A pause in conversation isn’t a failure. Sometimes the other person is just thinking.

Silence in the middle of a conversation is usually just processing. Somebody weighing a real answer needs a few seconds, and the urge to fill the gap is about your discomfort rather than anything they need. Filling it often cuts off the more honest version they were in the middle of assembling.

Count to three the next time a pause opens, especially after you have asked something that matters. Keep your face open and resist adding a second question. What comes out of a pause you did not interrupt is often the whole reason you asked.