we last talked about, when working in collaborative environments and managing people, those times when you need to speak up. this second part is to help show when you should bite your tongue and be quiet — which could be hard for many people!

knowing when not to talk is as important as knowing when to talk. but don’t get the wrong idea; silence isn’t just a passive way of communicating.  your use of silence can actually be quite active. you’ll find yourself wanting to keep hush:

• when you disagree with someone (i’ll explain)
• when someone is trying to teach you something
• when you’re trying to teach something to someone
• when people are telling a story

when you disagree with someone, state your case — or they may state theirs in contrary to yours — and then shut up. listen to what that person has to say in response, and rather than defend your position alone, differ to people who you know agree with you. understand what the opposition’s viewpoint is, and make intelligent decisions based off of that conversation. sometimes the best choice may be to agree to disagree. Read the rest of this entry »