Less is more and nothing is more powerful than silence. When you've made your point, don't clarify it. Don't repeat it. Just stop. the more comfortable you can get with silence the more you will have the ability to control a conversation or a dialogue. In any conversation, the person who is more comfortable with silences will be able to have control over that conversation.

And the reason is simple. As human beings we feel compelled to fill silences If you can hold a silence without filling it, it's the other person who will step in, say more, possibly more than they intended. This will give you a chance to listen. And it will make them feel that you are in control. Silence is the linguistic equivalent of total stillness. It's hard to master.

But something that well repays the investment of learning to silence us well can be a devastating argument. At the end of an argument, silence is your chance to close the argument and put a full stop on the conversation.