Is Volume Really Equated With Competence?
Posted in Interpersonal, Leadership, Professional on 10. Sep, 2009
As we noted yesterday, the conventional wisdom of “less is more” in conversations certainly seems to work well for Ben Bernanke.
Here’s an opposing point of view from US News and World Report, which claimed today:
“Research shows that people who speak up more often in groups are viewed as more competent and more instrumental to a group’s overall success. Maybe they aren’t the smartest people in the room, and maybe what they have to say isn’t always 100 percent right on, but talkative people are perceived as more dominant. And, for better or for worse, dominant people are perceived as competent people.”
Can’t say I agree, but there’s definitely something to be said for remembering that silence at meetings can also be interpreted as irrelevance. No one remembers a wallflower who sat at the edge of a room and didn’t contribute anything.
So yes, it’s important to speak up at times—but the idea dominance and competence are synonymous seems a little misguided to me. In addition, even if talking more is perceived as dominance (or competence), it doesn’t mean that it’s a technique that a gentleman should strive for. Is it wrong to be important or influential in meetings? Of course not—but I believe the best way to achieve this is by bringing out the best in others—not domineering.
“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” – Mark Twain
“Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.” – Proverbs 17:28
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Great post. It’s true that remaining silent is good, it’s also true that loud people are heard more, and confidence to be loud is assumed as confidence of correctness–and thus often works. But on the other hand, when the loud person is shown wrong, they lose legitimacy in the long term. Maybe it’s good to understand this fact while also attempting to be silent most of the time. That way you can be more impactful when you choose to speak.