I’m off to the Outdoor Industry Association Rendezvous, an annual meeting of the hoi polloi of the outdoor industry, plus me. You can’t swing a wildcat by the tail without knocking over at least one CEO of one huge outdoor company. I also have a board meeting with many of the same group, except more high-powered than the attendees. I probably own the smallest business of anyone at this event.
To top it all off, I’m an introvert.
I can speak to 500 people without a hitch. I can hang out with a half a dozen friends. But put me in a room of 50 people I don’t know and command me to mingle, I would just as well crawl under the couch and look for loose change until everyone leaves. We’re Quiet. We don’t like mingling, but I force myself to meet 5 new people then I leave.
From the book, Quiet…
“If we assume that quiet and loud people have roughly the same number of good (and bad) ideas, then we should worry if the louder and more forceful people always carry the day. This would mean that an awful lot of bad ideas prevail while good ones get squashed. Yet studies in group dynamics suggest that this is exactly what happens. We perceive talkers as smarter than quiet types–even though grade-point averages and SAT and intelligence test scores reveal this perception to be inaccurate.”
I know a lot of people who talk a lot. So did Shakespeare. Merchant of Venice.
Gratiano: …silence is only commendable in a neat’s tongue and a maid not vendible.
Bassanio: Gratiano speaks an infinite deal of nothing.
I’m with Bassanio.
More from Quiet:
“We also see talkers as leaders. The more a person talks, the more other group members direct their attention to him, which means that he becomes increasingly powerful as a meeting goes on. It also helps to speak fast; we rate quick talkers as more capable and appealing than slow talkers.”
No wonder we don’t stand a chance.
The hardest part is when we do speak up and louder, more persistent voices drown out the quiet dissent. What happens then are more snap decisions with limited information. Then we bomb a country half a world away because the loud voices say there are weapons there. Quiet voices most assuredly said there was no evidence, but our society rewards decisive, bold action. Even when it’s stupid.
“Study to be quiet, and do your own business,” said Paul to the Thessalonian busy-bodies. Too much noise is confusing and
This week I will:
- Listen more
- Talk less
- But speak loudly when warranted.