Men are born with two eyes, but with one tongue, in order that they should see twice as much as they say.

Observation and speech should not be in balance. Most people talk at roughly the rate they take things in, which means they are working from very little, and it shows in the confidence of conclusions reached in the first two minutes. Watching longer than you speak is unfashionable and it is the whole of the advantage in most rooms. The information is nearly always available to whoever is quiet enough to collect it.

In the next unfamiliar situation, set yourself a ratio and keep to it. Let others speak first, and spend the time noticing who defers to whom and what nobody is saying.