You don’t need to fill every silence. People tell you more when you let a quiet moment sit.

Silence in a conversation feels like a failure you are responsible for, so most people rush in and close it. What gets closed is the space the other person was using to decide whether to say the next thing, which is usually the more honest thing. Holding a pause is a kind of generosity that looks like doing nothing. The good material tends to arrive once the obvious material runs out.

In your next real conversation, let one pause run three seconds past comfortable. Keep your face open rather than expectant. Notice what gets said into the gap you left.