Brian Tracy says pause three to five seconds after someone finishes talking. It stops you from interrupting, shows you're listening, and gives their words time to land.
Three to five seconds.
February 15, 2023.
Do you know the one key to becoming a great conversationalist? The key is to pause before replying. A short pause of three to five seconds after a person stops talking is a very classy thing to do in a conversation. When you pause, you accomplish three goals simultaneously. First, you avoid running the risk of interrupting if the other person is just catching his or her breath before continuing. The second benefit is that you show the other person that you are giving careful consideration to his or her words by not jumping in with your own comments at the earliest opportunity. The third benefit of pausing in conversation is that you will actually hear the other person better. His or her words will soak into a deeper level of your mind, and you will understand what he or she is really saying with greater clarity.
