Pausing for thought can be an essential processing tool for one’s brain. And we all need those pauses at
times. However, it is quite interesting to break down these pauses and exercise some level of patients when people are doing them.
There are ‘conclusion’ pauses. When someone has come to the end of what they are saying and they are waiting for you to share your thoughts on the subject. And there are ‘thinking’ pauses when someone is just taking their time to process and formulate what they are going to say next.
Frustrating or OK?
Now of course, when an articulate, fast speaking person is in a rush and is pressing someone for a quick answer. There isn’t much room in their mind for pausing for thought /a thinking pause. And this leads to frustration. However, what is often forgotten in these moments. Is that it is just as frustrating to the other person who needs those thinking pauses to ensure that the information they are imparting is accurate, and communicated correctly.
Sometimes people need to process information for longer than just a pause, and this can be really valuable for both parties. Think back to that classic saying; “If you have a big decision to make, sleep on it”. During our sleep, our brains do an awful lot of processing and make sense of what has happened in the day.
Question!
So ask yourself this; how many times has the decision in the morning been a better one than the one you would have made in the spur of the moment?
We are all different and that’s what makes life interesting! So have a little ponder on this at some point. It might just help your communications with others, or stop any frustration bubbling to the surface, it might even lead to better decision making or better ideas to form from taking your time or allowing others to take theirs!