Listen Up or Lose Out

15

Listen Through the Pauses

I waited while you spoke,

I listened to your reasoning;

while you were searching for words,

I gave you my full attention.

—JOB 32:11

JOURNALIST NATHAN MILLER once said that “conversation in the United States is a competitive exercise in which the first person to draw a breath is declared the listener.” Although Miller was obviously exaggerating, we thought he was on to something and decided to investigate what happens when a speaker pauses momentarily, whether to catch a breath or for other reasons. From our consulting ...