The art of silence’ (original) (raw)

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov, 2011

Unlike previous research on voice and silence, this article breaks the distance between the two and declines to treat them as opposites. Voice and silence are interrelated and intertwined strategic forms of communication which presuppose each other in such a way that the absence of one would minimize completely the other's presence. Social actors are not voice, or silence. Social actors can have voice or silence, they can do both because they operate at multiple levels and deal with multiple issues at different moments in time.

Successful Silences: A Practitioner's Toolkit

Tripodos, 48, pp. 115-129, 2020

In this paper I present ten patterns of successful silence which professional communicators use in their daily work. A silence succeeds if, first, it is mutually recognised as communication and, second, it conveys meaning, which the listener principally interprets the way the speaker has implied. The focus here is on communicative silence, although non-communicative silence is also a common and legitimate technique. I remain as close as possible to the language of the practitioner, which is both functional and rich in proto-theories that wait to be developed. Patterns are tools, not rules. Rules are abstract and universal. Tools are concrete and situational. Patterns depend on the context and objectives of a campaign-they do not work in every situation. One needs to know how to select and apply them. Coded in shortcut titles, some patterns are: know when to shut up; engagement is a means, not an end; no negative publicity first; everything you say is on the record; people follow leaders, not communication; and how to measure silence. This paper "breaks the silence" on behalf of communicators and for the sake of learners.

Exploring the Links Among Silence, Learning, and Innovation at Work

2014

This research study explored how silence influences individual and organizational learning and innovation. I began by reflecting on my own experiences with silence as a conduit to learning. Thereafter, organizational learning and innovation was explored in the context of the rapidly changing and turbulent environment, organizational metaphors and conversation. As a phenomenon, silence was explored in workplace learning literature, culture, religion, health care, and language. Applying narrative inquiry as a methodology, I followed with conversations with 8 participants, each of whom shared their individual and personal stories of how they practiced silence in the workplace, in their learning at work and in their personal lives. Each participant story was captured on audiotape and later transcribed (with participant approval). Field notes were taken during my conversations with participants and I maintained a personal journal of reflections and observations throughout the study. The transcribed stories, field notes and my personal reflections were reviewed several times by me and my participants resulting in the emergence of a core story suggesting that we are all interconnected individually, collectively and transpersonally and that silence is a means by which to enhance each of these connections and strengthen the interrelationships. Three significant themes emerged from the data: silence connects to self; silence connects to other; and silence connects to Spirit. An emergent model integrating and connecting my findings with complexity theory and transpersonal psychology theory was presented leading to the proposal that the organizational learning context be viewed as a complex field where the intrapersonal, interpersonal and transpersonal or spiritual fields intersect, connect, and interact simultaneously and sequentially. Silence was found to influence learning by influencing and enhancing the intersection, connection and interaction of each of the fields individually and collectively. iii Preface-My Personal Journey with Silence Marshall and Rossman (2006) have suggested that "the curiosity that inspires qualitative research often comes initially from observations of the real world, emerging from the interplay of direct experience, with emerging theory. .. as well as from growing scholarly interests" (p. 27). In an effort to more clearly convey my deep interest in the phenomenon under study, I wish to provide a personal account and description of my observations of and relationship with silence beginning with my early years while living in Northern Ontario to my present day experiences. I am a first generation Canadian, of Finnish descent. During my formative years, and until I finished University, I lived with my family in rural Northern Ontario, in a small community surrounded by other Finnish immigrant families. My home, built by my father, was located in what we referred to as "the bush" just outside of the city limits. Our house was located at the base of a large, rocky hill with miles and miles of pristine country beyond. Our kitchen and living room windows had magnificent views of the lake, and my bedroom window had a beautiful view of the forest behind. Our nearest neighbours were my uncle and aunt and their family who lived a few hundred yards to our left. We owned the property across the gravel road as well where we had a dock and a sauna on the banks of the lake. Regularly, my family and friends and I would spend time together enjoying the lake, having a sauna, going for a swim, canoeing, or skating. Finns are often thought of as a quiet people. Many North Americans who encounter a Finn for the first time may think that person is shy, uncommunicative, or reserved. Although as a nationality, we may be seen as taciturn, it does not mean that we do not like to talk or have conversations with one another. Indeed, we do converse with one another. For example, our home was alive with conversation. We talked about all manner of subjects from the mundane of recounting what happened at school to the emotionally charged subjects such politics, religion, iv hockey and other sports. We would have conversations as we worked around the house and did chores, as we enjoyed a sauna and swim at the lake, or at the table while we had dinner. However, embedded in the conversations was and is an appreciation for, and tolerance of, silence and pause. The need to speak up or be heard is not as strong in the Finnish culture as it is in the North American culture. At times words are unnecessary. In fact, the silence of a Finn during a conversation often informs that same conversation just as much as spoken words do. Silence to a Finn is a natural way of being. During my youth, I spent many hours in silence. Whether I was playing in the yard or in my room, paddling a canoe, exploring ponds and creeks, or hiking in the forest, I have many fond memories of being immersed in silence. I never questioned the place silence held in my world. The silence with which I surrounded myself never felt empty. During my silence, I felt aware and connected to everything around me. My other senses became much more acute. For example, I could hear the many levels of sounds within the woods. I could smell the mixture of moss, fresh and rotting leaves, soil, flowers and water. I could also sense how someone else was feeling based on what I was hearing and sensing during a conversation. Over the years, there have been times when I have lost my connection with silence. I, like many others, have become caught up in the pursuit of my professional goals and the busyness of life. The more I experienced the North American culture of my friends from school and later as I attended University and began work, the more silence began to slip away from me. In my rush to achieve and become accomplished, I would make a point of speaking up in order to be heard. The competitive nature of my work environments contributed to my need to speak up or be passed over. Over time, my treadmill-like life of pursuing my goals caught up to me and I was physically required, due to illness, to pause. Since then, I have become reacquainted with v my old friend, and have become familiar once again with the qualities of silence. I have been reminded of the importance of silence in my life and its ability to nurture and restore me. I now regularly inject pauses in my day-today life. Every morning I begin my day with silent contemplation. During this time, I don't really think about anything in particular. Generally, I just sit and enjoy my coffee and quiet my mind and attend to how I feel. I allow myself space to reconnect and be grateful for what is. During the day, I often insert pauses into my work or learning. I often give myself a time out in order to let things percolate and provide opportunities for new possibilities to emerge. What I have always appreciated about silence is its flexibility and chameleon-like quality. Silence can be a placea retreat, a safe haven, or a destination. It can also be something I do, a practice or activity on its own or in combination with other activities. I can be silent while I am alone or with othersit is always available to me. Silence is a resource of infinite proportions. Silence can be the answer to a question, or silence can pose the question. Silence connects me to myself, it connects me to others, and it connects me to the world and universe connecting us all. Silence is my witness, my constant companion, my friend and my confidante. Silence is forceful when I need it to be and gentle and compassionate when the occasion calls. Silence is always welcoming and non-judgmental, and totally accepting of mefaults and all. I have come from silence and one day I will return to the silence. In between, I visit silence intentionally and reverently. Silence surrounds mereminding me to be me. Silence refreshes my spirit and strengthens my soul and constantly reminds me to Luota itseesi. .. trust myself. So now, once again I am listening to silence as it reminds me to Luota itseesitrust myself. I have decided to trust myself and others as I take this opportunity to explore the phenomenon of silence in the context of this study. practices need to be developed that recognize the potential value of silence and allow for its impact upon learning to be better understood and to unfold" (p. 582). Researchers in other fields such as the arts, philosophy, religion, science and language have also investigated the influence of silence. In music, for example, researchers identified the importance of silence in the movement of a musical piece (Clifton, 1976; Hatch, 1999; Rowell, 1979; Shultis, 1995). Clifton (1976), a researcher engaged in the study of the phenomenology of music, suggested our perception of reality and time are altered when we encounter silences within musical pieces (p. 165). Hatch (1999), in a study relating jazz ensembles to organizational behaviour, identified that musicians in a jazz ensemble intentionally leave spaces in their playing to provide opportunities for new ideas to emerge from others. Further literature referred to how artists draw on silence for inspiration in poetry, visual

