Sometimes silence says more. How to use strategic silence to make your message stick

SALT LAKE CITY — Most parents have been there. What starts as a simple conversation turns into a five, ten, maybe fifteen-minute lecture while your teenager mentally checks out. We assume that if they aren't getting it, we need to say more, but the opposite is often true.

KSL Parenting Contributor Heather Johnson taught us the power of strategic silence and explained why saying less can make our message more likely to stick.

Use the Under-10-Word Rule

Offer an 8-second Brain Pause

Don't Take the "Attitude Bait"

Offer "Parallel Silence"