Think before talk
“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” — Epictetus
Talk is easy. Everyone has an opinion, and we love sharing it although nobody asks. But you have to keep in mind we must act according to Nature.
Our Nature is rational (as I talked about before). It’s mandatory to know as much as possible about something before we gave an opinion. You should try to gather as much information as you can and digest it in order to extract concepts and basic ideas just to make clear the best resolution of whatever problem is in front of you. But don’t lie to yourself, you probably will be leaking some part of the reality.
This is a way of practicing wisdom; one of the four Stoic virtues. As with every other aspect of this philosophy for life, it takes time to become better at it. A good way to improve this skill is to be silent as much as you can.
As I said before, we love sharing our impressions and our opinions with others. This behavior leads us to say things we don’t really want to say or maybe speak ahead of time. So, connecting with the information-gathering process, you only should talk when your words could improve the current situation or if you can afford that when someone deliberately asks you for your opinion. Even if someone asks you, you have the right to not have a formed opinion about something.
This is quite important in interpersonal relations as it is very difficult to have the complete context of a colleague. Being too categorical while talking with a peer can make her feel bad. Controlling the ego is important in these kinds of conversations.
Be aware of judging something or someone. People would feel hurt if you criticize them and I’m talking about constructive criticism. The worst scenario is not knowing the whole thing when criticizing, your peer could build a wall between you and her. That’s not good for the work climate at all.
Be silent, be comprehensive, and be patient.