I often see seniors and veterans in the organization making two mistakes: talking when it’s time to listen and not knowing when to shut up. I am guilty as well, so here’s a memo for myself.

There’s a time to talk, and there’s a time to listen. If you’re familiar with the topic, you may feel a burning desire to jump in with your thoughts. Besides, if you are a veteran, the threshold for starting to talk is low for you. Catch yourself, take a pause. Wait longer, embrace the awkwardness of the moment. Invite a newcomer to the discussion. The barrier to begin speaking up is higher for a newcomer, but they provide a different perspective on a problem.

Another problem is not knowing how to wrap up your thoughts. What you say is subject to the Pareto principle. The opening phrase provides 80% of the content, and a few supporting arguments exhaust the value of your idea. Providing different perspectives, finding other examples, and explaining in different words is usually a waste of time. The solution is the same: catch yourself, take a pause, wrap it up by asking what others think.

That’s it. If you want to read something else on the same topic, see my notes on boring meetings and multitasking.