"Better to stay silent and be thought a fool than to speak and prove it."

There’s a lot of quotes and advice out there saying this same thing.

Until recently, I thought that wisdom was only for that person.

You know the one:

They take over every meeting, toss out a question only to ignore your answer and yank the conversation back to themselves.

But now I think: Maybe that advice is actually for all of us.

Not because we’re rude, but because we’re nervous. 🫣

Here are three small changes to make that have a big impact on how we show up with more clarity and confidence:

1. ZIP IT 🤐

At Social Media Marketing World, I went to a session on sales with Nikki Rausch. One of her biggest takeaways was to know when to stop talking.

In journalism school, we were taught the same trick: Stay silent after your interviewee finishes talking.

Most people interpret silence as awkwardness. So if they break the silence first, you'll often get something better than what you initially asked for.

In business, that pause is received as quiet confidence.

It's where we build trust.

If we keep talking, it leads to rambling, discounting, assuming the client’s answer, or undercutting our own offer.

Confidence is quiet.

Trust that the client will share their thoughts (if give them the space).

2. S L O W D O W N

During Jerry Potter’s session on modular podcasting, he told a story from his radio days, where one contest segment never seemed to hit the way he wanted it to.

He knows the stat where only 10% of people call in for radio contests. So he thought better prizes for the contests would get more people to call in.

An outside producing consultant gave him one note: “What if you spent a full 20 seconds explaining the contest... Mention the value of the prizes, then say the phone number slower.”

The next day, he tried it. Instead of the usual ten callers, hundreds called in.

Nothing changed about the contest. Now the audience just had more time to act on it.

I hate to say it, but we do this too.

We rush through the parts we don’t think matter: Logistics, pricing, process, timelines.

Sometimes, these details are precisely what our audience needs to hear to take action.

3. Respect their autonomy

As marketers, we often try to drive urgency:

• BUY NOW
• CLICK THE LINK IN BIO TO READ MORE
• SIGN UP TODAY

It's the nature of the game. However, one speaker offered a different angle that stuck with me: She urged us to leverage people's autonomy.

Nancy Harhut led a session on behavioral science behind buying decisions, filled with fascinating research on how we make choices.

Here's my biggest takeaway: People are 4x more likely to make a decision if you remind them the have options.

By acknowledging their autonomy, which we value deeply (subconsciously), you've triggered an indicator that you can be trusted.

This DOESN'T mean we stop guiding people or sharing CTAs.

Instead, we’re pairing CTAs with a layer of respect.

Show people we trust them to make the right call for themselves and they'll reciprocate with trust in return.

Say less. Impact more.

Saying less isn't about staying quiet when you should speak up. Instead it's about knowing when your words need room to breathe. Recognizing if you're talking out of habit vs intention.

Because the truth is:

You don't have to say more to make a bigger impact. You just have to say it clearly, and give it space to land.

So this week, practice this:

• Zip it after you talk price.
• Slow down on the parts you usually speed through.
• Respect your listener's decision making skills by helping them see their options clearly.

What I'm consuming

Podcast: Done by Lunch with Jerry Potter

One of my favorite speakers from Social Media Marketing World, Jerry’s podcast is short, smart, and super personable. (It might be the radio host energy, but his voice feels like someone I already trust. Granted, I have met him and he's lovely...)

He shares the frameworks and tactics that help him run his business efficiently — so he’s, you guessed it, done by lunch. His bread and butter is podcasting and audio marketing, so if you’ve been considering launching a podcast for your business, this isn’t a step-by-step guide, but it is the pov you want to hear before you do.

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Practicing my dramatic pause right alongside you 🤫,