Towards a typology of silence

Journal of Pragmatics, 2007

The article presents a typology of silence in social interaction, based on a number of features, including the number of participants in the interaction, the identity of the text that is left unsaid, and the intention of the silent person. Four types are proposed-conversation, thematic, textual and situational. Since conversational silence has been extensively discussed elsewhere, the focus of the article is on the other three types, and several problematic cases are discussed concerning not only the classification of instances of silence but also whether what has been called silence is in effect silence. The types of silence are illustrated by examples such as silence in the library, during classroom lessons, in political speeches, remembrance ceremonies, and theatrical and musical performances.

Shades of Silence: Emerging Themes and Future Directions for Research on Silence in Organizations

Journal of Management Studies, 2003

Individuals in organizations face a choice about whether to speak up or remain silent about concerns that they have at work. Individuals make this choice within the context of an organizational hierarchy in which bosses who do not wish to hear about problems can punish people for speaking up and within the context of a social system that has implicit norms about the desirability of speaking up. Not surprisingly, it appears that the decision to remain silent about developing issues or problems is a fairly common one (Milliken, Morrison, and Hewlin, this issue; . This decision to not speak up about issues or problems is important to understand not only because it has the potential to undermine the reporting of unethical and illegal practices and the likelihood of effective organizational learning Edmondson, this issue; but also because it affects the lives of the individuals making these decisions (Creed, this issue). Speaking up about problems or issues is not without risks but staying silent comes with its own set of potentially negative consequences for individuals. Over time, the feeling of being unable to speak up about issues and concerns may result in a sense of helplessness as well as reduced job satisfaction, turnover, and other more long-lasting personal consequences.