for everyone. So in any negotiation, there's always a lot 6 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 1: of back and forth. People ask tough questions. That's to 7 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: be expected. But our usual approach is to answer quickly 8 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: and maybe figure out what we want to say while 9 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 1: we are talking. Some new research suggests that we are 10 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:49,159 Speaker 1: better off taking time to think. In a recent study 11 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 1: done by professors at the m I. T. Sloane School 12 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: of Management, participants were told to consciously insert short periods 13 00:00:56,600 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: of silence into negotiations. After towards they reported on outcomes. 14 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:05,840 Speaker 1: The researchers found that when silence was used as a tactic, 15 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: the person deploying it was more likely to recognize opportunities 16 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: for both sides to get more of what they wanted. 17 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:18,760 Speaker 1: In a companion test, the researchers analyzed naturally occurring pauses 18 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 1: in a negotiation. They found that breakthroughs were far more 19 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: likely to occur after periods of silence lasting at least 20 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 1: three seconds. Then at other points in the negotiation. Now, 21 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: there are a few reasons that this might be true. 22 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: If one person consciously leaves some open air space, the 23 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 1: other person might try to fill it, thus offering up 24 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: more information that can then be taken into account. This 25 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: is one reason that wise job seekers are often told 26 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: to leave some silence while talking about compensation. Asking could 27 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 1: you do a little better and then waiting for the 28 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: other person to feel awkward can sometimes cause them to 29 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 1: feel awkward enough to come up on the number. But 30 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: these studies weren't really about winning the negotiation per se. 31 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 1: They were more about looking at what allows for thoughtful outcomes. 32 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:22,640 Speaker 1: More than anything else. Silence lets you think. When you 33 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:26,040 Speaker 1: don't just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, 34 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 1: you can take a step back and view the negotiation holistically. 35 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: This increases the chances of getting to a good outcome 36 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: for everyone. So the next time you are in a 37 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: challenging conversation, or when you are negotiating over something, try 38 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 1: a little more silence. Take a deep breath, count to 39 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: three before talking. Even a little quiet seems to go 40 00:02:54,919 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 1: a long way, and better outcomes are always productive. In 41 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: the meantime. This is Laura thanks for listening, and here's 42 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: to making the most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd 43 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 1: love to hear from you. You can send me your tips, 44 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,519 Speaker 1: your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, 45 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:28,360 Speaker 1: Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's B the 46 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:32,679 Speaker 1: number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also 47 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i 48 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out 49 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward 50 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of 51 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 1: I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, 52 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 53 00:03:57,600 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.