To quote the classic Polish film Rejs: “At every meeting you have the same situation – someone has to start first.” It’s all but certain that around 40% of people will be happy to wait for such a person and will not dare to break the prevailing silence. They may not be second or third in line either. Some won’t respond at all. That doesn’t mean they don’t have an opinion, quite the opposite usually. The point is that they don’t necessarily have free bandwidth and a proper introduction to the conversation. It is a mistake to expect such people to start competing for attention with people with opposite characters.
Good communication includes knowing that silence does not mean you have no knowledge or opinion on a given subject. You should adapt to the needs of other people and choose the right communication style. It’s not easy, because first you need to know someone’s preferences. For this purpose, it is best to use the appropriate tool.
