Chapter 53 Silence is sometimes more convincing than reasoning

Lincoln is a diligent and studious person. He obtained a lawyer's business license through self-study.He was widely praised for his eloquence, wit and flexibility in court proceedings.On one occasion, he defeated the plaintiff's lawyer without saying a word and won the lawsuit. In the courtroom, the plaintiff's lawyer talked about one or two simple arguments for two hours.Some people even dozed off.Finally, the plaintiff's lawyer finally finished speaking, and Lincoln took the podium as the defendant's lawyer, but he didn't say a word.The audience was silent, and everyone felt very strange.

After a while, Lincoln took off his coat, put it on the table, took a drink from the water glass, put the water down again, and put on his coat again.Then he took off his coat and drank water.This was repeated five or six times. The judges and the audience were amused by Lincoln's pantomime, but Lincoln never said a word, and walked off the podium amidst laughter. His opponent was finally "laughed" and lost. Silence is a weapon.In persuasion, if the other person makes unreasonable demands, or you are tired of what he has said, it is best to sit there and say nothing. During a speech, the British writer Rabes suddenly paused, took out his watch, stood on the podium and looked at the audience in silence for 72 seconds.Just when the audience was puzzled, he said: "The 72 seconds of embarrassment you feel just now is the time it takes for an ordinary worker to lay a brick."

Rebes masterfully presents his speech in terms of silencing, short gaps in speech, or pauses, as a way of grabbing the audience's attention. The meanings expressed by silent words in persuasion are rich and colorful.It can be a wordless approval or a silent protest; it can be acquiescence or reservation; it can be awe-inspiring or an expression of guilt; The expression of public opinion can also be a sign of firm determination and never giving up until the goal is achieved. Silence makes people feel uncomfortable and creates a sense of stalemate for the other person, making them feel compelled to break the deadlock by answering your questions or making new suggestions.It should be noted that after you ask a question and go silent, do not continue to ask other questions or make comments, so as not to break the other party out of the deadlock.Otherwise, your strategy won't work.

Silence is golden, and sometimes silence can win by surprise, but if you talk endlessly, you will not be able to explain clearly.Different ways of silence have different effects, and they must be used just right. Silence is often more convincing than reasoning.When we persuade people, the most troublesome thing is that the other party doesn't say anything.Conversely, if the persuader says nothing, there will be no market for the wrong opinion of the other party.