Know when to shut up

The fourth man walks into a job interview and sits in front of a man with no ears - the employer, conducting the interviews.

The employer starts his questioning with the same question he’s asked the previous three candidates. “Do you notice anything unusual about me?”

The fourth man answers the same way all the rest have answered. “Of course I do, you don’t have any ears.”

“Get out!” bellows the employer. “I don’t want you working for me.”

The fifth man walks in and is asked the same question. “Do you notice anything unusual about me?” This fifth man answers with, “Of course I do; you’re not wearing any glasses...”

Relieved, the employer says, “That’s great. You’re hired. All the others have said something else.”

The man being interviewed continues his sentence, almost as if he had never finished, “…that’s because it would be impossible for you to wear glasses since you don’t have any friggin’ ears.”

Red-faced, the employer yells, “You’re fired!”

How many times do we have something in our hand, and lose it because we talk too much? We don’t know when to shut up. Rarely, once a point has been made, does continuing to talk do us any good.

In the example above, the man would have been hired had he just shut up.

All day, every day, all across the world, people are losing what they had, or failing to get what they want, because they talk too much.

The more you talk to the police, the more likely they will be able to find something to use against you and the worse off you will be. The more you say as a speaker, once you made your point, the more you will confuse your audience. The more you babble when negotiating the price of a house you wish to purchase, the higher the price you’ll pay.

Put this method to practice, and watch your success soar.

There’s a reason the creator gave us one mouth, but two ears.