Know when to stop talking

Talking is good; but even better is knowing when to stop talking. If you want to hone your powers of persuasion then you must know when to pause, or stop talking overall, and give your audience a chance to assimilate the message.

Running a business almost always involves convincing people to do stuff. Whether it is to buy your product, read your blog, or invest in your company, your presentation must be able to sway their opinions in your favour. And great persuaders learn to insert small time spaces between their thoughts and actual speech, which also gives you a chance to consider your next words before you say something really stupid.

Author Jim Randel describes a scenario where too much talking almost jeopardized a business deal.