Comments on: This Week in the World ~ The Power of Silence http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2008/08/21/this-week-in-the-world-the-power-of-silence/ By Meryl Runion and SpeakStrong, Inc. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:31:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Malcolm http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/2008/08/21/this-week-in-the-world-the-power-of-silence/comment-page-1/#comment-176338 Malcolm Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:16:22 +0000 http://www.speakstrong.com/newsletter/?p=656#comment-176338 Hi Meryl, Your comments about silence reminded me of a time over 35 years ago. I was 20 and at Outward Bound, a personal development camp. At that time I had someting to say about everything, a story from somewhere, I knew someone who had done the same thing, a crude joke, a comment. After a few days my team leader took me aside and told me how it was driving everyone up the pole. He said "Just try shutting up" I did, and said very little for the next couple of weeks. At one point, we had a particularly difficult challenge to overcome and there was intense discussion. I tried to speak, but my voice was lost until one of the team said "Hey fellers, Malcolm says almost nothing and now he has something to say. It may be important and I think we should listen." I got a good hearing and my idea was accepted as the best solution. For the remainder of the camp, when I spoke I was listened to. That was a powerful lesson. I have continued on with that practice. Meryl, an offshoot of that is how much I really get to hear. Of interest, the challenge was, with a team of eight, standing knee deep in a swift stream, how to get the whole team over a rope suspended six feet off the ground without touching it. It was a time trial. Hi Meryl,
Your comments about silence reminded me of a time over 35 years ago. I was 20 and at Outward Bound, a personal development camp. At that time I had someting to say about everything, a story from somewhere, I knew someone who had done the same thing, a crude joke, a comment. After a few days my team leader took me aside and told me how it was driving everyone up the pole. He said “Just try shutting up” I did, and said very little for the next couple of weeks.

At one point, we had a particularly difficult challenge to overcome and there was intense discussion. I tried to speak, but my voice was lost until one of the team said “Hey fellers, Malcolm says almost nothing and now he has something to say. It may be important and I think we should listen.” I got a good hearing and my idea was accepted as the best solution. For the remainder of the camp, when I spoke I was listened to. That was a powerful lesson. I have continued on with that practice.

Meryl, an offshoot of that is how much I really get to hear.

Of interest, the challenge was, with a team of eight, standing knee deep in a swift stream, how to get the whole team over a rope suspended six feet off the ground without touching it. It was a time trial.

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