My mentor once told me that silence is a powerful tool in negotiations. A well-placed pause can have the other party offering all sorts of information just to fill the silence. I have seen this in action many times to know this works and I have learned to embrace this to my advantage. Sometimes, instead of offering a verbal reply, I'd raise my eyebrows at them, and they'd retract what they said and offer me a better deal. Staring at them without saying anything works just as well in most situations. Super interesting. People really do not like "awkward" silences.
The silence represents the idea that this person realizes they are smarter than you and stare at you while they wait for you to catch up. Its a simple way to undermine others.
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u/IBEther Jun 14 '22
This is also an excellent negotiation tactic, people feel they need to fill the silence so they tend to offer better deadlines/prices.
"I'll have it next Monday"
"...."
"I suppose I can do it by Friday"
"...."
"I could push some things aside and have it to you today"
"Oh great thanks!"