Wednesday, August 21, 2013
COM 325 / Week #9 Discussion: Silence: Don't take it lightly
In our culture, we are expected to talk. So we often make awkward small talk to fill in the silence. But in other cultures, silence is just fine. In fact, silence is golden. Native Americans can wait for years to answer your questions. In Eastern cultures, especially those that practice Buddhism, silence is linked to truth. Silence facilitates telepathy, aka mind-to-mind communication, which is actually the highest level of human communication. What do you think about this?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I have a greatly example to give for the saying "silence is golden." I have a four year old little brother, and don't get me wrong I love him to death, but man he talks A LOT! Sometimes I cannot even get him to eat his dinner he just loves to talk and be involved and even have conversations with the adults. I love him and am so glad he loves to talk to me, but when he decides to be quiet and actually eat his dinner, that silence is something that I cherish and is no longer taken for granted. I do agree that in our culture we are expected to talk all the time, but I like it sometimes when it is silent. I have six brothers and sisters, so there is never a dull moment at my parents house. But that time at night, when everyone is cooling down and relaxing (even if it's because everyone is playing on their cell phones), that time is far too often taken for granted.
ReplyDeleteI believe in the power of nonverbal communication and the message of action space, time and silence. In my job I mentor and teach young people about the importance of nonverbal communication in everything professionally that they may encounter. In my own career and life I have been referred to as quiet or not having a lot to say and more of a thinker then a talker. In my personal life I have been asked “what’s wrong” by so many girlfriends and my wife because I may have not spoken as much as the other person may have expected to be a normal amount. At a recent department function I was introduced as someone who always doesn’t have a lot to say but I am the soul of the fire department. When I was a child and in trouble my parents would yell at me to say something or explain myself. I would infuriate them because I didn’t explain my behavior give excuses or try to make up some story that would likely get me into more trouble.
ReplyDeleteTo me silence is golden I do not require people to have small talk with me. I can sit on an airplane shoulder to shoulder with someone for several hours and not utter a word to them. I can drive on a family trip and speak very little to my girlfriend without fear of repercussion. I have lived in my new house for over two years and have only briefly talked to any of my neighbors. Professionally if I need to speak to someone I will seek them out and have a direct short and possibly frank discussion that will be sorely lacking in BS and small talk. I’m annoyed by long winded; know it all types who talk so much about nothing that I have to tune them out about three minutes into a conversation. I’m not a big fan of long drawn out arguments although sometimes unavoidable, I will explain my positions without going on and on about my beliefs or perceptions of the reality in question. I try to stick to the facts on hand and not force my opinion on people with different beliefs then myself.