Good afternoon everyone!

This week marks the beginning of Fall in this part of the world, but the sun is shining and temperatures are summer like. The few palm trees here in Vancouver seem very happy!

A teacher of mine gave me an important insight this week. When we're talking with our colleagues, our reports, even family members, an important question to ask ourselves is, "why am I talking?" There are a couple of reasons for this; one, if I'm talking, I'm not listening and two, silence is a very powerful tool.

To drill down, generally people will want to fill the vacuum in a silence, so if I fill it, I'm missing a great opportunity to hear another person's story. And subtly, the silence can allow for thinking time, the person I'm engaged with might well benefit from quiet time to think. Give them that time by staying quiet.

I hope that the warmth of the sun this week warms you this week, and that all of us have some quiet time, particularly while we're talking with each other.