Silence is one of the simplest but most powerful tools of agreement, but it is traditionally positioned as a tactic of intimidation that pushes a person towards disadvantage.
But new research published in the Journal of Applied Psychology reveals that silence for at least three seconds during a negotiation has benefits. In a series of studies simulating wage negotiations, Jared Curhan, an associate professor of work and study organization at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his colleagues found that this prolonged but short silence could help more reflective thinking and discussion, which, in turn, is likely to bring more opportunities.
In other words, when a person stops to think during the conversation, it can help them to see the conversations differently and move the discussions forward towards a favorable outcome.
In one study, participants were recruited from a university in the US and randomly assigned to be either a job candidate or recruiter. Candidates and recruiters then began to negotiate about the candidate compensation package. When there was silence for 3 to 9 seconds during the talks, it was more likely that the solutions and ideas were "out of bounds".
Burimet: HuffPost, Inc. Magazine
