Me and myself

13. Golden silence

Unless you are locked up in a prison cell with thousands of hours to fill, protracted stories are less welcome. The most enjoyable conversations are those where people involved keep it short and to the point. It allows for greater progression and much more interesting depth as time passes. A test of how well a conversation is going is quite often measured by how comfortable you feel during a period of natural silence. If you sense awkwardness, then maybe you are not natural conversational partners. Having the confidence to remain quiet for a bit to allow people to gather their thoughts is part of the mastery.