It is considered a test of a group…
Can it be together in silence? Can the people involved be in each other’s company without anything being said, or is it so uncomfortable that someone needs to fill the space and say something?
If, in fact, the group can be together in silence, that means the individuals involved have some deeper sense of connection; that they are in fact a team of some kind.
But which comes first?
Being a group, or being together in silence?
Perhaps we can build the group faster by creating the circumstances where its members are together in silence sooner or more often.
One easy way into this is to ask those present to think to themselves for a minute or two about a challenging question. That’s appropriate in almost any setting, including at work.
It’s illuminating to try this out.
You see…
Sometimes words get in the way. They actually block the deeper communication.
Do you have the nerve to create some silence and see what happens?
Can you be with yourself in silence even? Perhaps that’s a subject for another day.