You’ve all heard the legend. You know - those studies that suggest that women out talk men by almost 3 words to 1. Well it looks like these differences may be a myth. Someone actually decided to test it by using Electronically Activated Recorders (EARs….) that track conversations.

396 people had their conversations recorded for up to 4 days each. The result: women spoke an average of 16215 words per day, marginally more than the men who spoke at 15669 per day. (Reference: Are women really talking more than men? Science 2007; 317:82)

Of course what this study can’t tell us is how valuable any of those words were. I certainly know, as I’m sure you do, of people who speak rarely but with great insight and consideration. And I know people who speak plenty but I only tune in to the important 5%.

Sometimes talking is overrated. Trust me - quality - not quantity - is preferred. To those people who feel the need to “fill the silence”, please don’t. To those who feel the need to “have their say” in meetings so others will get that they understand - it’s really not necessary. We assume that you understand. And to those who just love to voice their opinion - stop talking at us.

Communication skills are the foundation of so many other competencies. If you are getting feedback that you should listen more, or try and understand others’ points of view (point of views?), then getting additional insight into effective communication is a great idea.

I’m one of those - “only say what you need to when you need to” types - so maybe I’m just jealous. But in case I’m not……